6 Ways to Handle Work During Vacation
Fifty-seven percent of employees check email during their time off. Here’s how to best handle it for maximum efficiency and sanity.
Let’s admit it: Vacations are a lot less vacation-y these days, with executives and managers facing a constant flow of uncertainty while at the beach or villa. Few of them can actually close their laptops for their entire holidays.
Nor can many employees: Some 57% check work email while on vacation, with 51% working through holidays as a way to avoid additional stress, according to a survey by mental-health platform Modern Health. Forty percent of them have considered quitting because of vacation burnout or dread of returning to work. Experts say the situation is unsurprising, given that the work in most fields never stops. “It’s not natural to unplug from an ongoing stream of activity abruptly,” says David Vied, global sector leader for medical devices and diagnostics at Korn Ferry.
Vied has found that insisting workers not log hours is not the path forward. “The more you say you won’t work on vacation, the likelier it is you’re going to check your phone,” he says. The question is how else to approach work: Emails must be responded to, and direct reports need answers and directives ASAP. How can those be delivered without spoiling a vacation? Try these seven steps to vacation sanely and happily.
Introduce clients and colleagues to your delegate(s).
Colleagues and clients need to know who to contact while you’re away. Many executives announce their name(s), but most fail to actively introduce clients or team members to them. Take the time to make quick face-to-face introductions, whether online or in person.
Tell your delegate(s) when to text you.
Every boss wants to hear certain news immediately, even if they’re snorkeling. This requires knowing which news is “call or text me about this immediately” important, such as questions from a particular client or communications from the CEO. “Before I go, I typically tell my executive assistant the few things that might be super urgent that she can text me about,” says Mitul Modi, a Korn Ferry senior client partner in global healthcare services.
Check emails on a predetermined schedule.
Set aside 15 to 60 minutes every morning to attend to emails. Modi organizes emails into “urgent” and “first week back” categories, and addresses the former immediately. “That way I’m not thinking about checking my phone during the day,” he says. For roles that require a midday or end-of-day check-in, repeat the process.
Inform people that you’re away.
“Don’t try to be stealthy—everyone takes time off,” says Vied. In out-of-office messages and on group calls, specifically state your vacation dates. One exception: Constant responsiveness may be expected in client services during a key deal or project, in which case you should let people know your email-checking schedule.
Keep open your first day back.
“My executive assistant lightly schedules me for the morning I’m back,” says Modi. This allows plenty of time to catch up and communicate with your delegate(s) and teammates. Vied sometimes returns to work one day before he’s officially scheduled to, which provides him with a full day to get back on the horse.
Thank everyone.
“No one ever thinks to do this,” says Vied. Once you’re back, take the time to explicitly thank your delegate(s), as well as any colleagues or clients who’ve picked up the slack during your absence. A small gift for team members’ kids from your vacation locale can go a long way too.
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