You’ve spent months accruing paid vacation days, and it’s now time to use them! After so much hard work, you can’t wait to walk away from it all for a few glorious days. Here are some pre-vacation tips that will ensure you have a smooth return to the office and, more importantly, avoid that mid-vacation phone call from your boss.
Tell Your Working Teams
While your boss is the one approving your time off, they aren’t the only one who needs to know. Tell everyone! By making sure you alert your immediate team, anyone in other departments with whom you work, and your customers that you’ll be away, you can minimize the chances of them messaging you while you’re gone. Try to give them the heads up at least one week beforehand to give them a chance to wrap up any time-sensitive work they need you for.
Share Statuses
If you have projects in progress, let your co-workers and superiors know their status a few working days before you head out. This allows them to ask any questions ahead of time and gives you a bit of wiggle room to push the project further if need be.
Prep Your Proxy
Once you’ve decided who will be the point person in your absence, have a personal conversation with them. Give them the lowdown on your day-to-day duties and specifics about what they’ll need to cover for you while you’re gone.
Set Your Status
Don’t forget to set up an out-of-office email reply before you go. This will remind anyone that contacts you that you are away. If possible, include the email or contact information of a co-worker or manager that they can reach if they need immediate assistance. If you use a messaging app like Slack or Teams, you should set an out-of-office reply there as well. That way, your chats don’t go unanswered without explanation!
Share Personal Contact Information Sparingly
If possible, avoid putting your personal phone number in your out-of-office messages. You want to enjoy your time off! Rather than give everyone the opportunity to interrupt your vacation, leave your number with a trusted colleague for emergencies only. The best person to have your personal contact information is your proxy, who can determine what can wait versus what requires your attention. Let them know when they should contact you and by what method – and if you’re going to be without service for an extended period of time.
Set a Return Plan
The first day back in the office can be overwhelming, but you can curb this feeling with a little preparation. Schedule any follow-up meetings ahead of time (even if it’s just 15 minutes with your trusted proxy person) so that you can get caught up right away when you return.
What other pre-vacation work tips do you recommend? Let us know in the comments below!