Summer vacations are causing trouble for some small businesses

With the economy continuing to do small businesses few favors - forcing them to layoff workers and cut hours - summer has presented additional challenges.

Summer vacations are forcing small businesses to find ways to pick up the slack when employees leave for much-needed rest and relaxation, the Wall Street Journal writes.

In better economic conditions, most businesses could hire temporary workers well in advance to fill the gaps. However, with tighter budgets, businesses are less likely to do so, meaning employees are forced to juggle unfamiliar tasks and possibly commit costly errors.

Sometimes the changes throw a business into "panic mode," John Gordon, an assembly-line worker at Quality Buildings, told the Journal. "You just have to learn as you go. You do what you can do for that day, and maybe the next time you try something else and it works out better," he added.

While summer is a tempting time in any economic climate to shut down business for a bit, by doing so owners could be missing out on new business. Tom Hall, principal of communications company Tucker/Hall, told BusinessWeek that summer is the best time to jump ahead of competitors who decided to take a break.