We all need 'R&R' but mobile technology has made it easy to interrupt a break – it's now become a question of will power to resist checking what's happening back at work
08 September 2006
As this issue hits your desks I am sure many of you will have been away on holiday, or are about to go away. I have read reports recently that many of us now don’t take our full holiday allowance instead preferring to spend the additional time at work. But I am a great believer that holidays give you time to unwind and your body the chance to rest and repair.
I wonder how many of you have taken Blackberries, laptops and mobiles away to keep abreast of what’s happening back at base. Or how many of you have told your colleagues that “I am away but just give me a bell on the mobile if anything crops up”. I appreciate the pressures but it’s essential that you also trust your team, colleagues, systems and processes to work in your absence – ringing in every day may show a weakness on your part. At Hallmark we have had people who have fallen in to this category and, in the past, I myself have suffered from what we call “burning building syndrome” – when we return from holiday surprised that the whole building hasn’t burnt down in our absence.
I have to say I don’t fall in to that category any longer and offer these few tips on making the most of your time away.Keep your last day in the office meeting and appointment free, this will give you chance to finish off any last minute pieces of work. I also set my out-of-office messages/autoreply for the day after I get back, this gives me the chance to have one day in the office catching up on correspondence when I get back.
On your return plan in 10-15 minutes with key colleagues or staff to brief you on events while you are away. If you leave an out-of-office message ensure it gives alternatives while you are away – ie, a colleague or help desk, that way some of the issues are resolved before your return.
And switch off your mobile, or preferably, choose a destination with a poor signal.
Come September I will be absent from the office, travelling to Kansas City to spend some time with my US colleagues. Hallmark occupies a large part of the centre of Kansas City including office space, hotels, shopping malls and leisure facilities, in fact you can walk from your hotel room in to the office without stepping outside. Spending time with my US colleagues is important, it gives us the opportunity to share best practice, discuss joint strategy and solve common problems. While email, video and telephone help maintain my 'dotted line' report in to the US, face-to-face contact is important too.
Despite the thoughts most being on summer holidays, here at Hallmark we now enter our peak season in terms of the manufacture and distribution of Christmas product. This creates many extra pressures including increased vehicle movements, heavier demand on plant and employing of seasonal labour. But I’ll leave you with the cheery thought that the nights are now starting to draw in and there is less than 100 shopping days to go before Christmas.
Ian Broadbent is group facilities manager at Hallmark Cards
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