Out of Office
There are a few very quiet days as we get to the end of December that are magical. They are often the days when organizations have official shutdowns or people are mostly taking PTO. Of course this is not true for retail and restaurants, but if you work in an office there is a good chance that you are putting on your out-of-office in a few weeks, or at least should be.
Taking time away is critical, not just for your mental and physical wellbeing, and the happiness of loved ones around you, it is also what makes us better at work. In Forbes article, Why Taking Vacation Can Save Your Life, their research found that “American workers are notorious for being workaholics. Since March of 2020, an overwhelming majority of U.S. employees have shortened, postponed or canceled their vacation time.” And that grind culture means we don’t have the space to vision the future, we are merely staying addicted to fighting fires. Even worse, if you are a senior leader in your organization, you are modeling this same cycle for your people. Is that really what you want? However, breaking the cycle of an entire career, and taking your email off your phone, is not an easy task. Let’s talk through some tips:
It is your right AND your responsibility to take time off. It is easy to be a martyr to work, particularly if the work you do is mission driven. However, if you flip your thoughts from your right to take time off (which you do in fact have) to your responsibility to take time off, it might be easier. It is in fact your responsibility to model to your peers, and if you manage folks, your team members, what it means to really take a break.
Feeling stuck? The Forbes article reminds us that “your best ideas come to you on a walk, in the shower or on vacation.” Once you remember this tidbit, it is a lot easier to move away from your laptop. Even if you can’t get to a beach this winter, having the time to leisurely cook and eat your breakfast, go for a hike, read by the fire, will actually help you get more creative and generative then hours and hours of grinding.
Set expectations with your teammates. Or better yet, close down the whole office. When I was at TFA, we had a generous PTO policy that no one was taking. And when we asked why, it was because of the backlog that would be waiting for them when they got back. We decided to create an organization-wide shut down. We closed down for 2 weeks at the end of the year. And we were clear that there should be no emailing, no asking for calls, no anything. By setting the expectation that you won’t be responding to email or slack or texts, you are making it easier to not do those things. And then block off that first day back when you return to respond to emails, get caught up, etc. Make the reentry part of the planning process.
Think about your competing commitments. In the book, Immunity to Change, Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey explore the mindsets that get in our way when we are trying to change. So you may have a commitment to taking a real break, but in actuality, you are doing the exact opposite. They suggest it is because we often have a hidden competing commitment. What if I really feel valuable when I’m the one that is always there? Or maybe I like being the one to save the day. Or maybe I’m afraid that people will realize I barely was holding it all together if I go out of the office and things fall apart. Take some time to really dig into what your competing commitment might be and then test to see if your assumptions are right. More often than not, just naming the competing commitment can help you overcome it.
Tag the right person on your out-of-office. Knowing that you have someone with strong judgment around to put on your out-of-office emails makes a big difference. If everyone is too stretched to be on that out of office for you, there are some larger questions to think about, or maybe you just don’t have the first person. If either is true, it might be time for some embedded, fractional support.
The only way to break down the grind culture that is literally killing us is to break it. And if you are in a senior leader position, it is up to you to shift that culture. There are still a couple weeks left until Christmas. What are you doing to prepare to really shut off? And if the only thing holding you back from really taking a break is a great out of office message, try this one:
Thanks Grammarly Blog for the ideas! And if you need me, I’ll be out of the office through January 3, 2023. But when I get back I’ll be recharged, rejuvenated, and ready to welcome in 2023 with less bang and more peace.
