6 Tips for an Impact-Free Vacation
The summer is a great time for a vacation (heck, any time is a great time for a vacation) and many people in the corporate world take the opportunity that summer holidays provide to take off for longer periods of time. We here at Newly Corporate have given out many tips on how to enjoy your vacation and how to do it frugally but, what about the team you leave behind and your re-entry when you get back?
Here are six strategies I use to minimize my impact on my projects’ timelines when I take a vacation:
1. Alert your team well before your vacation and send them an Outlook meeting invite so they see it during their planning cycles. This is pretty basic but, many people forget to send the invite and then your teams forget you are going to be gone.
2. Add pop-up reminders to your emails that include significant tasks due during your vacation. This is a great way to help fellow team members organize project tasks in general but, it can be a big help if you are gone and someone is filling in for you who is not used to your tasks. Here is the process for Microsoft Outlook:
Reminder on a new message:
- Open a new message
- Click on the Flag icon in the Email toolbar
- In the ‘Flag to’ list, select the text that you want or type in your own
- Select the Due by date and time if applicable
- Click OK
When the message is received it will have a date and time listed in the Due By column (if you’ve added that column to your header row - directions are below) and there will be a faint red flag, (or another default color that has been set) with no background color around it, in the Flag Status column. The flag will stay that way until you take action on that flag.
3. Clean out your inbox before you leave. It seems like common sense but, this makes re-entry when you get back a world easier. The last thing you want to have to deal with when you get back from a vacation is 150 emails plus the old ones you haven’t dealt with yet. Plus, this helps to ensure all your tasks are complete and you have responded to everyone before you leave.
4. Check your email at least once while your gone. I know it stinks to think about work while you’re gone but, it can seriously help you stay abreast of whats going and can prevent the “deer in the headlights” syndrome that many experience.
5. Don’t dwell on your vacation when you get back into the office. I had a co-worker once ask the CIO of the company I work for what his handicap was and the CIO laughed, either it wasn’t good or, more likely, he didn’t want to say he golfed alot and was a scratch golfer because it could make others jealous. The same goes for your vacation. When you come back, be polite and answer questions but don’t rant about how great the beach was or your asking for resentment.
6. Time your vacation wisely. Watch out for big presentations or deadlines and plan your vacations around them. Also, as great as it can be, we’re not all Europeans with 6 weeks of vacation so figure out what works best for you in terms of taking your vacation all at once or spread it out. Longer vacations may be nice but, they are often harder to recover from.
How do you keep the office happy and your projects on track while you take your days off? Share your tactics in the comments!
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July 11th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Hi. These are great tips. Worry free vacations have always been something I’ve struggled with in the past. If you can - I would make sure all due invoices are paid before you’re gone, or give someone the authority to write cheques in your absence. It can create a huge headache if you forget to do this.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I like this post a lot, as I believe it gives a great deal of positive information on having an worry-free vacation. I especially like #5, as it really is good advice that you don’t hear often. However, I have one point that I would challenge, and that is #4 - checking your e-mail once while gone…
One of the many reasons people take vacation is so they can decompress and not think about work. It’s a time to re-energize yourself and not be burdened by thinking about what you’re missing while gone.
Besides, how fun and relaxing is the rest of a vacation after you see a flurry of e-mails about a stressful meeting or project that you are dreading upon your return to the office?
My tip #4 would be “don’t forget to set your out of office reply”, and make sure the message includes WHEN you’ll be returning and getting back with them, and if their concern is an emergency, WHO they can contact. That is a must, and people appreciate knowing that they have someone else they can rely on while you are out of the office.
Again, I like the post, and hope everyone takes all of these tips into consideration as they plan their upcoming vacation this summer.
Bruce
PS- My one other piece of advice is to not be afraid that using your vacation days is going to make you look like you don’t want to advance at your company. The company gives you vacation days to use, so USE THEM!