Work handover before vacation
A checklist for handing off work before vacation: what to wrap up, who to notify, and what to put in writing so you can actually disconnect.

[ ] Compile a list of current tasks in one document
    Statuses and links for every task in one place, not scattered across chats. Your substitute shouldn't have to piece together context from old messages.
[ ] Assign a substitute for each task
    The substitute needs to know and agree ahead of time — assigning them after you've already left almost guarantees it falls through.
[ ] List which access the substitute will need
    Go through your tasks and list which systems and services the substitute needs into — it's easy to forget one in the rush before vacation.
[ ] Transfer access through official channels
    Through IT admins or a password manager — not personal passwords typed into chat. It's safer and avoids awkward questions after you're back.
[ ] Close or hand off deadlines that fall during your trip
    Anything due while you're away should either be finished before you leave or explicitly handed off with a clear deadline and owner.
[ ] Notify key external contacts
    Clients, partners, vendors you're regularly in touch with — give them your dates and the substitute's contact so they're not left hanging.
[ ] Set up an email autoresponder
    Your dates and the substitute's contact — so important emails don't disappear into the void while you're gone.
[ ] Set your status in messaging apps
    In Slack, Teams or similar — set a status with your return date, or colleagues will assume you're just ignoring them.
[ ] Cancel or reschedule your meetings
    Go through your calendar for the vacation dates — a forgotten meeting with no host looks worse than a clear cancellation in advance.
[ ] Hand recurring meetings to your substitute
    Standups and syncs that need to continue without you — add your substitute to the invite ahead of time, not the day of.
[ ] Write a 'break glass' document
    The top 3 scenarios most likely to blow up, and what to do in each — so your substitute doesn't have to call you on the beach for instructions.
[ ] Set boundaries for being contacted
    Define the one channel and the situations where you CAN be reached. Without that rule, people will reach out for everything, everywhere.
[ ] Turn off work notifications on your phone
    If work chat keeps pinging your phone, you're not really on vacation — turn off the push notifications instead of just ignoring them.
[ ] Keep your first day back meeting-free
    Leave a buffer to sort through email and tasks — a day packed with meetings right after vacation cancels out the rest it gave you.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/vacation-handover