How to Check Email on Vacation and Still Enjoy Yourself. Tip #1: Prepare
A week before you leave, let colleagues and clients know you’ll be gone, giving them time to get information from you before you leave. Let key players know how to reach you in case of a true emergency, such as calling or texting immediately, to reduce your worries that you’re missing something urgent, says Elaine Varelas, managing partner of Keystone Partners, a career management firm.
“Make sure your out-of-office reminder is set with a note advising that you are away on holiday and will respond to email after your return,” she says. “And advise colleagues that unless the subject includes ‘please respond’ or ‘urgent,’ you will respond after your vacation.”
Delegate your projects and direct people elsewhere during your absence. Be specific in your out-of-office response. For example, “For billing inquires, contact [insert colleague’s name here]” or “For technology issues, contact [another colleague’s name here].”
