What to Document Before a Key Staff Member Takes Leave

When a trusted employee or family member plans a two-week holiday, most shop owners assume they can answer questions by phone. In practice, the calls start at 6 a.m. and continue through dinner. The substitute cannot find the spare key, does not know which supplier delivers on Wednesday, and is unsure how much cash to leave in the drawer overnight.

Documenting before the leave begins saves everyone stress. Here is what to capture.

Daily Opening Checklist

Write down every step from unlocking the door to being ready for the first customer. Include:

• Alarm code location (not the code itself — store that separately)
• Which lights and equipment to turn on, and in what order
• Morning inventory checks (what to count, where records go)
• Cash float amount and where change is kept

Supplier Contacts With Context

A phone number alone is not enough. For each critical supplier, note:

• What they deliver and on which days
• The name of your usual contact person
• Minimum order quantities
• What to do if delivery is late (backup vendor, substitute product)

Decision Authority

Clarify what the substitute can decide alone and what requires your approval. Examples:

• Accepting returns under NT$500: substitute decides
• Discounts above 10%: call owner
• Equipment malfunction: shut down machine, call repair contact on list

Cash and Payment Handling

Document end-of-day procedures: how to count the drawer, where deposits go, and how to handle mobile payment reconciliations if you use them.

Test the Documents

Before the leave starts, have the substitute run one full day using only the written materials. Note every question they ask — those gaps become additions to the checklist.

A half-day spent documenting now prevents a week of interrupted holidays later. If your operation has more than a dozen critical tasks, consider a structured staff handover engagement to build these documents with professional guidance.