For business owners, managers and C-level executives, a holiday can be a thing to be cherished or something that can cause undue stress. We know that running a business can be difficult, finding the right work-life balance can be a juggling act and trying to lie back on a sun lounger and not think about what may be happening can be a real challenge.
You need to reinforce and remember that you are entitled to a holiday. After all, most people start a business to better their quality of life. If you can’t unwind with a little downtime, have you really achieved this?
Working in the tech industry, we embrace and champion the advances in technologies that have created our connected world, but this also impacts our abilities to relax and shut off. Whether you are exploring Bora Bora or dodging chip-grabbing seagulls on the Isle of Wight, your phone can always ring, emails will always hit the inbox and for many the lure of a notification can be just too much to resist.
In this blog, we look to give you tips you can adopt to make the most of your deserved summer holiday.
Tell people what you are doing.
When running a business, it can be very easy to get caught up in its day-to-day issues. Letting people know that you will be away weeks before you head off on holiday can be advantageous. If people know your plans, you can look to sort important matters prior to your holiday and ultimately avoid that unnecessary intrusion while you’re away.
Delegate tasks.
Your business will continue to run while you head off for a couple of weeks, so take the time to delegate key tasks and responsibilities to your team and colleagues. Assign your these tasks to those in your team who are trusted or take time to train others to undertake some of the duties that you will be unable to perform. This not only empowers and conveys trust to your team, but will ensure that you can sit back and relax even before you reach the departure lounge.
I am out of the office.
A critical step and one sometimes overlooked is setting up your automated out-of-office response. We recommend something a little more than two lines stating you are away, but provide contact details (include phone and email) for staff looking after key tasks or areas of the business.
Make sure your message lets people know that you are not just out but on vacation! Advising people that their email will not be read can help push them to a supplied contact in the response or get them to email again once you have returned. Doing this can remove some of the stress and worry that can kick in days before you board your returning flight and lets your customers know who can help in your absence.
If you can’t resist, then create a routine.
Some of us are not comfortable or able to lock away the mobile phone and it lures us to look and check it on a regular basis. Try and put the phone away so you won’t be drawn to its magnetic pull. Look to switch off notifications for work applications that can ensure that you don’t spring from your pina colada and go into work mode every time you get an alert.
If you can’t resist the urge to check the laptop or mobile, look to create a holiday routine for this. For a set period every morning, check work mails. This can help avoid frustrations from partners and family members who understand your plans and will allow you to have focused and proper family time away without the distractions of work.
Be steadfast and remember to unwind.
Some people can laze around a pool all day, others struggle. Doing little for two weeks can be hard for those used to operating at 100 miles per hour for the rest of the year and this can create the temptation to just check stuff. If you are one of these folks who struggles to do nothing, make plans or engage in activities to occupy your busy brain and stop the boredom moving you into work mode.
As we gear up for the summer, don’t forget that you are entitled to a holiday and it is important that you or your family have quality time. This is important for both work health and family life as we recharge and take time out. Be under no illusion that the temptation of work will always be there and sometimes hard to resist, but will a little discipline and some simple rules you can ensure your holiday is a holiday. We hope you have a great summer!
Registration is now open for our EMEA Member and Partner Conference taking place in London on the 11-12 October. Be sure to book your place. Click here.
