NO ONE sends a holiday postcard wishing the office was actually “here” with them. You do it for what it says about you. This apparently simple act is laden with subtexts, and it is crucial, careerwise, to know what messages you are sending to co-workers.
First, do you send a card at all? That depends on the fundamental culture of your workplace. Does anyone send cards? If no, then why not? Are you all workaholics whose graft is considered life’s sole purpose? In that case, the very act of going away is an admission of weakness. As is the act of making truly friendly gestures between colleagues.
Or perhaps your culture has become dominated by a passive-aggressive clique, for whom the office has become a battleground for domestic dysfunction and inner turmoil? This may be woefully repressing your joyful creativity — and that of many around you.
In either case, you have a choice. Go with this neurotic flow, or use the postcard as a way of precipitating growth. If you decide to initiate change, tread warily. Sending a picture of beach ‘n’ boobs, accompanied by breezily inane text, will only confirm your office culture’s negative attitude towards freedom and fun. Prepare for acts of symbolic violence on your return. Perhaps your stapler will have gone missing.
Much better to choose a photograph of a cultural edifice, accompanied by a synopsis of things you have seen and done. The Kafka Museum in Prague is my favourite. It suggests two things: time spent away from the office promotes learning; and leisure expresses our eternal pursuit of unattainable desire — just like work.
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But perhaps your workplace is happy. Deeply dysfunctional, yes, but happy. In that case, you can go a little crazy. But not too crazy. One sexual innuendo, accompanied by a photograph that is graphic without being erotic, should strike the Zeitgeist just right.