You plan a vacation to relax and forget all about work. However, being out of the office means that you are overloaded with work to make up for your absence both before you leave and after you come back. Hence, it is no surprise that those who go on leave are as unhappy as those who do not.
This often makes people not take vacations at all and in many cases, employees leave a part of their eligible vacations unutilised. the survey also attributed this to the fear that the mountain of work they need to complete before or the work they would return to is the major reason for this.
Thus, paid vacation has become a source of anxiety for the employees though it was meant to create the exact opposite effect. Here are a few steps to help minimise the stress while at the same time maximising productivity.
Before vacation:
Much of the preparation for a stress-free return should be planned before you go on a vacation.
Build relaxation exercises into your routine:
Practice meditation for a few minutes every day. this is in general a very good way to reduce stress even on a normal working day. During meditation, think positively about your vacation and imagine the feeling you wish to gain during your vacation. this would help you remain positive about your vacation, help you focus and remain calm as you follow the next steps recommended.
Prioritise:
Before you go on vacation, make a list of tasks that must be completed before you go on leave. Share it with your team leader and get his feedback and approval. use this to set your priorities and plan your work for the remaining days. New tasks and opportunities may come up but unless they are important, ignore them and focus on the list you have made.
Inform:
Inform your team members and clients about the duration of leave that you will not be available. This makes them responsible for any work that needs your input or intervention before you go on leave. You can even add it as a footer to the email you send out. Some people may be worried that their reputation would take a knock if they are totally off the grid but this need not be so. People like to be informed when you are available and when you are not so that they can plan accordingly and this would make them consider you as very committed both to your work and personal life.
Transfer other work:
Some of the work that you do needs to be continued even while you are away. Identify who can best do the work and ask that person to cover for you and inform your customers/ clients about it, where necessary. Offer to do the same to your team member when the occasion demands. Send a follow-up mail thanking them for their support, provide additional information to make their work easier and inform your team leader about the arrangement.
Clean up your desk.
A clean desk reflects your mind as well as influences your emotions. A clean desk implies a stress-free, well-managed workplace and this would be a great stress buster when you return from your vacation.
Compose an out-of-office email message.
Compose an automatic message that would go out whenever you receive an email, informing the sender that you are not available and anything urgent can be routed to the team member who has agreed to take care of it. However, request their understanding and ask them to get in touch when you return so that you can immediately address their concerns. this would help reduce the workload on your standby members and would surely be appreciated by them.
After the vacation:
Once you have laid the groundwork before leaving on your vacation, your return and catching up with your work will be relatively stress-free. Even if you have not prioritised before a trip, there are things that you can do to make your resumption less stressful or hectic.
Make a plan:
You do not have to start working immediately and dig into all the pending tasks. Take some time to make a list of priorities. Give yourself time to analyse and estimate what is required to be done, plan your priorities and act on it. Knowing what is required to be done and the priority would help you calm down and through your work without being stressed. Speak to your team leader and your standby member to get an overall picture of important work to be done before you set your priorities.
Rework your priorities:
Be prepared to rework your priorities. the priorities you had before you went on leave may no longer be suitable when you return and you should be flexible enough to rework your priorities as required. tank the team member who stood in for you and take his input on what is to be acted upon immediately.
All of us deserve vacations. We do not deserve additional stress to do what we have earned our right to do. by following some simple steps we can help make the vacations something you look forward to rather than something you don’t.
How to Minimize Stress Before, During, and After Your Vacation
by Tristan Elizabeth Gribbin
HBR 2018/09
R2G 