Out of Office: 5 Steps to Unplug
In wake of the recent nationwide Rogers outage, I am finding myself unable to deny the enmeshed relationship I have with my phone. It may sound trivial to be unable to check my email, but the frustration and distress I experienced was sizable. The worst actual consequence I experienced during the outage was having to dig through my purse for change, because I couldn’t use the Starbucks app to buy coffee. Still, I learned more about myself during my offline business day. I felt a pressing worry about “missing out” or neglecting something important at work. This is a feeling that happened very loudly on the day of the outage, and one that happens quietly all the time: the feeling of always needing to be available to others.
I know my experience and reaction to this outage was shared by many. There was an outpouring of criticism on social media, the news, and memes. The service outage showed how intertwined our lives are with telecommunications companies. The experience also highlighted the deep attachment we have developed with the internet and our devices. The collective anxiety felt by many across the country raises questions about our need to be “connected” at all times.
The pressure to be online and available has become normalized in so many workplaces. Many people feel pressure to show their dedication, value, and worth by always being available. This is an inherent part of employment in the age of the internet. Burnout is glamourized in many sectors as a sign of accomplishment and commitment. Those with the worst boundaries between work and life are praised and rewarded.
To complicate matters, the codependency between person and phone has only deepened through the two years of the pandemic. Phones have become an extension of self. “Business hours” have inched into the early morning and late evening. Many of us carry our workplace in our pockets. Teams and Slack notifications have become the soundtrack to our lives. With the onset of the pandemic, the lines between work and home have become increasingly blurred. You may have heard this saying:
We’re not working from home. We’re living at work.
Our personal worth has become intertwined with how much we are working. How quickly we answer a Slack message. How many times we raise our (virtual) hand to take on more work. Many people experience feelings of guilt about taking vacation and truly unplugging.
Unplug to Recharge
This mindset shift needs a moment in the spotlight. Breaks, vacation and clear boundaries are critical to both personal wellbeing and professional success. Being able to firmly disconnect when you are on vacation both enhances your experience of the vacation and your team’s ability to function. Despite knowing this, so many people still feel the urge to check emails while on their time off or “take a quick call” while on vacation. This urge is common, but it’s still unhealthy. The inability to disconnect is obstructive to rest and relaxation.
Here are five tips on how to unplug from work, so you can recharge.
Plan. Prepare. Communicate.
Before your vacation, be intentional with setting up a clear plan for your team to function without you. Think about your role and establish who (other than yourself) is the most knowledgeable about the project or client. Spend some time helping this person prepare to be the expert in this area while you are away. Communicate your absence clearly to relevant colleagues so that your out of office alert is not a surprise to anyone.
This is an important step for your team and for yourself. Giving a colleague access to important documents, tasks, log-ins, and creating a plan can help ease worry while you're away.Set an Out of Office reply.
This is critical. You must have a bounce back email prepared that communicates your absence and an alternate contact, while you are away. Your out of office message acts as a goalie for incoming emails, protecting you from the need to check and respond while on vacation.
Trust your team.
No matter how integral you are to your current team, project or client, you are only one part of a system. Your organization has likely been operating long before you were employed there, and will continue to function after you move on. Zoom out and remember that you are only one person. Your colleagues, who you cover for, need your trust and the opportunity to cover for you. This reciprocal trust builds good teams. Vacation time is the perfect opportunity to practice letting go, stepping back, and trusting your colleagues.
Uninstall email and work apps.
Ignoring notifications is hard. While you are on vacation, it is better to just prevent notifications from arriving at all. You can disable or mute notifications (email, Slack, WhatsApp, or any other work apps). Better yet, uninstall your email app from your phone completely. These are effective ways to help you create distance between your vacation self and your work self.
Savour the vacation.
Finally, when you set your Out Of Office message this summer…. actually be out of office. Be present with your friends and family. Make memories with your children and watch their joy from your front row seat as their parent, rather than through your iPhone. Disconnect your devices to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones. Be present and enjoy without guilt. You deserve it.
Work is only one part of life, and vacation time is earned and deserved. In Canada, warmth and sunshine are short and infrequent visitors. You deserve to enjoy this season while it’s here. It’s time to unplug to recharge.
