More than half of Canadians respond to work-related calls and emails outside of regular work hours, finds a Randstad Canada Workmonitor survey. Further, 40% choose to handle work-related matters during vacations because they like to stay involved.
“These numbers tell us a lot about Canadian workers’ dedication to their work and sense of professional responsibilities, but at the same time, Canadians’ need to stay connected could actually be causing exhaustion,” says Faith Tull, senior vice-president, Human Resources, Randstad Canada. “Letting people rest, get away from the stressful demands of their work environment and have their batteries recharged is essential to keep them motivated.”
Check out this infographic for more.
And here are some tips to help you, or your clients, relax and recharge.
1. Clean your inbox
Get as much done as you can before you leave, even if that means putting in a few extra hours the days leading up to your holiday. Clean your inbox, respond to voicemails, Facebook or LinkedIn messages, and go through your to-do list.
Read: Work stress steals sleep
2. Delegate to coworkers
If you’re afraid some things will fall through the cracks, delegate some tasks, while providing colleagues with sufficient background info. Offer to do the same when they go away. Make sure you indicate in your out-of-office notifications who people should contact for both urgent and non-urgent issues.
3. Turn off your office email alerts on your phone
Once you look at one email, it’s tempting to start looking at new unread emails and respond. So the best solution is to turn off notifications altogether, including tasks, meetings and events organizer apps. If you do need to check-in, set up a specific and limited time every day, for example, after 5 so people can’t interact with you live.
4. Focus on holiday activities
Your main task during your time off is to relax, whether it’s on a beach with a good book or visiting the latest exposition to a museum. You never know how the new things you discover, or people you meet, will enrich your professional and personal lives. Be present with the people you spend time with and make the most of your interactions.