Thanks to the 24/7 connectivity of modern work life, it can feel like taking leave and being on leave are two different things. But, writes Kate Kearins, they shouldn’t be.
Managers and employees alike can get drawn into work activities while on leave – which means we can potentially be our own and others’ worst enemies.
I write as a recent – though unintentional – leave saboteur. I’m guilty of sometimes forgetting a colleague is on leave and contacting them about a work matter.
I have the privilege of working with teams of very diligent colleagues. Although as a manager, I am cognisant of the (perceived) power differential, I tend to forget about it – and think ‘Oh, X won’t mind if I reach out to them – they will want to help out wherever they can.’ While that may be true of X, it is presumptuous of me, the unwitting leave thief, to steal their precious leave time.
I also attempted to sabotage my own leave while waiting for surgery earlier in the year. A colleague had the IT department block my emails for a defined period leading up to, during, and after the procedure.
On reflection, I suspect I may not have been giving my full attention to the emails as surgery loomed… though at the time, I would have begged to differ. Work can be a welcome distraction from life stresses – but it is important to recognise (or have someone recognise for you) that there is a limit to one’s professional bandwidth.
Kate Kearins
There are different roles, different personalities, and different types of leave – but leave is leave.
And at this time of the year, annual leave is top of mind for many of us. So, what can we do to ensure leave is leave? Here are some tips that I strive to follow:
Plan in advance. It sounds obvious – until it isn’t done. Ideally, managers will set up a system that identifies (clearly and early) who is on deck over the holiday period. It’s about having enough cover for essential roles. And having the right people on call, if needed. If there is training needed, offer it in advance. Make sure process manuals and support systems are in place and easy to access day or night. Emergencies often happen outside of business hours.
Be transparent about your availability. If you’re a manager, let any direct reports know if (and how) you will be contactable, and for what purposes. And if not you, then who? It’s good to name a 2ic in the event you are not reachable.
Take the leave you are due. As employees taking much-needed annual leave, try to avoid the temptation to get ahead of 2026 and work during your break. Turn on your Out of Office message. Turn off your work phone. Be present – for your friends, your family, for yourself.
Make work invisible (and silent). A colleague tells me that when she is on summer break leave, rather than go through the palaver of deleting and then reinstalling the apps associated with work (emails, Teams, etc), she slides them all over to a separate screen on her phone – a place she doesn’t ever look. Notifications are turned off. The silence, she says, is golden (hopefully, like the weather!).
Savour the last moments of leave. The night before she is due to return to work, my colleague says she forces herself to not check emails or work messages – and to enjoy the final, precious hours of leave. She says the mahi can wait until she is back in the office. And she’s not been found wrong.
Give yourself and others the opportunity to take the leave we’ve all earned and make time and space to recharge. Next year will roll round soon enough.
Kate Kearins is Professor of Management and Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of two faculties at Auckland University of Technology.
