Picture this:
You are on your first summer vacation of the year. You walk down to the dock and sit in the best spot. Hear the waves gently hit the boat, feel the sun on your skin. You open your laptop and you are:
1 - Checking and responding to work emails and ensuring all is going ok while you are away.
2 - Checking off an item of your bucket list and are beginning to write a novel.
3 - Googling what kind of butterfly gently landed on your foot.
If you are doing #2 or 3 good for you! This is what using a laptop on vacation is all about. It is you time, check an item off of your bucket list time...it is not a time to check emails and respond so everyone knows you are available every minute of your vacation. This is not relaxing and is not good for your mental wellbeing.
A leader will ensure that they are available for what I call "911 emergencies" only. For me this is: someone quitting, a serious accident, or another very urgent matter that needs my immediate attention. It does not include: approving late expense reports, signing off on anything that can wait until my return anyway, checking in to see how everyone is doing and what I can do for them today. Leaders ensure that their team can handle what comes (except the emergencies) their way and they should be empowered by you to handle it. We all need rest and relaxation to fully function upon our return from vacation - after all that is what vacation is for.
The first time you do this, you may come back to higher workloads as people are so used to you being available. However, the more you do it the better it becomes and the less amount of emails or calls are waiting for you after your down time.
Here is what you can do BEFORE going on vacation to ensure all is good to go:
a- Cancel or decline all meetings during your holiday so there is no expectation you will be there.
b - Use your out of office on your email and phone and do not include a direct way to get a hold of you. I simply put down that I am away and please contact customer service for urgent matters to have them redirected.
c - Empower your employees to make decisions - even provide them with limits to approve while you are away or any other way to help you with relaxing.
d - Train then delegate any tasks you are able to so you have backup while you are gone. A leader should not be the only person who knows how to complete a task.
e - Tell everyone, from employees, vendors, other sites to customers that you will be away at least 1-2 weeks before hand and then the day before. This brings down the calls and emails substantially.
There are many more, but hopefully this short list will help you enjoy more of your next vacation.
Take care and as always, I am here to help!
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