As the old saying goes – communication is key. That’s why when you’re venturing out of the office and into life, you may want to notify the people you work with. Without the proper planning, goals can be missed, information can be dropped, resulting in some pretty peeved clients and employees.

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Before You Go

I always prepare my team for my absence. If I’m taking an extended period of time off, at least a week, I typically let my team know about a month in advance. It matters for me, because I’m on the content team, so assets need to be up to date until I leave, with a few set to be posted while I’m away. The extended heads up may not be necessary for everyone, but if you want a true vacation and no disruptions, your best bet is working towards your trip.

Set Your Slack

Okay, so your company may not use Slack, but it definitely has some sort of internal chain of communication. Those channels, like Slack or Microsoft Teams, have a very convenient status update bar. Slack is a little more to the point, using emojis, pausing notifications, and setting yourself as “away” to let everyone know you’re not around.

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Sign Your Emails

An OOO email is the best course of action for anyone trying to get into your inbox while you’re away. An OOO email typically consists of the days you’ll be away and who will field issues that need immediate attention. Email providers have a space for you to pre-set a vacation reminder, but it can be very tricky to find. If using Gmail, you’ll have to click the settings gear and scroll down to the end of the page where you will find the “vacation reminder.”  There, you’ll be able to put in the duration of your trip, the message, and determine who receives the emails.

This may seem like basic information, but when you’re working remote or hybrid, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s schedule. And, even though you will most likely come back to the office with an overflowing inbox and a tremendous "to-do" list, at least you had a good time out of the office.