Out of office vibes
How many times have you set the below out of office message or received it from a colleague or other contact?
"I am out of the office and have limited access to email and voicemail. I will respond to your message after I return to the office on March 25. If you need immediate assistance, please contact John Doe at 123-456-7890 or jdoe@office.com. Thank you."
More times than you can count, right? Well, try this one on for size instead:
"Thank you for your message. I am out of the office and will respond when I return on March 25, 2024."
Here's two reasons why this short and simple response is my preference:
First, my access to email and voicemail is not limited. It's 2024 and unless I'm going to a truly remote location, for better or worse, my emails and voicemails are indeed piling up on my phone. WiFi is readily available at any coffee shop. This line is a vestige of the past. Indeed, what I'm really trying to say is that I want to limit my access to email and voicemail; that is, I'm setting a boundary.
If you have trouble following the boundary yourself, my #1 trick is to turn off your email notifications. If you don't see the messages piling up on your lock screen, you won't feel stressed OR tempted to swipe left, open them, and respond. If that's not enough for you, consider moving your email icon displaying the number of unread messages to your second home screen and bury it in a folder. Out of sight, out of mind.
Second, I make it a priority to respond to all emails on my first day back in the office. Note that I said I will respond "when" I return instead of "after" I return. This does not mean every email gets a response at 9 a.m., but I make a point to respond by 6 p.m. even to say: "Today is my first day back in the office and I'm still catching up, but I will provide a substantive response on or before Wednesday." (Or some other reasonable time.) This signals to the sender that I'm true to my word -- and gives them the opportunity to let me know if they need a response any sooner.
Btw, why didn't I reference contacting someone in my absence? In my experience, 99% of the time, the sender knows who else to contact (stalk) if I'm not there and they need something. But, if it makes you feel better, go ahead and include that extra sentence -- as long as John Doe knows you're listing him as your alternate!
Enjoy your time off!
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