Recruitment Hack #34 - Holidays Fun Not Emails
Holidays are for holiday fun, not emails.
Do you find that you are checking your emails whilst you are on holiday? It is a sin that is now pervasive and damaging.
Checking emails whilst on holiday is the worst of all worlds. You cannot properly action the email, but you also cannot forget about it. It leaves you in a world of anguish, annoyance or stress. Those two weeks in the sun are hard-won, expensive and are there to help you unwind, they should not be ruined by emails that your colleagues could deal with.
So here is our life hack to deal with holiday emails. Delete them. That's right delete them as soon as you get back into the office.
Okay, it does go deeper than this but, before you leave for a holiday you should reach inbox zero. Process your inbox to zero. Deal with every email, if it requires an action put it onto your to-do list. Then once you have done this delete the Email apps and other email services from your phone and iPad. Once this has been done you then put on an office on that says the following:
_"Thank you for your email. I appreciate the time that you have taken to email me.
Currently, I am on annual leave and will not be checking my emails. This email will be deleted and will go unread._
_
I will be returning on the xxxx at Midday. Please reschedule the message to send for then or if it is urgent please call xxxxx xxxxx and ask for xxxxx.
Thank you for understanding."_
When you get back into the office, delete every email that is sitting in your Inbox.
Now I know as you read this you are horrified by the prospect of deleting emails. What if you miss something? I would bet my last dollar, rupee or penny that you would not miss anything and if it is really, really urgent then they will call your office anyway.
The out-of-office will have made that clear and if it is really important your client or candidate will have to call into the office.
Follow this hack and you will have a more tranquil holiday