To take annual leave or not? That is the question

I had a week off and returned to work refreshed and ready to get cracking again on Monday. Something I’m sure many people did. Prior to booking the leave though I was reluctant to actually use my precious annual leave when I couldn’t do what I would normally do re holiday or travel. I also wasn’t sure if I’d be able to truly unwind and relax as work is now in my home and on my phone far more than it ever was before. The lack of separation between home and work, I thought, might be an issue.

I’m pleased to say, it turns out I was wrong.

A big part of this was perhaps down to the weather – which whilst I was off was great. As good as or better than many places around the Mediterranean in fact, so I really couldn’t have been happier with my choice to use 4 days annual leave at the end of May alongside the Bank Holiday, effectively giving me 9 days without work if I count the weekends, which I’m going to.

(Things have returned to normal though as I type this, it’s raining with 40mph winds and temps under 10°’s when adding in the wind chill)

Now, I know basically everyone loves to go on holiday but anyone who works with me knows I love going on holiday perhaps just a little bit more than the next person – they claim I have worked out how to hack the annual leave booking system, as they think I’m always on holiday – I can neither confirm or deny this. What I can say is I like to go away regularly and always have an eye on cheap deals to get some sun (especially during the British winter). Generally though, I love breaks in the UK or abroad, I love the beach, love the city, love the sun, love the landscapes, love the food, the culture, the people, the languages, the architecture, the conversations, the adventure, the relaxation and I especially love being there with my partner (and sometimes even my mates, although those holidays are not the most relaxing).

My partner and I in ye olde normal times both worked not from home, but from places called ‘offices’ and when not at our respective places of work had something called a 'social life' with a range of activities on throughout the week – don’t get me wrong we would still spend the majority of our free time together but being on holiday is always great as we get to spend nearly all our time together (at least that’s my view, my partner might disagree).

These 9 days of leave I thought might be different as we have both been at home together for the past few months anyway. Also during the 9 days, we couldn’t travel outside of England or stay overnight anywhere other than our home. Turns out, as the weather was so good that didn’t much matter. My partner and the dog and I had some great day trips and afternoons lounging in the sun in our garden and I was still able to completely switch off from work, relax and spend quality time with those I love. Which wasn’t something I was convinced I’d be able to do.

Thinking about it now, I don’t know why I thought that. ROQ is really great at respecting and actually encouraging a healthy work-life balance. From the leadership team down, my colleagues treat an out-of-office with the deference it deserves and so, in my experience, do our clients and partners.

For instance, when I was initially thinking of booking the time off, my Director was planning to put a few hours in the diary for a sales meeting and I would have been fine with coming out of holiday mode mid-way through for the morning session and then returning to holiday – after all, the holiday was very much a stay-cation so what would it matter. The moment my Director heard me say that he moved the sales meeting to the next week and firmly said, no it's important to get an uninterrupted break. I’m really glad he did. He was right.

As I said at the top, I returned on Monday ready to get cracking again. So far I’ve had a few really good meetings with prospective clients and have been busy trying to arrange conversations with others about ROQ and the Software Testing services we deliver – if that’s of interest please do get in touch ??.

Taking a break, even when you can’t physically go on holiday still allows you to mentally relax. Meaning, for me at least, I’m more productive and happier in my work. Even if the weather isn’t amazing its still worth it for the headspace. A sun worshiper such as myself can appreciate a rainy day too, I just sit on the sofa and watch movies and eat too much.

Obviously, I’m still really looking forward to going to some sunny clime and chilling out with my partner (or even my mates) at some point in the future but If you are thinking about saving annual leave until after Covid (whenever that might be) I’d say think again, you might find a week to relax now is just what you need.