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Getting ready to go on annual leave can be a task in itself, particularly during busy periods, or if you have a lot of work to hand over to colleagues. The following top tips cover what you need to think about and do to ensure you feel organized in the run-up to, during and when you return from, annual leave. Please note, many of these tips are equally applicable to extended periods of leave such as maternity, paternity and adoption leave, or a sabbatical.
Give Plenty of Notice
There may be a requirement to give your employer a certain amount of notice prior to going on leave. If you are unsure about this, you should ask your manager, or refer to your employee contract or staff handbook. Maternity and paternity legislation varies from country to country, but will usually state that you have to inform your employer by a certain stage. Your staff handbook or your HR department should be able to provide you with the relevant information.
Let Your Colleagues Know You Will Be Away
Give your colleagues plenty of warning about your intended leave period, in order to ensure sufficient cover in your absence.The more advance notice you can give, the better, particularly if your absence is likely to impact on the workloads of other employees, or you need a colleague to be there to provide cover while you are away. Once your leave has been agreed, it is important to block out the time in your diary or online calendar, so your colleagues know not to schedule appointments for the time when you are away.
Decide What to Delegate, and to Whom
Business should continue as usual in your absence. This may require you to delegate some work. It’s therefore important to make a list of tasks and project work that have to be completed while you are away. Remember to cover your full range of responsibilities, not just those of your immediate role (e.g. perhaps you also act as an employee representative or coach). While you may have plenty of willing volunteers, it is unfair to land helpful colleagues with too much extra work in your absence. Try to complete as much of your work as possible before you go, and hand over the remainder in a methodical manner.
Do a Proper Handover
It is important to factor in time for a thorough handover of your work. You will probably want to prepare a brief set of handover notes for each colleague who is taking responsibility for some of your work. Remember to try to include some tacit knowledge if you can, e.g. the best way you have found to approach a tricky customer. If you are aware of any problems which have arisen/may arise, then make sure that the appropriate person is made aware of these. Projects require a thorough handover, so it is important to set aside enough time for briefing on these. Once you have briefed your colleagues, encourage them to come back to you with any questions they might have.
Inform important clients and contacts of your absence. It is professional, not to say polite, to inform key clients and others in your network about your time off. This might mean sending out specific emails, or simply mentioning at the end of any correspondence with them that you will shortly be going on annual leave. Let your contacts know who will be taking over your responsibilities in your absence, and manage their expectations by explaining how their service/task/project will be managed in your absence.
Update Your Email and Voicemail Responses
Just before you go, be sure to write an ‘out-of-office’ automated email reply giving details of how long you will be absent for, and an alternative colleague to contact if necessary. Remember to activate it and send yourself or a colleague a test message to check that it reads and works OK. Re-record a suitable voicemail message to let your clients know who to contact if they require assistance.
Arrange For a Colleague to Deal With Your Mail
It’s a good idea to ask a colleague to attend to any mail you receive while away. Make them aware of any expected items and how they should deal with them. You might also wish a colleague to handle your incoming emails, in which case you should give them guidance on how this should be managed. Remember you may have to contact your IT department to redirect your email to your colleague’s account.
Arrange for Remote Access, If Appropriate
When on leave, you may feel the need or be required to maintain some form of contact with your workplace. If you want to be able to access your work email, shared files and the office intranet from home, provision can sometimes be made for remote access. It is a good idea to talk through your requirements with your IT department prior to going on leave. Do bear in mind, however, that annual leave is there to give you a break and to help you recharge your batteries. Ask yourself 'is it really necessary to access work files or email while I am away?' If you have done the necessary preparation prior to going on leave, then the answer to this question should really be 'no'.
Leave Accurate Contact Details
If you want your colleagues to be able to contact you while you are away from the workplace, then make sure they have up-to-date contact information for you, together with details of where you will be, and how long you plan to be away. It is important to be clear about your expectations. For example, you may want to outline a few scenarios when you would definitely want to hear from them. Alternatively (and again preferable in terms of work-like balance) you may not want to be contacted at all.
