Seamless Return from VacationDiscover helpful tips from our Head of QA, Natallia Brych
Taking time off is essential – like routine maintenance for a car. You can’t perform at your best without rest. I’ve noticed a huge difference in my engagement and creativity when I return from vacation, and in leadership roles, this renewed energy directly impacts the team.
To ensure minimal disruption (which I see as a sign of well-organized processes) and avoid the post-vacation slump, I take a structured approach to my return before I even leave. Here’s what works for me:
✅ Plan the Start & End Smartly: I start my vacation on a Friday (a calmer day for clients) and avoid returning on a Monday, so I can ease back in midweek.
✅ Prioritize Tasks: I review my backlog and now use Slack Lists (with filtering & grouping) to make catching up smoother.
✅ Delegate with Confidence: I’m proud of the 3 team leads I fully trust. A week before I leave, we review a list of responsibilities, updating it until my last day to ensure smooth handling.
✅ Make Availability Clear: I update all platforms (email, Slack, Monday, etc.) with an out-of-office message – a small sign of respect that saves colleagues and clients time.
✅ Adjust Calendar: I remove myself from meetings only during my absence, ensure key ones have a delegate, and double-check everything is in place when I return.
✅ Give a Heads-Up: I remind the team and clients a week before and a day before. Over 10 years, this has proven to be the best way to surface any urgent questions in advance.
✅ Ease Back into Work Mode: I use the last days of vacation for professional learning (this time, I refreshed my PM knowledge on Coursera), update my laptop and apps, reflect on any issues, and, of course, tackle the inevitable flood of emails and messages.
This time, my preparation worked so well that I returned truly refreshed and energized – so much so that I even wrote this post! 🙂
Of course, this approach doesn’t magically eliminate all the work waiting for me… which is why this is only getting published three weeks after I got back😅
👉 What strategies do you use to transition smoothly after a vacation? Let’s share insights! 🚀
