Wimbledon is in full swing, the sun has come out and holiday season has finally begun. Thousands of us will be jetting off to even sunnier climes over the next couple of months, but how many of us actually use our holiday time to switch off? According to research from Travel Republic, more than half of Brits check their emails while on holiday. Add to that a few phone calls, texts or social media updates and suddenly that sunny break doesn’t look so relaxing after all. But in a world of 24-hour communication, is it realistic – or indeed advisable – to go completely off the radar? Here are two perspectives:
Lottie O’Conor from the Guardian’s Women in Leadership team
Switching off offers a vital chance to realign your priorities and regain some perspective. It’s taken me a few years to get to the point where I’m able to switch off from work. When I say “switch off” I don’t mean leaving the mobile in another room for a few hours, I mean turning it off completely.
There’s something rare and wonderful about being completely out of touch. 4G and Wi-Fi may be useful, but they’ve also created a world where we’re constantly connected to everyone and everything: you see a friend’s photo as soon as they post it on Instagram, while your emails constantly beep through, like an endless assembly line.
This is why I take such joy in disconnecting from the world when I’m on holiday. I don’t log into emails – ever. I check my phone once a day for calls in case there’s anything I need to deal with: something that, so far, has never happened. Preparation is key in this situation, so brief your team fully before you leave, then learn to trust them. Constantly jumping into an email trail or checking in gives the impression that you don’t feel they can cope without you. A crucial part of good leadership is knowing when to step back and let others shine.
Most people say that they stay on top of work while they’re away to stop it building up into an insurmountable wall. This makes sense in theory, but in the real world, most of us don’t have a finite amount of work to do: if you answer one email, a response will come straight away. If you finish one project, another one will pop up in its place. You’re not saving yourself any time by getting ahead, you’re merely tiring yourself out and missing a much-needed break.
Working when you’re supposed to be on holiday also sets a precedent that is impossible to live up to in the long term. If your bosses or clients get used to the fact that you respond straight away, regardless of weekends, late night or holidays, they will come to expect this from you every single time.
We exist in a constant blur of demands and deliverables, making it easy to lose perspective about “real” problems and issues. In reality, most of the work-related things that keep us awake at night aren’t really that important: unless you’re dealing with life and death on a daily basis, your mistakes are unlikely to haunt you for more than a few days. Taking the time to have a proper holiday helps us to regain some much-needed perspective and reminds us that maybe, after all, life doesn’t have to be stressful all the time.
Lynn Cahillane, communications manager at Reed.co.uk
Taking a few moments each day to keep up-to-date with work emails helps to minimise stress on your return to work.
Taking your well-earned annual leave allows you to recharge and boost productivity; but I have to admit, I do check my emails every now and again while I’m on holiday.
Why? For me, the advantages of doing so have always outweighed the downsides. It certainly helps that I love my job, so I never totally switch off. By not completely disconnecting whilst I’m away, I can get straight back into work mode when the time comes, focus on my actions efficiently and enjoy my first day back.
I work in communications, so a lot of my job is reactive. This means it’s important for me to stay up to speed with what’s going on, keeping on top of the latest news agenda, career trends and employment data.
On my first day back from holiday, I like to make sure I’ve got through every one of my emails. This helps me to avoid a snowball effect for the rest of the week. Reading and flagging important emails while away allows me to prioritise actions on my return. It also means I have time for a catch up with colleagues and can usually get out of the door on time, keeping those post-holiday blues at bay.
Although I’m an advocate of checking work emails while away, I always set myself a time limit to ensure it doesn’t impact on my time off. There are a number of steps you can take to stay on top of work, with minimal disruption to your holiday.
- Out of Office Before I go on annual leave, I ensure my “out of office” is on and up to date and all contacts know I’ll be away so I don’t get any unexpected calls. Stating your return date is also key, as it makes people aware of when they can expect a reply from you.
- Pass on urgent actions Hand over any urgent requests or actions to other team members to minimise emails and stress while you are away
- Be efficient If, like me, you are keen to know what is happening back in the office, dedicate just 10 to 15 minutes each day to staying in the loop. I tend to check my emails once in the morning and once in the evening and respond to vital ones, leaving the rest for my return to the office.
- Talk to key people as soon as you’re back Finally, one of the most effective ways I’ve found to deal with the post-holiday email deluge is to walk around the office the morning I’m back and grab five minutes with the team members I work with most frequently. The most important issues soon surface, which makes prioritising emails that little bit easier.
