Unhook Your E-Leash On Your Next Vacation

Now that summer vacations are right around the corner, can you truly unhook from your office e-leash (Blackberry, cell phone, email)? It’s not easy. One in five workers claim they plan to stay in touch with the office while they are trying to get away from it all, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. Is it really possible to unhook?

Thanks to mobile technology, expanded cell-tower coverage and high-speed wireless connections in remote vacation destinations, many workers are finding it really easy to plug in, but much harder to really unhook.

To enjoy a stress-free and work-free vacation, CareerBuilder offers these suggestions:

1. Draw up a roadmap for your colleagues, leaving them with a guide that will help address questions that arise and keep projects moving forward

2. Stick to an itinerary. If you have to plug in, set limits for you and the office.  Tell them when you’ll be available so you control the time. Pick a set time each day. Stick to it.

3. Choose one or the other. If that big project is due the same week as your big vacation, both will suffer. Look at rearranging deadlines or vacations to ensure you get the work done – and get your time off.

4. If you’re the boss, tell your employees and customers when you’ll be out and schedule vacations for slower work times.

Here’s to a happy and un-e-leashed vacation this summer.