Okay, I know its summertime and the last thing you want to do on vacation is work. And conference calls are usually about work in some way or another. So why would someone want to do a conference call while on vacation? Well some people have a hard time relaxing on vacation because their mind is on their work the whole time. Maybe you own your own business or you are in charge of a group or a large project that just happens to be in a critical phase while you are on vacation. You certainly don’t want to cancel your vacation or go into the office do you? A conference call is a way to stay in touch remotely and take a minimum amount of time out of your day.
Conference calls are easy to do and can be done from anywhere. These days it is hard to find a spot where your cell phone doesn’t work. To attend that critical meeting remotely you simply need to dial a toll free number and put in your pass code when prompted and you are on the conference call. I had a friend visiting us and needed to stay close to the implementation of a large customer he was responsible for in his business. Just being on vacation was not relaxing to him because this customer was very important to him. Once I explained how easy it was to set up a conference call, however, he was able to relax knowing he could still attend the meeting without missing out on too much fun. He did have to go to his car in the parking lot at the beach to dial into the conference call so he could participate in the conference call without any interruptinion, but it was much better than the alternative. He only missed about 45 minutes on the beach with his family and was able to truly relax once he was able to participate in the meeting. Without conference calls he would have been uncomfortable all vacation or had to stay home to attend the meeting.
So, I know conference calls are an extension of work and work on vacation is something we all try to avoid. But isn’t it better than having to attend the meeting in person? And in a lot of cases it is worth attending that meeting remotely while on vacation so that you can relax. So, relax. Go on vacation. And if you really need to, do a conference call.