Have you got time off? If so, don’t take your work with you. It may sound simple, but not for everyone. Nevertheless, holidays offer an ideal opportunity to completely relax and unwind. They will help you regain energy, experience lower stress levels and will improve your wellbeing.
The following five recommendations will encourage your employees to successfully step back.
Notify your colleagues of your holiday plans in good time to ensure that everyone knows when you will be absent and can take this into account. Also consider practical aspects such as passing on current tasks and setting up an out-of-office system. Small preparations such as these will ensure that you can go on holiday with an easy mind.
The week before your holiday is often hectic with all kinds of things still needing to be sorted out, e.g. packing, planning the itinerary, getting travel documents organised, etc. As a result, you will have a lot on your mind that is not work related, making you less focused on your actual job tasks. Our mental wellbeing also appears to be much lower during this period. All the more reason to phase down your work gradually and not to overload your diary during the last week. It will make the transition to holiday mode more agreeable.
As tempting as it may seem, don’t check e-mails or chats whilst you are on holiday. Turn off all your notifications and try to completely disconnect from all work related matters for a while.
The right to disconnect was also introduced this year, which means that your employer is not allowed to disturb you during your holiday, i.e. time to unwind without interruption.
Does the sun, the peace and quiet or the new environment inspire you with new ideas or insights concerning your work? If that’s the case your holiday is doing its job. Do make a record of these ideas or save them on your phone so that you can return to them later with an easy mind.
Holidays are often considered the ultimate time to recharge your batteries. It’s good to have some ‘me’ time, but remember to also do this throughout the rest of the year. It is important to include sufficient recharging opportunities to experience the positive effects of disconnecting. Otherwise, the impact of that carefree holiday may soon fade away.
Would you like to help your employees to disconnect more effectively and learn how to schedule recharging moments throughout the rest of the year also? Vanbreda and BloomUp provide a development programme focused on mastering these skills. Any employee can get started independently or with guidance using the app and learn in stages how to disconnect.
