Imagine you could go on vacation and your only problem was whether you had packed enough snacks and books. No last emails from the airport, no open todos and absolutely zero stomach ache when you think about work. How do you do that? With a vacation handover that's smoother than powder snow or the waterslide at a swimming paradise.
We have put together some tips for such a vacation handover so that you can really enjoy your time out.
This article is for you if you:
- want to make sure that everything runs smoothly during your vacation.
- you care about the peace of mind of your team members 💜.
- want to set up a simple and clear process for vacation handovers in your team.
- need a tool to manage tasks, projects and responsibilities easily and efficiently.
- want to enjoy your vacation without feeling cranky about returning to the office.
Vacation handover fails that everyone knows (and how to avoid them)
[.toc-name]Vacation handover fails[.toc-name]
Here are typical stumbling blocks in a vacation handover that will spoil the start of your vacation for you and your team:
👉 Time management
- Start too late: Don't start preparing your vacation handover just before it's too late - chaos and a hectic pace are inevitable. Ideally, you should start two weeks in advance.
- Last-minute handover: Do NOT send out your handover on Sunday evening if you are going on vacation on Monday (Friday evening is just as good 💩)
👉 Communication
- Superficial handover: A cursory handover at the last minute will only lead to important details being missing later on. Take the time to go through everything thoroughly with your vacation replacement to clarify questions and critical points.
- Poor coordination with the team: Inform your team in good time and repeat the reminder of your upcoming absence.
Make clear announcements such as "Remember, I'll be away from [insert day here] to [insert day here]. If you need anything else from me, please let me know by [insert day here]." - Lack of customer communication: Inform your customers in good time about your absence and make sure that they know who their contact person will be during this time.
👉 Task management
- Lack of prioritization of tasks: Make it clear in your vacation handover which tasks have priority and store this status in the tasks.
- Overloading your substitutes: Don't overload your team members. They can't do everything just as quickly as you can and will have to do your todos on top of their own workload.
- Poorly planned comeback: When preparing, also focus on your return from vacation and create a plan for this. That way, your recovery won't be ruined straight after your vacation.
👉 Documentation
- Incomplete documentation: Make sure that all information is easy to find and up-to-date. Nothing is more annoying than when your representative has to become a detective.
- Outdated contact lists: Update your contacts and make sure that your representative knows who to contact in which situation.
- Technical stumbling blocks: Make sure that your representative has all the necessary passwords and accesses.
[.no-toc]7 steps that will help you go on vacation relaxed (and stay relaxed afterwards) 🏖️[.no-toc]
Before every absence, there are a few steps that will make the transition uncomplicated and successful and also sweeten your return.
1. Create handover plan and task list
[.toc-name]Create handover plan and task list[.toc-name]
A well-developed handover plan and a complete task list are like an instruction manual for your team. This way, everyone knows exactly what needs to be done and it is safe that nothing important falls by the wayside.
Create a handover plan: Create an overview of all ongoing projects and tasks that are important in your absence. In awork, you can put all todos into clearly arranged boards.
Set priorities and responsibilities: Define which tasks you will complete before your vacation and which ones your team will take over. awork helps you to clearly structure these tasks and add responsible persons.
Store open tasks and deadlines: Add tasks with all details in the respective projects and set deadlines.
2. Find representation and onboard
[.toc-name]Find representation and onboard[.toc-name]
Putting on the representative cap is not a random selection. You must take this into account:
Check capacity: As a team, check how much everyone has on their plate during your vacation time. You shouldn't load an extra portion of work onto the plate of someone who is already at their limit.
Clarify skills: Make sure that the person you have in mind is really suitable for the tasks you have to hand over.
Familiarize yourself well: If you know who it will be, get him or her up to speed. Information, additions, ongoing projects - everything that is necessary so that the person can continue as smoothly as possible.
3. Check calendar and adjust meetings
[.toc-name]Check calendar and adjust meetings[.toc-name]
Before you jet off on vacation, take a critical look at your calendar.
- Check appointments in good time: Use the awork calendar to check which meetings or client appointments are due in your absence.
- Move or delegate appointments: If necessary, move meetings directly in the calendar using drag & drop or put them in the calendar of your vacation replacement.
- Add relevant information: Store important documents, the current status and information about meetings in awork so that your team is immediately informed.
4. Update documentation
[.toc-name]Update documentation[.toc-name]
Update all important documents and checklists before your vacation.
Instructions for your tasks: Use awork to save detailed work instructions directly with the corresponding tasks.
Checklists for recurring processes: Create templates for checklists in awork that your crew can use.
Access data and passwords: Hand over all important access data and passwords to your representative.
5. Inform important contacts
[.toc-name]Inform important contacts[.toc-name]
Make sure that none of your contacts are blindsided when you are not there and they approach you with a request.
Inform contacts: Send a vacation handover email to customers, service providers and partners informing them of your vacation.
Pass on contact details: Make sure you add the contact details of your representative so that everyone knows who to contact.
6. Create an absence note
[.toc-name]Create an absence note[.toc-name]
It's actually easy and logical, but how often do you suddenly realize while you're on vacation: Shit, I forgot to send an out-of-office note by email! So here's a reminder 🙌
Specify return date and replacement: Set up an automatic out-of-office note in your email program as well as in internal chat tools like Slack and Teams that clearly communicates your vacation times, when you will be available again and who your replacement is.
Note on delayed response times: Mention in the note that there may be delays in replying to messages.
Looking for an idea for your out-of-office note? We got you.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hey xxx,
From xxx to xxx I am on a culinary world tour to find the best burger. My emails are not on the menu and will therefore not be answered until I return.
For urgent matters, you can reach (name) at (phone number/email). Although she doesn't know the burger secret, she will be happy to help you.
Thank you and see you soon 💜
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Plan your comeback after your vacation
[.toc-name]Plan your comeback after your vacation[.toc-name]
After your vacation is before your vacation: plan what will happen after your vacation during your vacation handover.
Set a follow-up: Block a date for a follow-up and invite all relevant participants. That way, you'll be back in the movie right from the start.
Block time after vacation: Reserve a few hours or even a whole day to get back in. Use awork to check the progress of tasks and make sure everything is going according to plan.
Create a list of tasks: Create a list in awork that contains all the tasks you want to check after your return.
Absences & vacation handover without drama - with awork 💜
[.toc-name]Absences without drama - with awork 💜[.toc-name]
Whether agencies, IT companies or consultancies - they all swear by the fact that vacation handovers with awork purr like a kitten. With awork, you have the perfect tool at hand to manage your vacation and handover effortlessly and stress-free. Your team stays on track and you can jet off on vacation without having to worry about titanic moments or chaos.
Curious to see what a brilliant vacation handover looks like? Take a look at the handover project in awork here and off you go!
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