Resist the Workcation
Welcome!
I’m Susan. I help leaders and organizations increase their impact, confidence, and results through coaching and unique people strategies and programs that wow employees and boost business!
I recently read a Quartz at Work article describing the “workcation” phenomenon. Have you heard of it?
I’m guessing it’s not new to many of you, as it’s been an issue for many in Silicon Valley for some time now, we just have a name for it now. It is rooted in our “always-on” culture and our ongoing struggle to separate work from our personal leisure time. As the name implies, it’s working while on vacation. And with more of us working remotely, at least part of the time, the temptation is bigger than ever before. We think it won’t hurt to check emails or take an early morning meeting before the family wakes up and beach time begins.
But what’s the downside to not fully disconnecting from work? It’s bigger than you might think.
Rates of employee burnout have skyrocketed over the past year and there’s no sign of things letting up. Rest is essential for optimal function. It’s why we need adequate rest each night. We need to give our brains and bodies adequate time to downshift and rejuvenate.
Each time we think about or reconnect to work while on vacation (even in what we think are small and harmless ways like glancing at our email), it causes our limbic system to remain in a heightened state of stress and prevents us from reaping the full benefits of taking a vacation in the first place. Speaking from my own experience, at the peak of my career, it would take me almost 5 full days away from my work to truly decompress and shift into vacation mode. Once I got past day 3 or so, I could feel myself starting to loosen up and begin to relax so that I could be present in the current moment and not thinking about what I did or didn’t do the week prior or what was waiting for me upon my return.
So, if you haven’t made any vacation plans yet, go ahead and take that capped-out PTO balance and put a major dent in it this summer. And do yourself a huge favor and really check out!
Not sure how to do that? Here’s some simple DOs and DON’Ts:
DO give your boss and team several weeks’ notice of when you will be out. This will give them plenty of time to ask questions, transition critical work, and ensure new work doesn’t get assigned to you just before you’re about to leave.
DO take at least one full week off. Anything less likely won’t be enough time for you to unwind and reap the benefits of downtime. Your team can manage things without you for at least one week.
DO identify and ask a trusted teammate to cover for you while you are out and ensure all automated workflow approvals are forwarded to them to approve on your behalf. (And be sure to reciprocate when it’s their turn for some time off.)
DO set an out-of-office email and/or voicemail greeting letting anyone trying to contact you that you will NOT be checking email/vmail during your time off and request they follow up with your designate for anything urgent.
DON’T bring your laptop on vacation with you…the temptation is great, but do yourself a favor and leave it at home (or better yet, at the office…if you still have one).
DO turn off all notifications on your phone that are for work-related apps (i.e., Slack, email, etc.) If you feel you will be tempted to check, consider uninstalling apps temporarily during your vacation or use app blockers.
DO ask your family or friends you may be vacationing with to hold you accountable to enjoying your time off and remaining present with them. My kids are great at this and will let me know whenever I start falling into old patterns.
On your first day back to work, DO delete any emails that were received while you were on vacation. This is a hard one for many, but trust me, if it’s urgent, you’ll hear about it. This simple step will save you from wasting your whole first day back to work sifting through email threads that have already been dealt with or are old news. Instead, to quickly get back up to speed, set up an hour of time with your trusted teammate (schedule before your vacation) to get a download of what happened while you were out and what the current priorities are.
And if you’re thinking, “but I’m an executive, I can’t do that” or “my team needs me”, DON’T! The higher up you are in the organization, the more critical it is that you take time off to recharge your batteries. Not only will you set a great example for your organization, but you’ll come back with fresh, new ideas and inspiration once you’ve taken a break. We all think more clearly and are more focused when we’ve had an extended period of time to rest and reset.
Not to mention, your absence will force your team to build their independence and confidence to handle things in your absence. Remember, no one is indispensable. After all, if you got hit by a bus tomorrow (God forbid), the team would have to figure out what to do next without you, right?
Wherever you go and whatever you decide to do this summer, take the time to step away from your work, reconnect with your family and friends, and above all, BE SAFE!
So where are you off to this summer to recharge your batteries? And what will you do to ensure that you can truly disconnect and not make it a workcation? Post in the comments below, I’d love some vacation ideas!
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