It never fails. During this time of year — when the trees are just starting bloom, the days are ever so slightly longer, and we have that rogue week or two of perfect 70 degree weather — I come down with what my father used to call “beach fever”. Apparently, I am not the only one who suffers from this condition. As I was visiting my favorite c-store last week, the manager (and muse for many of my blogs), Darlene, and I got to talking about what perfect beach weather it was and how she would not see me the following week because she was going on vacation. Well, sort of.

Darlene’s children are out of school for their spring break this week and since the trips to the beach are a distant memory now that her cigarette habit costs as much as a week at the Ocean Lakes camp site, our dear recessionista will be opting for an at-home “staycation”.  Now, something tells me that even though Darlene will technically be on vacation, she will somehow manage to find an excuse to either drive down to the store she manages or log into her store’s computer remotely. It is evident that her store is her pride and joy (and a large part of the reason why I go in there so often). If only all store managers shared a similar pride of ownership!

As the economy and societal views on flexible work hours shifts, we find that more and more clients allow their store managers or supervisors to “remote access” their stores in order to stay in touch — even while out sick on while on vacation. While not the most restful way to spend a vacation, it certainly beats having to drive down to the store — regardless if you are in town or 3 hrs away at the beach.  The electronic age has provided the tools to increase response time when an emergency comes up or simply to check in with relatively little inconvenience.

For those people who cannot relax while on vacation without checking into their businesses, there are several tools that CMI has available to monitor and control your stores remotely. Darlene and her store are an excellent example of the 24/7 business culture we live in today. She is able to maintain her competitive advantage even while at home with the kids preparing for the Easter egg hunt.

Are you giving your employees the competitive edge?