Planning a Monthly Team Meeting with Key Members on Leave: How Do You Ensure Success?

Planning a Monthly Team Meeting

As a team manager with 15 members, and with two key team members on a 3-week leave, organizing an effective monthly team meeting requires strategic planning. Here are some steps to consider:

1. **Assess Team Availability**
Check the availability of all team members, including those on leave, to determine if they can join remotely. This ensures everyone is on the same page.

2. **Set Clear Objectives**
Define the purpose of the meeting. Whether it's to discuss project updates, address challenges, or strategize for upcoming tasks, having clear objectives will keep the meeting focused.

3. **Prepare an Agenda**
Draft a detailed agenda and share it with the team in advance. This allows members to prepare their inputs and ensures a structured discussion.

4. **Utilize Technology**
Use video conferencing tools to include members on leave. This maintains their involvement and keeps them updated on team progress.

5. **Encourage Participation**
Foster an inclusive environment where all members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. This can lead to more innovative solutions and team cohesion.

6. **Follow Up**
After the meeting, distribute minutes and action items to ensure accountability and track progress on discussed points.

By following these steps, you can effectively plan and execute a productive team meeting, even with key members temporarily unavailable.

Communicating Meeting Details

Send the details of the meeting to the respective key team members by email. Obtain any relevant information from them beforehand to conduct the meeting successfully in their absence.

Scheduling the Meeting

Call for the meeting as per the requirement and urgency of the case to be discussed.

Distributing Meeting Minutes

Send the minutes of the meeting by email to the respective key team members.

Everyone is important in the team; don't divide your team in this fashion. Make everyone feel important and key contributors to the business objective.

Firstly, inform the two important team members about the agenda of the meeting well in advance and obtain their views. Conduct the meeting with other members, presenting the views of the absent members. Send the minutes of the meeting to the absent members. Do not neglect them. This will boost the individual touch, and the team can perform efficiently.

Regards,
Giridhar V.R.

As others have given you some ideas, I will raise some questions. Is this a hypothetical question for a student? What do you do and where (in which type of industry)? When posing questions, it is better to give our views and then seek comments on our views. Have a nice day.

Regards,
Simhan

Use Technology for Effective Meetings

If possible, use technology like video calling. Alternatively, I will send the minutes/agenda of the meeting and ask them to email or call to share their views and opinions. You can seek help from close associates of the two absent people or those working alongside them. Plan your meetings in such a way that they feel they have the chance or opportunity to share their opinions and are recognized even in their absence.

Much regards,

"You can buy a man's time, you can buy a man's physical presence at a given place, you can even buy a measured number of skilled muscular motions per hour or day; but you cannot buy enthusiasm, you cannot buy initiative; you cannot buy loyalty; you cannot buy devotion of hearts, minds, and souls. You have to earn these things."

Go Green | The future will thank you |

Regards

How advisable is it to involve someone in work when they are taking a deserved vacation? Unless the matter is urgent and requires input from missing members, which can be collected through emails.

First of all, is it a hypothetical situation? Anyway, I think since your team is supposed to work as a "team," you have to include the members on leave as well. You may use media like email, video conference, etc. Post the agenda to them early; get their opinions; call for the meeting and inform the members present about the opinions sent by the absent members. Send the minutes to the members who were not present.

When one is on leave, they hand over operations, and work cannot stop just because a staff member is on vacation. All organizations need to have a continuity plan in place. What if those key members find other jobs? I would proceed with the meeting with those present and take minutes to keep other members informed about ongoing developments.

The bottom line is that an organization's operations should not rely on one individual. The system should be designed to ensure that everyone is capable of performing the organization's functions, and every key role should have a designated deputy.

Regards,
LM

In my team, the following would happen:

• Employees do not go on annual leave without a handover.
• Relevant reminders are sent with ample time to ensure that the last meeting agenda items have been actioned.
• A new item in the agenda will be added called "Follow up on the handover" to ensure the smooth running of the department in the absence of the employees.
• Send a reminder first thing in the morning on the day of the meeting that it is still on and the location.
• Take enough copies of the last meeting agenda, notes on replies on action, and a copy of the handover for follow-up. Always have enough copies because there is always someone who does not have copies ready or reads the email at the last minute.
• Ensure employees who are on leave are also informed they are still team members so when they return from leave, they don't miss out.

Regards

Handling Team Member Absences During Meetings

A 15-member team is a fairly big team, and in case 2 members are missing, it is not a big deal. Two members are on a 3-week leave. It must be planned and approved leave, and the team should have geared up to function without them during their leave. Hence, there is no need to call them back or disturb their leave.

All the data and information needed for the meeting should be available in the office. If it is not, then it is a case of bad management. When someone is proceeding on long leave, he, his boss, and subordinate should ensure that his function runs smoothly even during his absence.

Only if it is absolutely essential and if there is no alternative, then only required information can be asked from the two team members on leave through email or telephone. In any case, they should not be called to the office or asked to attend the meeting.

Decisions and minutes of the meeting should be given to these two team members on their return.

Regards

I agree with the viewpoint given by LM. An organization must have policies in place so that work can continue even if key members are on leave. An efficient manager must ensure that they can run the show even when some of their team members are away. We work to earn leisure, and if work disturbs our leisure time, it will have a negative impact on an individual's performance. It is equally important to keep everyone updated with the latest developments once they return to work after leave.

One more observation is that if people on leave are included in meetings during their leave period, it may give them the illusion that the organization cannot function without them. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the show must go on.

Thanks and regards,
B K Majumdar

Hi Vandana, while they take a well-deserved vacation, they should not be disturbed. Instead, circulate all necessary information via email and notify them through SMS.

Regards,
GG

To some extent, I feel that you should be more focused because, as the Head of the department and leading a team of 15 members, you should be proactive. I feel that before granting leave to two employees for a period of 3 weeks, you must foresee the urgencies and should have gathered all the necessary information related to those two individuals, which might have supported you in completing the meeting tasks.

Secondly, you could have delegated the additional responsibilities of those two employees to other team members who could have gathered the required data. In emergencies, you can opt for video conferencing or conference calls; however, I am strongly against disturbing employees during their time off. A leader should anticipate situations and act proactively.

Regards,
Kamesh