AI Tools Are Changing How Professionals Unplug on Vacation
This spring, Lindsay Scraze planned a nine-day family trip to Japan and was determined to avoid the usual post-vacation chaos that often follows her absences. As the chief operating officer of CheckR Inc., a background screening firm in San Francisco, she expressed a desire to truly “unplug” this time. To manage her workload while she was away, she decided to lean on artificial intelligence.
In the past, most office workers didn’t have constant access to emails on their phones, largely thanks to more defined work hours. However, the rise of remote work has blurred these boundaries. Nowadays, many companies are using tools that allow employees to manage notifications even while on vacation. Among the popular options is Microsoft’s Copilot, priced at $30 monthly, as well as Google’s Gemini and Atlassian’s Rovo, which come with enterprise subscriptions. The latter has seen significant growth, now boasting 1.5 million monthly AI users, which is a 50% increase from last quarter.
“One of the reasons people hesitate to take vacations is the fear of missing important updates,” explains Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief Human Resources Officer at Dropbox Inc. “These tools alleviate some of that anxiety.” Interestingly, she recently took a five-day trip to Tampa for spring training with the Yankees and noted how these tools could help her relax.
Sandra Humbles, chief learning officer at Johnson & Johnson, shares that AI has helped her establish firmer boundaries around work. “I have about 30% of my time freed up,” she explained, attributing this to Copilot handling tasks like email sorting and project scheduling. This change has allowed her, and others in her Dallas office, to fully disconnect over weekends or vacations. “I can wrap things up in just 10 minutes.” Humbles also mentioned a tech-savvy colleague who helped her adopt these tools effectively.
Some executives have tested AI solutions over extended breaks. Erin DeCesare, the chief technology officer at Ezcater Inc., took a six-week sabbatical and used AI from Glean Technologies to ease her return. She set up an efficient process to receive updates and prioritized important information right away. “From the first day, I knew what to focus on,” she remarked, feeling relieved.
According to Grand View Research, the market for AI productivity tools was valued at nearly $9 billion last year and is expected to exceed $36 billion by 2030. Yet, despite the excitement, the actual uptake of these tools is still somewhat limited. A recent survey by Pew Research Center found that only 16% of American workers utilize AI. There are concerns, particularly among those handling sensitive information—like HR teams or legal departments—about the risks associated with AI in private communications, such as data exposure and compliance issues. Additionally, AI still grapples with nuances like tone and context, which can lead to misunderstandings in communication.
Even the best AI might miss key details in fast-paced environments, especially when not all discussions are documented. For effective AI integration, critical meetings should be transcribed, and decisions should be recorded in accessible formats. DeCesare discovered that AI often overlooked informal achievements shared only in direct conversations. In response, her team created a dedicated Slack channel for recognition, allowing everyone to share their accomplishments. She observed that this adjustment saved significant time for her team. “What’s surprising is that they no longer had to prepare detailed status updates for me,” DeCesare stated. “That must have eased their workload immensely.”
As for Scraze, she tested AI during her trip to Japan, where it helped summarize her messages and calls, making her return to work smoother. She found it to be a clever assistant, lending support even beyond the office, including planning parts of her trip.
