All of us deserve a good chill at the gateway of our vacations. I personally am not a vacation-taker myself. Even if I am going abroad, I usually work from there. There are only few times a year I take weekly offs and then usually end of the year I do take a big vacation. Last time I did it was for the Christmas in 2023. I visited Georgia (the country) for 2 weeks. Such a beautiful journey to a Caucasian culture it was. I will write about that later. I did take a vacation of a week again now, but I feel that this time I did not plan my work-related handovers well enough. That’s why I am writing this article to myself and to whoever is interested about planning their vacation like a pro.
So goes the story of a pro vacationer. The main goal in mind is to have the work continue smoothly in your absence. A “pro vacationer” in a team setting would take several steps to ensure a seamless handover of their duties, keep the project momentum, and support their team’s success while they’re away. Here’s a comprehensive guide on the typical must-dos before going on vacation:
Notify your team and stakeholders early - Inform the team members, manager, and any relevant stakeholders as early as possible about your vacation plans. The heads up allows for better planning and adjustment of events and timelines if required.
Review and prioritize workload - Assess your current projects, tasks, and deadlines. Prioritize work that needs to be completed before your departure and identify tasks that can wait until your return. Finish or reach a stopping point for tasks that can’t be handed off.
Delegate responsibilities - Identify someone who can take over your responsibilities during your vacation. This could be a colleague, manager, or even a subordinate. Make sure they are aware of the tasks and deadlines that need to be completed before you leave.
Prepare a detailed handover document - Create a comprehensive handover document that outlines ongoing projects or tasks, upcoming deadlines, key contacts, and any other essential information that your stand-in or team members might need in your absence. This document serves as a guide for those taking over your responsibilities.
Set up Out of Office Notifications - Set up a “Out of Office” autoreply in your mailbox so that people who want to reach out to you know you are offline. Best would be to write down who can support them in your absence and any other information they should know.
Final pre-vacation review - On the last day, send a reminder to the team and any relevant stakeholders reiterating the vacation period and who to contact in absence.
Taking the above considerations into account, you can ensure that the team, the project, and the organization is well taken care of during your vacation. You can then return back to a smooth-running operation, refreshed and ready to take on the world. Finally, let’s enjoy our hard-earned vacations and return to success, not stress.