Golden rules: how to completely “disconnect” from work during the holidays and not experience stress when you return

How to prepare for a vacation and plan a quality vacation? What homework should everyone do before vacation? And why not go straight to work as soon as you get back to the office? Dr. M, Professor of Human and Organizational Development at Devbridge, a US scheduling services company, shares information on how to plan a relaxing vacation. Raimonda Alonderienė.

Prepare to relax ahead of time

According to the chief of staff, a study by Dutch researchers showed that people who wait for a vacation are happier compared to those who do not plan a vacation. To function in a healthy and proper way, it is necessary for each person to recharge several times a year, said the outlet. Holidays are a must, and pleasant preparations for a vacation awaiting can brighten up all preparations.

“Holidays, like any other activity, should be prepared in advance. It is probably common to think about vacation time, place, reconciliation with family, etc. But you should also prepare for it at work. After all, many devices that start slowly, get stuck and work properly are in a hurry to recharge. Just like we restart a computer or a phone, it is important that a person restart correctly. A few days a year sometimes is not even enough. The Labor Code states that “at least part of the annual vacation cannot be less than ten working days.” And summer can definitely be an excellent way to recharge ”, the manager is convinced.

Choose the right moment

According to R. Alonderienė, sometimes an employee is afraid to go on vacation when they know they will have to work twice as hard when they return. In this case, it is worth planning how much of the workload can be done before the holidays, so that later, when you return, there will be less.

“Naturally, many of our employees also care how the work will play out here without me. Agree on the ‘rules of the game’ during the holidays. Will the work wait until you return? Will another member of the team take over their work? ? It is too late to train a person the day before vacation. Supervisors are advised to have a “lieutenant” who is previously trained to perform the supervisor’s main activities at the time of their departure. It is also worth choosing the right time for vacation. If you are on vacation just before the deadline of an important project, it is unlikely that you will be able to separate, and when you return to work, stress can destroy all the benefits of the break, “says the director.

Throw away thoughts about work

A. Alonderienė emphasizes that a quality license is not possible without a complete “disconnect”, which means leaving the “working” state to the “not working” state.

“The most important thing is how you can log out. First of all, turn off and by no means turn on your work email while on vacation. email, internal communication channels like Slack. You can arrange with the team to call you if you really need it, and don’t bother if work can wait. We can’t all switch to “off mode” overnight. If the holidays are short, it may happen that only when you start to relax, you see that tomorrow is the end of the holidays. Plan activities that are away from work: there should be no workbooks on hand, read as little work literature as possible. Even if you’re on vacation with coworkers, agree not to talk about work at all. Traveling helps me the most: the language, the culture, the people, the food, the traditions, etc. from the other country, it seems to take me to another dimension ”, shared the manager.

Go back to work calmly

According to R. Alonderienė, the pleasant effect of the holidays will be happier for longer, if you do not carry out tasks immediately and start working calmly and with a positive attitude.

“It’s a small thing, but it’s worth setting aside personal time slots on your calendar for at least a few days after the holidays, so you don’t have unexpected appointments and can gradually return to work. People experience stress when planning, vacationing, and Returning from vacation No wonder you’re expecting more jobs than usual, like a few hundred unanswered emails.

It is recommended to return from vacation trips at least a little earlier than the day before the working day. In this way, you will spend the day packing things, doing housework, and you can return to work with your thoughts. Well, if you are very sleepy, you can start reading those hundreds of emails. emails. If you’ve done your homework in preparation for the holidays, it may be easier for you to come back and find ways to keep your recharge spirits up for longer, but don’t forget to stay in a good emotional state throughout the year. ”Advises the director.

Holidays are not a panacea

R. Alonderienė emphasizes that vacation, although it can help to get out of the routine and look at work later from a different angle. On the other hand, if a person is overworked or burns out at work due to an excessive workload, a month’s leave is unlikely to help them escape.

“We encourage our employees not only to take annual leave, but also to balance work and leisure. Many of our employees choose healthy forms of leisure: sports clubs, yoga and other workouts, cycling, etc. In this way, the perspective shifts from mental to physical activity Seeing how quarantine and restraints negatively affect the emotional well-being of our employees, we paid for consultations with psychologists, encouraged managers to talk to team members, taught them to recognize burnout and we use Mindletic, an emotional health training application. In addition, for several years, we have been constantly reminded of the importance of rest, we offer additional paid holidays so that there is no shortage of rest time. We must not forget to encourage good emotions in organizations, because it is fun to share impressions with colleagues and, of course, after have a good rest, immediately start dreaming and plan next year’s vacation, “advises the director of human resources and organizational development for the American programming services company.