Daring to Disconnect: Tips for a Successful Vacation in Today's Digital Business World

I recently took a week long family vacation (to Cape Cod for you New Englanders) and realized that taking vacation in today's digital business environment has become complicated.  With the emergence of new technology, and smart devices becoming ubiquitous, the lines between "working hours" and "non-working hours" are more blurred than ever.  A family member recently asked me what hours I work and I responded by saying, "I'm sort of always working but sometimes more than others."  It's a dilemma that prior generations never dealt with, in the 1980's you were either at work, or you were home spending time with your family.  Yet in today's world, it's not uncommon to be looking at work e-mail at the dinner table.  I look at the ability to truly "disconnect" from work while on vacation or paid time off (PTO) as a continuum with a number of factors:

• What is your company's corporate culture?  Do the executives "unplug" while on vacation or do the e-mails continue to roll in?  This will shape the behavior for the rest of the organization.
• What is your role within the organization?  If others perform a similar or identical role, it's likely that you can find sufficient coverage from a colleague.  If you are the only indidivual that performs a specific role - and that role is critical to the business - it's unlikely business can simply stall for a week or more.
• What is your personal philosophy on work/life balance?  Some people are workaholics and the thought of disconnecting gives them legitimate anxiety - they just can't do it.

Keeping the above in mind, here are some tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years to help ensure that vacation time is as successful as possible.

1. Give your direct manager plenty of notice that you have some vacation time planned - if possible - and appropriately log it in whatever system your company uses.
2. Remind your direct manager a few days before you take off for that vacation time that you will be out.  Ask if there is anything that needs to be completed or any loose ends to be tied up. 
3. If you have direct reports, or manage external customers, I have found that giving them a heads up has been very well received.  Something to the effect of, "I just wanted to reach out and let you know that I will be on vacation next week.  If you are waiting on anything from me or need to connect - please do so by the end of business on Friday.  Otherwise, we will chat in a week!"  I usually send this message out on Wednesday of the week prior to leaving.
4. Along those lines, you may have direct reports that need your approval on certain items.  I instruct my team to put **Approval Needed** in the subject line of any urgent e-mails while I am out (or use the high priority flag) so that they catch my attention when glancing quickly on my phone.  This way I can easily distinguish the important stuff from the junk mail.
5. If possible, find someone that can cover for you while you are out.  This will depend on your role and if there are capable people to cover for you.
6. List this person (if applicable) on an out of office messaging.  Out of office messages should be used on both e-mail and telephone, especially if you are going to be out for a full week.
7. Set boundaries for yourself.  For instance I try to only look at e-mails three times per day when out on vacation.  Some time in the morning, again around lunch time, and towards the end of the day.  This way you can be fully engaged with your friends or family during these non-dedicated work check-in times.  This one is easier said than done.
8. (Optional) Dial into staff calls or team meetings, if possible.  Depending on the frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?) it may be a good idea to attempt to dial into a staff call or team meeting if possible.  If not possible, ask a team member to summarize some notes for you so that you don't miss any important messaging that was disseminated.

For my particular company and role, I find that approximately 1 hour of work per day when out on vacation feels about right.  It's the right balance of staying close enough to work that there are no major surprises when I get back, yet affords me the confidence to fully engage with my friends and family without feeling that awkward sense of guilt or blindness.  What tips and tricks do you have for going out on vacation in today's digital business world?  Are you able to truly "disconnect"?  What is your company's culture like?  Let me know in the comments below!

Jeff Dufault, Manager, Channel Partner Sales, Philips Home Monitoring