The handover email is long, yet the colleague covering the account still cannot identify what needs action first. An annual-leave handover should make live commitments, next decisions and exception routes visible. Keep background information linked, with the immediate work easy to find.
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Organise by live case
For each active client or job, record the current state, next action, owner, date and relevant source record. Explain which promises have already been made and which remain proposals. Highlight waiting inputs and decisions that could change the plan during the absence.
Agree the cover boundary
Who handles routine requests?
Which commitments may the cover owner make?
What requires a service or account lead's approval?
How will the team contact that approver?
Which work can wait until the usual owner returns?
Notify the appropriate people of the cover arrangement through the business's normal communication process. Do not assume that an out-of-office message transfers responsibility for delivery.
An illustrative handover entry
“Client report: source data accepted; draft due Thursday; editor owns review Friday; client approval still required before distribution. Cover owner may coordinate edits, but any changed distribution date goes to the account lead.” This is more useful than “report in progress, see emails”.
Close the loop on return
Before leaving, review the entry with the cover owner and ask them to identify the first commitment at risk. Confirm that they can find the relevant records and contact the approver. If the answer depends on searching the absent colleague's private inbox, move the necessary operational context into the approved shared location before cover begins.
Related guidance: practical process-mapping guide.
Keep a brief record of decisions, changed commitments and unresolved issues during cover. Review these together when the owner returns, rather than silently handing back an altered queue. If cover repeatedly fails, inspect access, workload and authority as well as the quality of the notes. Hili Consulting can help make continuity part of the normal workflow.
