Out of Office… ON!

Your boss granted your time-off request, and now you`re counting down the days until that much needed getaway! But facing reality, the vision of return to the office after a vacation and the reality usually have little in common. This article will show you some tips and tricks to prevent coming back to work and falling behind on tasks that have built up in the interim.

Step 1: Create a game plan!

It`s important to always have a list of your ongoing projects, especially before you leave for vacation. This list should include a summary of each project, its current status, deadlines that will hit in your absence and any necessary contacts. Also, make a list of possible worst-case scenarios and provide clear instructions as to how co-workers should handle each.

Step 2: The handover process.

You should provide an overview of the tasks that your colleague/s will be taking on, along with resources and documents that they might need. Make sure that they understand the process, even if you have to cover it 2/3 times. If there is a specific task which is outside your set of responsibilities, you should practice these tasks together. If everything is handled with caution, you should come back to work as if you have never left. Also, buy your colleague a meal/holiday gift to get on his good side for taking on your responsibilities while you are away!

Step 3: Bring your manager into the light.

You should arrange a briefing meeting with your manager to bring him/her up to speed, or provide him/her with a detailed e-mail that explains which co-workers and what will they be doing until you are away. If you have identified any foreseen problems, you should advise your manager how you instructed your co-workers to handle them (This demonstrates Leadership).

The above steps show that you have done everything in your power to maintain momentum on your key projects.

Step 4: Enjoy your Vacation!

Stop thinking about work, learn to plan ahead, rely on your co-workers, and understand that sometimes it`s inevitable that you`ll miss out on that last minute requests, and you`ll be much more productive when you return…. Hey, no armies will be waiting for your word to invade the country! Sure you will miss a couple of opportunities, all you can do is apologize to a few people when you get back, and other opportunities will come knocking on your door.

Step 5: Back to the normal life!

Don`t walk back in the office after that amazing vacation without a plan of attack! Unless you want to be piled up. On your first day back to the office, give yourself some wiggle room so you can catch up on what happened. Don`t book anything for your first day, devote the time. Also, you should block off your calendar so no one can book it.

Step 6: Use the out-of-office to your advantage.

Your out of office reply needs to be straightforward, helpful & honest. It`s important to assess who`s going to be taking care of your workload into 3 broad categories, also advise on who to reach out to instead of yourself OR when they might expect a response from you.