Posted Mar 10, 2023
Preparing for some time off from work
It can be a challenge these days to take days off/ vacation days away from work especially with technology keeping you glued to the job. However, it is also important to remember that in order to maintain a healthy work life balance, taking some time off to fulfil other commitments may prove helpful.
The tips outlined below will help you prepare for a vacation from work so you can enjoy your time off instead of thinking too much about what’s happening in the office.
Deciding when to take a vacation
Timing is everything. If you have important projects or commitments that need to be fulfilled that are of utmost priority in the workspace, it probably isn’t a good idea to plan a getaway during that time.
Taking time off when it is the busiest time of the year at the workspace can be extremely unfair to your colleagues especially if you don’t let them know well in advance as they would have to pick up your slack. This prompts a rather bad impression on you to your colleagues and managers
If your reason for a vacation is one that cannot be rescheduled and is of utmost priority (such as a graduation) and somehow happens to coincide with peak office activity – give your team notice well in advance so they can be prepared to work around it and find solutions that will help further smoothe and ease the extra work they will be taking on in your absence.
Leave things as clean and organised as possible
To ensure that when you come back to work everything is placed in an organised and concise manner and not one that would overwhelm you, it would be a good idea to run through all your emails, create rules that forward emails sent to you from your clients to your colleagues that are now covering for you.
It may also be a good idea to set automated emails to keep your clients aware that you are away at the moment and that if they wish to discuss something important they may contact your colleagues who are taking on your work at the moment, with the relevant contact details.
Handover of tasks
Another approach could be to give your manager a list of your colleagues who will be taking over your tasks and covering for you (after asking them of course if they mind taking over and covering for you in your absence) Ensure that the necessary work is handed over properly and ensure that you have updated your team of the status of the projects.
Transitioning back into work after a vacation
Your first week in, do not over crowd your schedule with too many meetings and calls. Chances are you are going to have to respond back to a significant number of calls, texts and emails and during your time off new projects may have emerged. Give yourself enough time to take on these new tasks and tackle them cohesively.
