by Susan Gonzalez
If you were fortunate enough to take time off this holiday season, you may be experiencing a tad bit of return-to-work anxiety. Okay, maybe that’s just me because I just realized I forgot to turn on my out-of-office email notification (more on that later). That first day back after an extended break or even a long weekend can easily go awry as well-meaning colleagues ask about your time away. In addition to holiday fatigue, the anxiety of tackling the dreaded inbox and organizing pending calendar notifications that have sat idle since 2014 also may get you down.
For many of us, normal business hours will resume soon and our professional lives will reclaim their dominance in our daily schedule. After indulging in sleeping late, Netflix binges and weekday brunches, considering a return to my corporate cubicle in less than twenty-four hours is almost overwhelming.
In the spirit of being proactive in 2015, we have devised a list to set you and your teams up for success when returning to the office.
- The day before your return, open your calendar and see what your week looks like to ensure you aren’t surprised by a meeting. Then, block off time on your calendar that first day to catch-up and respond to emails. If possible, attempt to accomplish this the first hour or two at your desk.
- Invite work friends and chatty colleagues to join you for lunch so you can efficiently share holiday and travel stories over a meal. We all have that one work friend who never picks up on the “I’m busy” cues. Be sure he or she is on the list.
- Deactivate your clever but professional out-of-office notification. If you forgot to set an out-of-office (like me), be sure to respond to high-priority inquiries first. One might try, “A glitch in our email server occurred and my out-of-office deactivated,” but that sounds like the grown-up equivalent of forgetting your homework.
- Check-in with your manager and with those you manage. A brief 15-minute touch-base meeting is a great way to ensure that all parties are on the same page after time away.
We acknowledge that it is nearly impossible to completely disconnect from work, even while on holiday, as many have telecommuted or worked shorter hours over the last few weeks, but the first official work day of a new year deserves the credit it’s due. It’s almost like the first day of school for adults and there can be a twinge of excitement and anticipation of what is to come in 2015. Let’s embrace the possibilities.