Does Your OOO Give You ROI?

The Rules of Disengagement (aka Out Of Office)…

Recently, a LinkedIn colleague shared her story of how, “Exactly one year ago, I dropped my cell phone into a toilet* right before our family vacation.”

Nadya Zhexembayeva was on a fast-moving business trip in Europe with no extra time to get a replacement — nonetheless she managed to get a message out to every team and partner that she’d be offline for two weeks.

Nadya did get a flip-phone but it lacked easy access to her apps and contacts. (Nota bene: For Nadya, the phrase “no easy access” is key because she is driven and most likely found a way to access those things on her dino-phone, just not “easily” — for the average person, it was probably 99% impossible.)

“It turned out to be a REAL game changer,” she exudes. Her win-win-win scenario included, “(1) My family got undivided attention. (2) I came back refreshed and renewed. And (3) my team got a break from my daily barrage of new ideas.” 

Disconnect, Pack Your Bags

The latter (Pack Your Bags) is a double entendre, if your employer has no concept of the former (Disconnect) … !

“But we’re all so busy!” gloat your coworkers. That’s because their vacation time is disappearing,** they’re feeling more exhausted and stressed than ever, and the chronic overwork is impacting their productivity, health, and happiness.

Those gloating coworkers are “so busy” because they’re not working efficiently. Their unhealthfulness and unhappiness is continuously sucking precious time from their productivity clock. They are in a work vortex.

This week, Nadya’s company WeExist.com is closed so they can all spend meaningful time with loved ones, themselves, and whatever the heck they want to do.

Of course, by no means is this self-described Chief Reinvention Officer a pioneer in this concept. For years, plenty of companies have “shut down” during Christmas Week or other national holidays, or for staff offsite retreats.

The #reinvention here is for you to let everyone in your circles know that your company is seeking Increased Productivity rather than merely Decreased Office Time. Or, to put it bluntly, “Leave us alone this week. Call us when we get back to the office next week. Just be prepared to keep pace with our re-energized team!”

Happy Team = Healthy Life + Wealthy Biz

Nadya is practical. She is fully aware that “taking time off is an incredible luxury given the economic challenges millions face today.” It’s something she does not take for granted.

Yet, she adds, “If we want anything to reinvent and change — within our lives, our businesses, or our culture — we must find a way to take a break.”

• Workers: What are you doing to take a break?
• Leaders: What are you doing to give your team a break?

Dial in to Your Inner Conference Call

As shown here, taking time off is a great way to refresh your outlook. For example (not really), this photo was taken the next day after her vacation, when Nadya was in her car during rush hour:

(Of course, do not try this on your next commute.)

Disclaimer: The author has never met Nadya in person but is a huge fan after seeing a TED Talk. This week, her email newsletter had a startling headline “That’s it. We are shutting down ??”, which piqued interest. No. It cannot be! The forensicologist that I am, I read it all the way to the signature, where the word “Rovinj” caught my eye. After some research, it became clear that she was writing from the chill & charming town of Rovinj, which is perfectly suited for getting away from it all. Opusti se i u?ivaj!

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* Nadya's work ethic corroborates her ACCIDENTAL dropping her cell phone into that toilet. She would never pull a stunt like throwing it in on purpose. lol

** See Harvard Business Review (2009) hbr.org/2009/10/making-time-off-predictable-and-required