Can’t leave work for two weeks? Something’s wrong

We all know people who seem obsessively connected to their cell phones, e-mails or offices. They never let go – you can count on them to respond to e-mails or answer calls no matter what they are doing. I have heard some powerful retaliation stories about what happens when a cell phone rings during another player’s backswing on the golf course.

When it comes to taking care of customers and business and staff concerns, a quick response is critical and can take care of potentially bigger problems before they get there. But in this equation is a need for balance, too.

That is why you hire, train and empower your staff to take care of business for you, so everyone can get away once in a while and recharge.

Yet, there seems to be a growing population that doesn’t take time off, and even when they do, keep the umbilical cord connected. Disconnecting is smart business. Here are a few examples why:

•A two-week vacation by any team member will clearly show where cross-training is lacking. Fill the gap and cross-train before an emergency reveals that no one on staff knows how to turn on the phone system except for the one who did not come in.

•If an employee is covering up something, it will probably come to light when they are out for two or more weeks. Some financial institutions require certain staff to take a minimum of two weeks for just this reason. It is hard to keep the wheels on a cover-up or rip-off when you are not there.

•Leader absence will indicate how well your management team carries the ball when it needs to. If you are grooming someone to take over additional responsibilities, you can use this as a dress rehearsal and evaluate what other training is needed.

•The weak links will take advantage and stick out like a sore thumb. Sadly, there are those who will use the boss’s absence to come in late, call in sick and otherwise undermine all sorts of cultural and professional situations.

Beyond what your business or department gets from vacations, what about the individual? It takes our brains to another place and allows us to rest the “work” brain for a while.

Time off can let us connect with our families, extended and intimate, without the distractions of work.

We can take time to do things we never seem to have time for, like reading, watching the tide roll in and out, or simply exploring.

But one thing I find most important about time off is that it gets leaders and team members away from the day-to-day inertia and into clear air. It can become difficult to see solutions when you are too close to the problems, and opportunities can be easily missed when your head is buried in the routine of business.

Consider it this way: When you stare at a problem too long, your eyes blink. Some may shake their heads to clear up the cloudy vision. Sometimes you need to actually walk away and come back, like a student with a really tough algebra problem.

A vacation of at least two weeks is akin to a full system refocus. And we all need that from time to time.

If you cannot get away, something is wrong. Now I understand there are times when we all face the reality that we really cannot get away, but if this is a common problem, look in the mirror for the cause.

Are you not delegating enough to allow you to leave?

Is the problem that you do not have a skillful and talented staff to step in while you are gone?

Could confidentiality issues be keeping you from passing some duties to another?

If you answered yes to any of these, what would you do if something catastrophic happened and you could not get into the office for several weeks due to illness or injury? How would your business continue to run? If that thought frightens you, you need to begin working on solutions and get the people and processes or partnerships in place to farm out specific duties to insure that your business continues to run.

I just returned from three weeks off, a time span I try to manage to pull off every three or four years if I can. I am always surprised at the reaction of outsiders to my ability to get away for that long. I find it critical to keep me fresh and engaged.

This recent trip was especially restorative, as my husband and I spent two weeks completing the 192-mile “Coast to Coast” walk across England. Thousands of people do it each year, and we happened to be there during record-setting rains. What an adventure, yet also what a departure from everyday life.

While exotic trips to faraway places are not always possible, sometimes truly disconnecting is the only way to reboot your human system — and spirit. But, in order to pull this off successfully, you have to have a fully capable staff that backs you up 100 percent.