Finish all your work before you leave for your holiday to avoid working on vacation
It’s a great idea to take leave from work once in a while to give yourself a much-needed break. Everyone who has worked for someone has had to do this – request for leave, overwork themselves beforehand and plan much in advance. Whatever may be the process of applying for leave at your workplace, here are some pointers you should keep in mind so that your break does not disturb your work or cause inconvenience to your colleagues.
Casual leaves
Unplanned leaves, like an urgent tooth extraction or any such emergencies are easiest to get granted. All you need to do is follow standard office protocol. Whether it’s calling your boss, emailing your team, messaging the HR or recording it in the company system, communicate the issue well. If you’re unsure about the procedure, call your team leader or whoever you report to and inform them about your absence. It’s always a good idea to follow it up with an email and make it official.
Plan in advance
Now, coming to the longer planned leaves we all crave. These are a bit trickier. One of the main things you need to do before setting off on a long leave from work is to inform your seniors much in advance. Ninoshka Vaz (25), Assistant Manager Client Servicing says, “I plan my leave at least three months in advance so that there is no last minute problem.”
Find out what procedure your company follows and apply for your leave following that procedure and completing all required formalities.
Wrap up your work
The dreaded deadlines can be quite a pain and planning in advance helps you wrap up things before your holiday. If you have any deadlines that are coming up during your time away from office, make sure you work on meeting those much in advance. Rhea Dhabhoora (24), journalist says, “I plan my leave around bank holidays as there’s less work during that time.” Finishing all your work beforehand allows you to be at ease on your vacation. Plus, your colleagues don’t have to chase you while you’re away.
Take help from colleagues
If there are certain assignments that cannot be completed beforehand, delegate them to a co-worker or someone from your team. “Since I work in a small team, each one of us is indispensible to the project and so, we usually ensure that the person going on leave has an informal conversation at least a month before,” says Dev Goswani (20), media professional. Give an exact brief to your teammates on what needs to be done in your absence along with the proper contacts they might need to follow up and get the job done.
Inform your clients
Apart from informing your workmates, it’s important that you inform your clients and other people you communicate with on a daily basis for work purpose. Help them with contact details of a colleague who will take charge in your absence, in case they need to be in touch with someone from your office.
Re-check your appointment and meeting dates
Schedule all your meetings and appointments according to your holiday dates. If you have scheduled a meeting for when you are not going to be around, make sure you re-schedule it.
Don’t keep anything pending
The whole point of a holiday is to relax and enjoy yourself. It can be quite a dampener to return to office only to find a pile of work waiting for you. For your own convenience, complete all your work beforehand and avoid keeping any pending work.
Try to be available
Yes, we know, work and colleagues are the last thing on your mind when on a holiday and you want to avoid work talks at all costs. But it’s good to be available on the phone. Your boss is smart enough to know that he’s not supposed to call you on your holiday but just in case, it’s advisable to give him an emergencies-only number he can reach you at.
De-clutter your desk
You may wonder what the point of this is, but clearing up and organising your desk is a good idea because you won’t have to return to a cluttered desk that is likely to spoil your mood after a relaxing holiday.
Keep these points in mind to have a relaxed and stress-free time away from work. We’re sure your boss and colleagues will be happy too and grant you more leaves. 🙂
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