With the holidays quickly approaching, many companies will close their doors for a few days and give their employees a bit of a break. It’s a good morale boost for the office, and companies usually aren’t hectic over Christmas.

If you’re deciding to close down for the holidays, you’ll want to do more than hanging a poster on the front door saying closed on this day. There are a few things to do first that will prepare your employees and customers that you’ll be closed for a bit.

To help get your business ready for the holiday shutdown, reviews for Global Resources has five steps to consider.

Notify Those Associated with the Company

The first step is to notify everyone who would be impacted by the closure and give them enough notice. Most employees will understand and appreciate the time off. However, if you spring it on them last minute, they may get frustrated if they could have planned a holiday.

Try to notify as early as possible. Make sure to let any other businesses associated, like deliveries, vendors, or business partners. Sending an email is an excellent way to do this, so everyone has a reference.

Make Public a Few Weeks Before

You don’t need to necessarily let your customers and the public know about the closure as early as your employees. Nevertheless, it’s still good customer service practice to give them some advanced warning (especially if you sell goods some may purchase as a Christmas present).

If you have an email marketing campaign, include your closure announcement in one that will go out a few weeks before the closure date. Make a post on social media around the same time that explicitly states the dates you’re closed and when you’ll reopen.

Change Any Automated Greetings and Messages

About when you make public of your closure, you should change any automated greetings and messages as well. They should include details on your closure and when you plan to reopen.

Right before you close down, change your automated greetings and messages one more time. This time, explain right away that you’re closed, when you’ll reopen, and an emergency number if applicable to your company.

Schedule Building Check-Ins

Depending on the type of business you operate, you may want someone (or yourself) checking in on the building during the closure. You would hate to come back after a week to find a toilet backed up, or someone didn’t shut the lights off.

The Day You Close Checklist

On the last day of work, have a checklist for everyone in the building. This will ensure everything is set up for there to be no one around. Include duties like backing up any essential documents, shutting down computers, throwing away garbage, quickly cleaning the office, turning down the thermostat, and switching off the lights.

Although it’s not that much additional work to prepare, there are still a few steps to take to prepare for closure. The above few points will provide a good reminder of what to do for a smooth holiday closure.