Recent studies claim that in 94% of cases, people feel happier and more energetic after returning from a well-planned vacation. However, with this, not everything is so smooth: 58% of workers find it difficult to plan vacations. If you find yourself among them, we can help you. We will tell you about all the intricacies of a good holiday.
Before vacation
Start preparing for your vacation at least a month in advance. Before buying tickets and paying for reservations, it is better to coordinate plans with your team and supervisor. Going away during high season, complex projects, or when there are no colleagues with similar functionality is a bad idea. With the latter, the vacation schedule, which is usually conducted internally, will help. When you decide on the dates, write a statement, collect the necessary signatures and carry it to the HR department or accounting department.
Now it is important to figure out who will replace you. According to IQA course, this can be done in a few simple steps. Firstly, discuss this with your supervisor. Then inform the team that you are going on vacation. It is enough to send a letter to the corporate mail. And finally, indicate in it the dates of the vacation and a colleague who will take over your tasks.
A week before leaving, discuss with the colleague what exactly he will be doing and how to cope with it. It is better to write a small training manual that he can look into if he forgets something. It will be easier for him to work, and you won’t be distracted from your vacation. A few days before your vacation, remind everyone once again that you will soon fall out of the work processes, but for now there is time to deal with unresolved issues. On your last day in the office, set up an answering machine on your corporate email account.
During vacation
Forget about work! You need to chill out to regain strength and productivity. Don’t take tasks with you and don’t worry about temporarily postponed projects: in case of an emergency, colleagues will ask for help themselves. Clearly define when you will get in touch and check if everything is OK. The rest of the time relax and have fun. If thoughts of deadlines and clients keep you busy, ask your colleague to periodically send a status on important cases. With this life hack, 15 minutes a day will be enough for you to keep your finger on the pulse and not worry.
Getting completely distracted from work is good for your health: it reduces stress levels, improves sleep, increases the quality of communication, concentration and creativity.
A plan of activities can help you dive into the vacation. As much as possible, supplement the vacation with enjoyable activities. It can be anything you like: from reading books and watching TV shows to climbing mountains and visiting ancient temples. The more ways you can get away – the less time you’ll have to think about work. A vacation will be truly effective if you manage to stock up on vivid impressions for the months ahead.
After vacation
Leave a couple of days off before getting back to the office to smoothly enter the previous mode. Set your alarm for an earlier time in the interim and don’t procrastinate going to bed too late. If you don’t want to drown in a flood of new information, go through your email and work chats in messengers beforehand. While you’ve been gone, a lot may have changed. On the first day of work, schedule a meeting with your colleagues to get up to speed and find out how they’ve handled delegated tasks.
According to statistics, more than half of those who returned from vacation in the first three days of work are stressed, capable of crossing out a month of rest. The change of pace will take a lot of energy. Don’t plan too important meetings and errands for the first morning. Start with something simple or something you’ve been meaning to do for a long time