This blog is written the morning after Labor Day.
Three day weekend, (possibly) time with friends and family, relaxation, and more — all gone, as the workweek has started again.
For many, these are some of the most difficult days at work.
However, following some of these tips can help you and your employees to be productive and happy even after the longest breaks.
Start Planning for Work Before You Leave for the Vacation
In terms of “workdays where folks get the least done,” “the day after a vacation” is usually right there with “the day before a vacation.”
One way to make them both more productive: plan for the work you’re going to do after the holiday.
Leaving yourself something that you know you can accomplish quickly, without maybe too much work, until after the vacation is a great way to ease yourself back into work.
That’s the sort of thing you can set up before you head out.
Even if your job doesn’t necessarily work like that, leaving yourself a “to-do” list for when you come back can be invaluable.
That way, when you first come back to work, no matter how tired you are, you’ll have something that you can tether yourself to and follow.
Bring a Bit of Your Vacation With You, Literally or Even Conversationally
Yes, the first few days after a vacation can be tough. You’ve gone from being in paradise to being at, well, work.
But, bringing a little bit of those vacation mementos with you to work can help.
If you’re in an office, maybe having a picture on your desk, something else from the vacation, or even a smell that reminds you of where you are can help.
If you’re working from home, then you can go even a bit more all out. Hang a shirt or some other souvenir just out of frame of the Zoom meeting, but so it’s in your field of vision.
Additionally, it’s natural to feel like talking about your vacation/trip to colleagues can feel like bragging. That’s especially true if you took your vacation during a time when others were not off from work.
But, it can help everyone to cultivate a work environment where folks feel comfortable talking about their vacations.
If you ask others about their trips/time off, they’ll be more likely to ask you about yours. That way, it won’t be anything even remotely like “bragging” at all. Instead, it will be one more way that the office environment can be that much warmer and more inclusive.
That can be more difficult when everyone’s working remotely.
Consider using vacation photos as your Zoom backgrounds, that sort of thing.
The days after a vacation are never going to be “easy,” but with a little effort, they can be “easier.”
For more tips about anything related to digital marketing and beyond, you can schedule a remote marking consulting in Los Angeles session with Danny at (213) 457-3250.
