Time to escape the office

By MARK STORY

Imagine you're deep sea fishing in the Bay of Islands and are about to land that prize marlin when the mobile phone beeps into life. You're supposed to be on annual leave but the office knows how to reach you if absolutely necessary. Should you answer it?

The decision to blow off what could have been the catch of his life and take that business call is something George Bellew's wife has yet to forgive him for.

But Bellow, as chief executive of Christchurch International Airport, believes that level of accessibility comes with the territory.

When it comes to taking leave Bellew admits he is somewhat schizophrenic. He knows it is important to get away, but on the other hand he has a responsibility to be permanently available.

Having to be ready to switch between holiday and work mode means the office is always lurking in the back of any CEO's mind. But taking the odd call, or checking emails, isn't the real issue for Bellew - it's the time it takes to remove work from the forefront of his mind once he hangs up the phone.

With so much of any CEO's life arranged around board meetings, regulatory compliances and internal reporting - plus the day-to-day running of the company - Bellew says taking a holiday is becoming increasingly difficult. He recently had a month's holiday, his longest break since joining the airport company 16 years ago.

But, argues TVNZ boss Ian Fraser, just like everyone else chief executives must use their holidays, despite the guilt and paranoia they may put themselves through.

The countless demands every CEO faces these days means they need to relax even more.

"CEOs are most at risk of crashing and burning when they believe they're at the mercy of events," says Fraser.

The rhythms of work within television can trigger great stress. But Fraser says everyone must grant themselves the right to relax when the pressures die down.

Bellew believes the turmoil CEOs often put themselves through over taking leave has more to do with their sense of responsibility than ego-tripping over their indispensability. He suspects CEOs who can take annual leave without the slightest pang of guilt are a distinct minority.

But how a CEO might feel about time off, suggests Doug Heffernan of Mighty River Power, can depend on the phase of change their organisation is going through. It was only after 18 months spent bedding-down Mighty River as a new power company in 1998-99 that Heffernan thought about taking a break.

The board's willingness to take a long-term perspective can also fashion a chief executive's attitude to time off, he says.

Instead of seeing it as a business threat, boards should view the chief executive's absence as a chance for the firm to prove it can weather the boss' absence.

"There is a danger in any firm relying too much on its CEO," says Heffernan. "Other leaders within my organisation have an opportunity to step up to the CEO plate. The board's keenness to look beyond my own involvement is all part of good succession planning."

So how available should a CEO be on holiday? Thanks to modern technology there is little hope of finding a geographic refuge anymore. But that's no excuse, says Heffernan, for the company to take advantage of your accessibility while you're away.

The difference between someone who is contactable and the person who just can't resist checking their daily emails is maturity, he says.

To ensure the firm doesn't abuse the link it has to him on holiday, Heffernan provides contact details only to his chairman. "Ten years ago when I first became a CEO I'd have checked in regularly with the office. But not these days - it's important to have a mental break."

Heffernan claims it has taken him seven years to fully switch off while on holiday. But that doesn't mean he forgets about business entirely.

"It is at a different level of intensity," says Heffernan. "The things I think about on holiday tend to be more beyond the process of the next board meeting."

Assuming chief executives don't have similar flexibility to other staff around holidaymaking, how should they make the call to take leave? The trick, says Heffernan, is all in the planning. He planned the two weeks he is holidaying overseas early in spring more than 12 months ago.

While he can never turn his back completely on the business, Fraser claims there is less angst taking time off over Christmas/New Year, knowing full well the rest of the country is doing likewise.

Because of the time it takes to get into holiday mode, he prefers a three-week break over the festive season to smaller stints. Shorter breaks to the United States to visit his American wife's mother in Boston can be enjoyable. But the increased security requirements of travelling internationally these days make flying far from glamorous.

What is equally hit and miss, adds Bellew, is the "old overseas business trip with a few days leave tucked into the end of it trick.

"It sounds like an attractive diversion,"says Bellew, "but the trouble is you're typically still in 'shop mode' and so are those you're surrounded by."

So where do high flyers go when their partners eventually prise them away from the office - Las Vegas, Tuscany or Noosa?

For Bellew and Fraser the extended Christmas break begs a hasty retreat to their holiday homes - at Tutukaka and the Kapiti Coast respectively. Holiday bliss for Bellew is spent big-game fishing on his 12m launch, while to Fraser it is life in slow motion, enjoying music and good books.

To Fraser it is all about going one place where the routine is totally different. For Bellew it's the freedom of making impromptu arrangements.

"The biggest decisions I make are when I should change my underpants and when to avoid the notorious Paremata roundabout," gibes Fraser. "Within a week I've left most of the office pressures behind, but after two weeks I'm starting to paw the ground a bit."

Interestingly enough Fraser's idea of a holiday would bore the pants off Heffernan. Having discovered the country pretty intimately over the years, he prefers to spend his holidays overseas. Taking a decidedly less-passive approach to holidays, Heffernan and his Peruvian-born wife describe themselves as energetic holidaymakers. That could mean anything from hiring a car and finding their way around Sicily to travelling across Latin America.

"What I'm looking for is cultural diversity. I find it helpful in embracing that diversity within my own organisation," says Heffernan.

While there will always be excuses why chief executives should postpone that next holiday, Fraser reminds them the balance holidays provide is critical to optimal performance. As with any big ship, there should be more than the CEO's hands on the company tiller.

"As well as helping CEOs think more clearly, holidays keep them grounded to the reality they are not that important in the greater scope of things," he says. "No executive on their death-bed ever lamented over too little time in the office."

HOW TO BREAK FREE

Given the intensity and pressures inherent in business life these days, it is important that leave is used to provide the most benefit to your mind, your body, and your relationships with your partner and family.

Kevin McKenna, director of human resource services at PricewaterhouseCoopers recommends the following:

* Plan to take leave well in advance. You will know when is the best time for you, your family and your business. Make sure it is a time of minimal demands.

* Talk to your partner or someone who knows you well about the type of break that will give you the best value. Don't short-change yourself or your partner and family by minimising the time away.

* Once you are clear on the type of break or breaks you are going to take, put it in your personal plan for the year ahead. Get approval for the leave months in advance. Manage your leave as you manage other aspects of your business life.

* Plan for your departure. Remind your staff, customers, clients and suppliers that you are going away months and weeks ahead. Delegate work and responsibility to your staff.

* Before you go, clarify contact protocols for when you are away. Confine that contact, whenever possible, to mobile phone contact only, at set times of the day. Best practice is for your company to have clear expectations and protocols around contacting staff on leave - use those policies.

* Take your mobile phone for emergencies and agreed contact at scheduled times, but leave laptop computers and PDAs behind. Don't try to check your emails while away.

* Get right away from where you live and work. Take a break from your normal routines - even take off your watch when you get to your destination.

* Get more sleep than usual and exercise more.

* Expect your body and mind to take a few days to wind down.

* Plan for a few days at home before returning to work, just to ease back into your routine.