Book A Break, Before You Break!

Booking annual leave has always been a bittersweet moment for me. Who wouldn’t be excited to book a holiday and come back glowing, refreshed and having explored a small part of this beautiful World we get to live in? But also, who will cover your workload when you are gone, or execute tasks the way you would? And there it is, the not-knowing of what you may, or may not, come back to.

?No one does what you do the way you do when you take care, and take pride in what you deliver. This is your superpower.

I remember my recruitment days, I would be abroad on a beach sending WhatsApp messages to my Regional Manager daily asking how my candidate interviews went, did they get candidate feedback from templates I created and used and distributed? What did the client say in their feedback? Was the offer made? If not, why? Did you go back to the client…

I was told point blank I was not getting any answers and to enjoy my time off.

I must not be the only person who goes home and randomly remembers something urgent to complete first thing in the morning that was maybe forgotten, and when you are away and leaving your routine of daily and weekly tasks and relying on the support of a team, it can still be very daunting.

So, how do I cope?

1)?????Handover: This is the most important part to complete before your absence starts. I personally always leave a very thorough handover. I leave a Word document open a week before my leave starts. I type any query I am dealing with or managing at the time. I add every detail. Even if I end up closing this query off, I just put the date it was actioned just in case that employee comes back, or, if someone would need to know/ be aware of something relating to that particular query. I will also leave a little action note of what needs to be taken care of in my absence. Communication is key.

2)?????Contact details: I inform any company we use for outsourcing that I will be on annual leave, and I notify them of the dates in advance. I also leave with them key management members names and contact details so they have a point of contact in my absence, should they have any issues or questions. Your absence not only impacts employees and colleagues, but it also impacts the person you outsource your recruitment to, or payroll. My colleagues get contact details for companies we outsource with in my handover ??

3)?????Set your OOO: Always set your outlook automatic replies for when you are away. This helps those within or outside the business. You will be surprised at how many people do not do this. Mine always informs colleagues of my absence and when I will be back and who to reach out to in my absence. For those outside the organization, I also include the company landline should the query be urgent.

I will be extremely honest, once my OOO comes on, I switch off totally to embrace the moment of now (unlike my recruitment days) and enjoy the start of my annual leave with little worry or stress as I know I have left a thorough handover.

It took a few years to work towards this. You are probably wondering what helped me, let me share…

1)?????Validate yourself: Knowing you work extremely hard to deliver on every level and reminding self of this because self deserves this break for that very reason. You are so deserving of your annual leave. I have known of people who were made to feel that their annual leave was a luxury or a favour almost. This is not a luxury or a favour, but your basic right.

2)?????Be in the moment of now: I remind myself that tomorrow is never promised and, God forbid, if this was my last moment or breath, would I want it to be of me thinking about work whilst on leave, or to fully embrace the location I am in irrespective on having company or solo travelling?

3)?????Family and loved ones: I don’t know about anyone else but when I book annual leave and spend it with family, friends or loved ones, they are gifting me their time and I am gifting them mine. When you are around your soul tribe, what energy of yours do they deserve? Is it one where you are fretting and worrying about tasks that are pending at work which will still all be there when you get back? Be present with your loved ones always, these are where you get to create beautiful moments together.

It is always that last 24-48 hours where my anxiety kicks in. The anxiety gets progressively worse the closer it gets to that one sleep before being back at work, however, I meditate before bed, do affirmations, and I look at what I can control; so, I usually wake up earlier on my first day back and get to work half an hour early just to read and catch up on emails.

The simplest reason for this is because no-one does what you do the way you do when you take care and take pride in what you deliver. This is your superpower.