Preparing for PTO

It’s important to effectively plan, prepare and communicate expectations around upcoming PTO in the workplace. 

While we all deserve time away from work, taking a vacation is hard. Not only are you cramming in a ton of work before you actually head out of town but it's also hard to totally ‘unplug’ AND a mountain of work inevitably waits for you upon your return. And if you're anything like me, you have a bad habit of checking your email while OOO so you don't feel toooooo out of the loop. 

But I'm here to remind you that you are more than your work, you deserve time away from the never ending demands of work and work will be OK without you (there, I said it). 

Here is how to adequately prep and prepare for upcoming PTO so you can feel at ease when closing your computer before heading out on vacay 🌴

1.  Create a working document that you can share with colleagues and clients

   • Within this document, include the following: the dates you will be out, the projects currently in flight, any potential due dates, as well as any outstanding tasks and who owns them

   • By creating a working document, it communicates transparency and accountability while you are out.

2. Communicate it early, communicate it often

   • When you have planned PTO on the horizon, start communicating the dates you will be OOO as often as you can. 

   • This can include adding your upcoming OOO dates to your email signature, concluding every meeting with a reminder about the upcoming dates, and by sharing your working document ahead of time. 

   • It can look like this in action, “Hey all, before we wrap today’s meeting, just a reminder that I will out of the office all of next week. Please refer to the working document I created as the source of truth while I am out”

3. ENJOY

   • I know this might be the hard one – because it usually takes me 2-3 days into any vacation to actually relax and unplug (and then depending on how short the trip is, it's already time to head back) but do your best to know that you have prepared accordingly and that you set yourself and your team up for success while you are out. This will allow you to step away, guilt free, so you can enjoy spring break with family and friends.

And if you need help creating an effective – yet memorable – out of office message, I’ve got that covered too. 

• What is an out of office message? The infamous OOO - out of office - message is a modern way of telling people “I am not responding to emails because I am not in the office”. It’s a way to tell people you are human and that yes, you actually have a life outside of work. I encourage people to curate descriptive out of office messages. Tell them why you’re out of the office! Relate to them.

• When should it be used? The ENTIRE time you’re not in the office. Don’t sneak an email response just because someone writes “urgent” in the subject line. If you don’t respect your own time off, how do you expect someone else to respect it too? (Trust me - I am working on this too).

• Why is it important? Because it’s a boundary you have communicated and it is important to honor people’s time outside the office.

• How to write an effective one? Be relatable, set expectations, and provide another contact to reach out to as a courtesy of any urgent requests.

Here is an example template you can use in your next OOO message - 

 “You caught me out of the office taking advantage of PTO. A benefit that I am grateful to take advantage of. Flying to Florida to surprise my mother for her birthday. Grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate her this way. This means I’ll be slow to respond to any emails or slacks. If nothing is pressing, I’ll get to it on when I am back on December 17th. If it is urgent, please reach out to xyz@company.com. Thank you and I look forward to responding when I am back”

Remember, make it your own! Use your own communication style. Some people don’t want to share details of their personal life in an email, and that’s ok.

The important aspects of an out of office message include: 

1. The dates you will be out of the office

2. The date in which you will return and be responding to emails 

3. Another contact to reach out to (if urgent or applicable) 

4. A way to humanize your message 

As I mentioned, there is a lot that goes into planning and preparing to take time off. From creating a shared working document, to consistently communicating when you will be out, to the finest detail of creating an out of office message. 

All of these communication practices matter to be successful in the workplace. And all of these communication skills will greatly contribute to you being able to ENJOY your time away from the office. 

You are more than your work. Go enjoy your vacation.