Out of office, out of mind the ultimate guide to taking PTO without guilt

Out of office, out of mind the ultimate guide to taking PTO without guiltOut of office, out of mind the ultimate guide to taking PTO without guiltAhhh, PTO. There are few abbreviations that make us so giddy. But when it comes time to actually take advantage of vacation hours, many of us feel anxiety How will my work get done? What if my team needs me? Am I going to come back to a ton of work to catch up on?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWe hear you. Thats why were partnering with Microsoft Teams to share the ultimate guide to taking PTO without leaving your coworkers in the lurch. Read on, reach out, and get that vacation planned, girl- youre about to go on a guilt-free getaway.1. Make a formal PTO requestThis step is easy- obviously, you should follow your companys handbook in requesting time off (whether it be through an HR system, email, or calendar) and get it approved by y our manager before moving forward.2. Share your vacation schedule with your teamIf you have a shared team calendar, eintrag your PTO as soon as you know youll be vacationing. If youll be gone for an extended period of time, give your team plenty of notice so theyre not caught off guard- otherwise, a week or two in advance works well so its on everyones radar.3. Adapt your workflowYou might be leaving, but your works not going anywhere. Work with your direct manager to figure out the nitty-gritty of whatll happen in the office while youre gone. Move deadlines, reschedule meetings, and start conversations about assigning crucial tasks to other employees.4. Come up with a coverage planYour coworkers will be picking up your slack while youre gone (bless them). Work with your boss to delegate your responsibilities while youre OOO, then use a project management tool like Microsoft Planner to reassign projects that need to be completed in your absence.5. Remind your bossAs the date of your departure approaches, give your teamberater a friendly reminder that youll be out of office soon, and reassure them that your responsibilities are being taken care of by your team. Your PTO schedule isnt likely top of mind for them, so theyll appreciate a second notice.6. Set your away messageWill you be checking email while youre gone? Or are you going totally off the grid? Share your availability to set reasonable expectations (and boundaries) for your colleagues while youre away.7. Handoff remaining workIf youve followed the steps above, you shouldnt be panicking last-minute about leaving the office. Wrap up what you need to do on your last day, then send out a message in your team chat with any updates on projects theyll be handling while youre out.8. Go forth and vacationTodays the day Take your mind off those deadlines and kick back and relax. Youve (literally) earned it.This article first appeared on Create + Cultivate.