A good holiday experience begins long before the first day of absence. It starts with the alignment of the team, through the timely coordination and communication of the vacation periods, the identification of critical moments, what is prioritized and what can be expected, and the clarification of who is responsible for ensuring accountability during the absences of other members.

Planning vacations is, in fact, an extension of work planning. And that’s why these periods reveal a lot about the functioning of teams.

One of the major tests that vacations place on teams is the delegation process. Delegating does not simply mean transferring tasks; it primarily means entrusting responsibility, sharing information, and promoting the ability to make decisions. Giving others autonomy presupposes creating the necessary conditions for them to act and make decisions with confidence, knowing what the limits, objectives, and decision criteria are.

There is also an equally important, more personal dimension: being able to truly enjoy the holidays. Being physically or remotely away from work does not necessarily mean being disconnected from work. As Zucker (2023) notes in an article in the Harvard Business Review, the benefits of holidays for well-being do not depend solely on interrupting professional activity, but also on the ability to create psychological distance from professional demands. According to this author, continuing to check emails or other professional communication channels can compromise the restorative effect of holidays and reduce their impact on physical and mental recovery.

Often, the difficulty in disconnecting from work demands is associated with the perception that there are poorly defined responsibilities, unclear processes, or topics without follow-up. This issue raises reflections that are more relevant today given the impact that digital technology has on our lives: are organizations really creating conditions for people to rest? And what is the role of leadership at this level?

If vacations are a test of the maturity of teams, they also require individual preparation. Lyons (2023) suggests five simple practices that help protect the rest period and promote true disconnection:

1. Prepare a plan
Before the absence, it is important to document how work will be ensured. Who should be contacted in case of an emergency? Who will be responsible for ongoing projects? The clearer this information is, the less likely interruptions will be during the holidays.

2. Block the calendar
Booking the holiday period in the calendar ensures visibility among colleagues and other contacts. Additionally, it may be important to seek to advance the return by, for example, reserving some time for updates on important topics and to answer priority questions.

3. Communicate in advance about recurring meetings
Instead of simply refusing invitations during the absence period, it is worth informing the organizers in advance and seeing if there is any necessary contribution before going on vacation.

4. Optimizing the absence message
An effective automatic message should clearly indicate the return date and alternative contact information for urgent situations or other relevant matters.

5. Send a final reminder
In the days leading up to the holidays, a simple communication to key stakeholders helps align expectations and minimize last-minute requests.

Although they may seem like operational measures, these practices are indicators of professional and organizational maturity. When there are clear processes, defined responsibilities, and trust among people, it becomes easier to ensure the continuity of work without compromising the rest of those who are absent.

Holidays are also an exercise in confidence: confidence in the team, confidence in the decision-making abilities of others, and confidence that the work will continue to happen. The role of leaders here takes on particular importance in ensuring the necessary conditions for the team to function effectively, even in the absence of some of its members. This involves clarifying responsibilities, ensuring access to information, anticipating decisions, identifying dependencies, and creating opportunities for other people to take on responsibility and develop new skills. In fact, holidays can be an opportunity for development. When someone temporarily assumes a responsibility that is normally carried out by another colleague, they gain knowledge and experience. They can make decisions that they would not normally make, have contact with different interlocutors, or delve into processes they only partially knew. Often, it is in these moments that previously little-visible skills emerge and new potential for development within the team is identified.

Additionally, returning to work is an opportunity to reflect on what worked well and what didn’t during absences, and to adopt mechanisms that can make the team even more resilient in the future.

In short, holidays can say a lot about the maturity level of a team. They reveal the quality of planning, the clarity of processes, the ability to distribute responsibilities, and the levels of trust.

Of course, there are more complex contexts. There are critical functions, continuous operations, smaller teams, and periods of greater pressure, in which the absence of certain people requires more robust contingency plans. There is thus no universal solution, but there are transversal principles such as anticipating, communicating, documenting, delegating, creating replacement mechanisms, and ensuring clarity about workflows and decisions, which help make these moments more fluid. For them to truly be a good vacation, for those who go and for those who stay behind.

Marisa Pardal, Head of Training, SHL Portugal
Rita Macedo, Country HR Manager & Labor Relations Portugal, Solvay

Published in Human Magazine on 4/9/2026