Managing Your Work Whilst Out of Office

Over the Conference season, a lot of us are having to spend more time away from our desks, whether that be in the office or your workstation at home. Everybody has their own life outside of work, so time away from the office is inevitable. Illness can be unexpected, although conferences, meetings and annual leave are some of the things you have the luxury of planning for.

If you struggle with stepping away from your work or handing over to others, then you are not on your own. This common anxiety centred around commitment can be alleviated by breaking down the process into two straightforward steps: planning and communication.

Planning

Plan ahead and prioritise your current tasks. There is no reason that any job should be belated, but it is important to relay what tasks are most crucial. Do you have filing deadlines? Have you promised work to be returned by a certain date? Often menial tasks are deemed non-essential, but they are done for a reason. Make use of scheduling software or speak to your team to discuss who is best suited to take on these smaller tasks, as well as the bigger ones.

Leave clear directions and reminders. People often have a routine of how they work and like to create their own “running order” for the day. Throwing new and unfamiliar jobs their way can be compared to throwing a spanner in the works. Procedure documents can really help with this issue. Creating step-by-step instructions for tasks only a handful in the office know how to do can be a real lifesaver. You may be able to get through planned absences via offhand instructions, but if illness strikes, you may be left in a sticky situation.

Ask for a handover document to be left on your desk upon your return. Scheduling a lengthy meeting with your colleagues may not be necessary and could just waste time. If tasks have been done correctly, and no issues have arisen in your absence, then a handover document should be all you need. A printed version will come in extremely handy as this saves you from sifting through tens or hundreds of emails you may have received during your time out of office.

Communication

Talk with your colleagues. Utilise shared calendars so that everybody can keep up to date with your schedule. Directly communicating with your team and ensuring that they know of your time away is of paramount importance to keep the office running smoothly.

If you are away for work, it may not be necessary, but can be beneficial to organise a catch-up call over platforms like Zoom and MS Teams. It doesn’t have to be a particularly long call but could really help out your team if they are stuck with unfamiliar tasks.

The most important thing you can do is trust your team. If you are confident in their ability to get things done while you are in the office, there is no reason to panic when you are away. If you haven’t seen it before, take a look at our Out of Office Checklist.