If you’ve been in the middle of your child’s graduation—or heading out on your scheduled beach day or hiking adventure—and can’t help but concede to the nagging impulse forcing you to check your work email, you’re not alone. After all, the endless notifications don’t cease just because of your absence. (Ever feel like they get noisier because of it?).
While we know resting is imperative for mental and physical health, it’s far too easy to worry that everything isn’t tied up in a bow before we leave. And even easier to stay connected while on vacation.
Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic and frequent speaker on workplace well-being, puts it simply. “People don't really know how to take time away,” she tells Fortune. “It’s very hard to use the vacation for what it’s worth.”
It’s that nagging vacation guilt about being absent, the dread of delegating your duties, or the fear of falling behind, and, dare I say it, missing out on a promotion. Others feel their superiors may discourage taking vacation even if it’s a part of their benefits package. It’s precisely why nearly half of Americans take less time off than they are allotted, according to a Pew survey.
It's on companies and leaders to not only provide adequate time off but to model using it, Moss says. For organizations where leaders perpetuate a “do as I say, not as I do” culture, it’s easier for employees to feel the vacation guilt.
“We tell everyone that we have vacation days that we want you to use, but really, if leaders aren’t modeling it, no one's gonna take it,” she says.
That “go above and beyond” mentality, so often attributed to successful workers, can also make people feel like taking time off equates to not getting ahead. “Taking time off is not something they see as acceptable,” Moss says, adding the type A-perfectionists of the world may feel this the hardest.
Still, a number of experts over the years agree taking time off helps combat burnout, not to mention company morale and employee retention.
Seeing vacation time as “productive rest” can help you feel empowered to block your calendar off and recharge.
Here are four ways to avoid vacation guilt:
Change your mindset around vacation
Addressing the guilt that comes with being unreachable is the first hurdle to overcome when work-proofing your vacation.
“It’s not a perk, it’s a right,” Moss says.
As you are present in your work lives, try to be present on your days off. After all, the work will be waiting for your return, and often, people forget that time spent with loved ones is imperative for our health and happiness.
It’s about having the same commitment to work as you do to your rest, knowing both will benefit you in different ways.
Plan for your vacation before you go
Beyond booking vacation accommodations (if you plan to travel), it’s also helpful to decide who will take your tasks when you’re gone ahead of your PTO.
Letting clients or colleagues know what to expect on your days off will help you answer any urgent questions ahead of time.
Be sure to share any essential documents with people, so a co-worker doesn’t bother you searching for the password to a locked spreadsheet.
“[Disconnecting] starts before you go on vacation,” Taren Rodabaugh, CIO for Bridgestone Americans previously told Fortune. “You need to be creating a team and a structure and setting expectations.”
Consider highlighting in your OOO note how you will not have access to email, giving someone a date of your return or a person to whom they can connect with in the meantime.
Now, actually turn off the ringer
A vacation won’t be restorative if you don't actually unplug.
The biggest vacation distractor is a notification with an engaging-enough subject line that pulls you down the email rabbit hole. While Moss says she physically puts her phone in a safe on vacation, you don’t need to go to the extreme to enjoy the benefits of disconnecting.
Set parameters for yourself around how you will engage with your devices so you can confidently turn the screen off.
Go for the bigger picture
It can often feel like you need to respond to tasks right away—even on PTO. Moss says it’s important to see the bigger picture, asking yourself if stepping away to join a team meeting on vacation is crucial for your growth or, rather, if missing out on quality time with others or yourself is instead the real loss.
“If I don't do this one thing, or if I don't email at seven o'clock at night, will I regret that on my deathbed?” Moss says. “That time off to really relax, be part of our community, to be with friends, to be laughing, to be restorative, is going to be part of what we remember.”
