Have a great summer holiday!

Apart from a fast-fading tan, Heathrow airport in the pouring rain, and a tiny bank balance, the worst thing about coming back from holiday is returning to work without feeling as if you’ve had a break.

Your heaving desk looks more like a rubbish dump than the shining example of tidiness and efficiency you left behind just a few short weeks ago; your “urgent to do” list has reached epic proportions and a queue of colleagues expecting your immediate input loiter by your desk…

Technology is marvellous, but I think it has hastened the demise of any sort of human respect. We shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to be out of office contact whilst on holiday. And, even more importantly, our colleagues should respect our right to privacy whilst on holiday. Haven’t you ever asked yourself how businesses managed before mobile phones and the dreaded Blackberry?

So, rather than spoiling your holiday by worrying about the office or being dragged away from the pool to answer emails and calls, there are a few things you can do before you jet off to the sunshine, guaranteed to help alleviate some of the inevitable stress you’re bound to feel on your return to reality and allow you to take some real time out.

Planning for pleasure

Dr Nicola Bunting, director of La Vita Nuova Personal and Professional Coaching, advises: “On holiday, you want to be 100%-focused on the pleasures and joys of the present moment, and in order to do that, you need to have an organised and prepared departure. Too many people end up not really getting the benefits of a complete break from work by taking calls around the pool or constantly checking emails.”

“This is not only unhealthy but very annoying to your family and fellow holiday companions.” she warns.

“In order to ensure a smooth handover and transition, a good strategy is to write a two- to four-week countdown planning list before you go.

“It’s also helpful to plan relevant discussions with colleagues in the days leading up to your departure, so that you’re not having frantic last-minute talks with your colleagues before you go or, worse still, having them communicating with you on holiday.

Before you go

• You know best what deadlines you need to meet before, during, and straight after the time of your absence, so do a little extra each day to get yourself caught up or even ahead of the game.
• Be sure to leave very detailed notes on anything that is pending or in progress.
• If your office uses an automated computer or database entry system, make sure you have entered or scanned any urgent documents or notes.
• As well as a voice mail, always set up an automatic ‘out of office’ email message stating how long you’ll be gone and exactly when you will be back to avoid increasingly frustrated messages from clients and colleagues.
• Lastly, make sure you notify your manager if you are leaving any time-sensitive projects on your desk. People can’t pick up where you left off if they don’t even know a project exists, and your work relationships may suffer if people are led to believe you up-and-left without giving their needs a second thought.

So, are you confident enough to holiday this summer without your Blackberry? Why not share your work-related holiday horror stories with us by commenting below?