As this hot and sunny summer gets under way, I’d like to wish you all a well-deserved holiday!
I know many of us are even busier than usual during the long shutdown, scrambling to finish all our tasks to keep the work on schedule. On top of that, we have to deal with numerous organisational constraints and competing priorities, not to mention extra safety precautions. And lots of problems still need to be solved.
“So,” you ask, “with all that going on, how can I go on holiday with a clear conscience?”
Keep in mind that when you “respect” your holidays, you do yourself, your team and the Organization a favour. Holidays aren’t a luxury: they allow you to recharge your batteries and take a step back, and they’re crucial to maintaining your stamina. When you get back, you’ll see things through fresh eyes and have new ideas.
“That’s all well and good, but my team still needs to be able to contact me in an emergency or if something goes wrong.”
Are you sure they really can’t do without you while you’re on holiday? With decent organisation – projects and activities properly documented and clear notes pointing your colleagues and supervisor to all the information they need – and a bit of foresight as to potential problems and their solutions, you can go away without worrying about the consequences. And your colleagues will have the chance to prove they can take up the baton in your absence.
So, ready to go? It’s time to think about yourself and your friends and family, who enjoy having you around – physically, but especially mentally. Be brave: switch off your computer and mobile phone and de-activate alerts and anything else that connects you to work. If you happen to see a work e-mail pop up, think twice before replying.
And if, by the end of your holiday, you haven’t managed to disconnect as thoroughly as you’d have liked, think about what you could do differently next time you go away.
The more successfully you distance yourself from work during the holidays, the more relaxed, refreshed and receptive you’ll be when you get back, full of energy and new ideas!
Pierre Gildemyn
If you’d like to comment on any of my articles or suggest a topic that I could write about, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at Ombuds@cern.ch.