You’re Measuring What’s Easy, Not What Matters
October 27, 2026
What Happens When “That” Person Goes on Holiday
You Notice It. Even If You Don’t Want To.
It’s funny what you notice when someone goes on holiday. The office feels lighter. People chat more. Meetings feel easier. Someone who normally keeps quiet suddenly contributes. Decisions happen faster. There’s less tension. Nobody has announced it. Nobody is celebrating. But you can feel it. Then you realise why. “That” person is away. I’ve seen this in businesses more than once. And usually, they aren’t an obvious nightmare employee. They might be very good at their job. They might have been there for years. They might be someone the business relies on heavily. Which is exactly what makes it uncomfortable. Because if the business feels different when they’re gone, you need to understand why.
The Absence Tells You Something
This isn’t about someone taking annual leave.
It’s about what their absence reveals.
We spend a lot of time looking at sales, profit, cash flow and turnover to understand what’s happening in a business.
But some of the most useful information isn’t in a report.
It’s in the room.
Who speaks?
Who stays quiet?
Who suddenly contributes?
Who do people look at before giving an opinion?
Your team probably knows who changes the atmosphere. They know who gets handled carefully and when it’s easier to say nothing.
And when that person is away, you may suddenly see what people have been holding back.
More ideas.
More challenge.
Better conversations.
Less hesitation.
The contrast is data.
Don’t ignore it because it makes you uncomfortable.
Some People Create Friction, Not Drama
Not every difficult person is openly difficult.
Some people simply make everything harder.
They dominate conversations. Dismiss ideas. Make people choose their words carefully. Turn straightforward discussions into something people would rather avoid.
There may never be one big incident.
Just a pattern.
And that’s why it can go on for so long.
“It’s just their personality.”
“They’ve always been like that.”
“They’re brilliant at what they do.”
Maybe.
But what is the impact?
That’s the bit that matters.
Because intent doesn’t cancel out impact.
The Cost Is Bigger Than One Difficult Person
You won’t find this neatly labelled in your accounts.
But there is a commercial cost.
Ideas don’t get raised.
Problems don’t get challenged.
Managers spend time navigating personalities instead of running the business.
Good people become frustrated.
And eventually, some decide they’d rather work somewhere else.
That’s the real danger.
You’re not necessarily dealing with someone causing obvious damage.
You’re dealing with the gradual reduction of what the rest of your team is willing to bring to the table.
“But They’re Too Valuable to Lose”
This is usually the sticking point.
“They’re one of our best people.”
“They’ve been here forever.”
“We couldn’t replace them.”
“They bring in a lot of business.”
I understand it.
People are commercially important. Experience matters. Replacing someone can be expensive and disruptive.
But I’d still ask:
What is keeping this person costing you?
Because being good at your job doesn’t give you permission to make everyone else’s job harder.
And being difficult to replace doesn’t mean the behaviour should be ignored.
It may mean you need a difficult conversation.
It may mean clearer boundaries.
It may mean addressing something that has been allowed to go on for far too long.
But doing nothing is also a decision.
Step Outside The Bubble
This is where leadership gets uncomfortable.
Next time they’re away, don’t just enjoy the quieter office.
Watch what changes.
Does the team speak more freely?
Do decisions happen faster?
Does someone who normally says very little suddenly contribute?
Does collaboration improve?
Then notice what happens when they return.
You’re not looking for ammunition.
You’re looking for a pattern.
And if the difference is obvious, ask yourself:
What are you actually protecting?
If the answer is, “They’re too valuable to lose,” what does that say to everyone else?
Leadership isn’t just about who you hire.
It’s about the standards you set and the behaviour you’re prepared to accept.
You can’t expect people to speak up while allowing one person to make speaking up feel unsafe.
That doesn’t automatically mean they need to leave.
But it does mean you should stop pretending you haven’t noticed.
Because if the business consistently functions better without someone in the room, the question isn’t whether their behaviour is technically acceptable.
The question is whether the impact is acceptable.
And that’s a leadership decision.
