Keeping the shop humming when the boss is away

Summer is nearing an end and most of the schools are starting up again. Everyone is getting in their last summer vacation activities and leaving their work in the office.

Well, that is the intention of most, but does that really happen with today’s technologies? It is nearly impossible to get away from your work, especially if you are a small-business owner or work in a shop like Barnes MetalCrafters. As many of you know, there’s never a good time to leave the shop. Something always needs to be done that makes you think twice about going anywhere.

My dad, aka the boss and owner of Barnes MetalCrafters, very rarely spends a day away from the shop, let alone an entire week. Last week he had an opportunity to spend some time on Topsail Island with some close family friends from Ohio.

Dad was going to be gone from a Saturday to Saturday, enjoying his time away from work. I ended up missing the Friday before he left to help move my nephew into a dorm at Appalachian State, but dad and I had held several discussions on the scope of projects and work that needed to be done while he was gone.

Come Monday, I found a huge pile of stuff to work on throughout the week. It was enough work to last two or three weeks, but dad is known to give you way more work than is actually possible to complete.

I wasn’t sure of the challenges that I was going to face during the week, and I promised myself that I would do my best to leave him alone. That didn’t last long. I think I may have called him a dozen times that Monday, asking him simple questions that I needed answered. He didn’t mind me calling, and I knew the shop was on his mind 24/7.

His secretary Joyce and I received e-mails from him throughout each day. She once looked at me and said, “He needs to relax and enjoy his time off.” I think he actually got a bigger kick out of handling work from a beach chair on his cell phone. One customer told me to have dad throw his phone in the ocean and forget about it.

The days flew by for me as I was doing six or seven things at a time, trying my best to remember what needed to be done as I walked through the shop checking on things. My tasks multiplied quickly as soon as I heard a “Hey, yo Nick.” Someone usually needed a dimension, or another drawing, or a sanding belt. I didn’t mind the extra work as I learned quite a bit that week.

I’ll admit I was pretty exhausted by the time Wednesday or Thursday came around. I was ready to finish the week off, but dad said I needed to come down to the beach and hang out with everyone. That was music to my ears.

We work half-days on Fridays, so I figured the guys could hold down the fort for a few hours. It worked out well as I made a rush-order delivery to a customer Thursday afternoon and then cruised on down to Topsail.

Custom Stand-up Paddle Trophies for the Colonial Cup Held in New Bern, N.C.

Having the extra work on your plate can be a good wake-up call. It helps hone your skills and prepares you to pick up the ball when a co-worker needs some time away.

Dad is addicted to the business and metal fabrication in general. It really shows in his work ethic and even more when he’s not there to contribute to the team. We’ll see how refreshed he is from his week away, and I’m sure he will hit the ground running when he gets back to the shop.

Do you own a small business or work with someone who has trouble leaving their shop? Let us know in the comments. I’m sure there are many more companies like ours with bosses just like dad.

All images courtesy of Barnes MetalCrafters.

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