List of tips for forgetting all about work, to help you unplugging from work and take full advantage of your vacation
In this era of smartphones, portable computers and iPads, it’s difficult to resist the temptation to check your messages at any time, wherever you are. With these wonderful, convenient new tools, the boundaries between private and work life are greatly blurred, pushing many people to stay connected to the office—even when lounging by the poolside or on the other side of the world. And yet, many HR professionals recommend taking a complete break during your vacation, so as to recharge your batteries and come back to work completely refreshed. It’s also a question of health.
Based on the principle that you can never keep up with all the work to be done, you might as well give yourself a real break—to enable yourself to relax, and to stay on top of your game. To help you do this, you should plan your vacation sufficiently in advance to ensure things run smoothly in your absence, establishing a specific list of items that constitute genuine emergencies and that require contacting you, leaving as much office hardware behind as possible (e.g. computer, files, etc.) and delegating major projects.
Original edition: July 2010