I have been out the office working from home for more than a year now. After a few weeks of remotely checking VM (and sometimes forgetting for days) I simply changed my phone setting so you cannot leave a message. I have not regretted since. On very few occasions people have clicked 0 and gone to reception. Reception can IM me and ill call or email the person back if I want or they can give them my email. Everyone else either emails me or if they already have it call my cell. Internal people never call my phone they use IM or video chat. No one internally has had an issue with this and this eliminates the whole hey call me back to spend 30 minutes talking about something that I could have answered in 2 minutes in an email.
A retired small town newspaper guy once told me about the first time the publisher went on vacation and left him in charge (this would have been in the 80s). The publisher told him “Don’t call me unless the building burns down, and even then, don’t call me until the fire is out.” Good example of management setting vacation expectations.
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ObjectiveApplies ToProcedureSetting Up a Holiday ScheduleManaging Holiday Schedule RulesManage Auto Attendant Holiday GreetingsRecording Special Holiday GreetingsUploading Special Holiday GreetingsForwarding Calls to an Announcement-Only Greeting ObjectiveApplies ToProcedureSetting Up a Holiday ScheduleManaging Holiday Schedule RulesManage Auto Attendant Holiday GreetingsRecording Special Holiday GreetingsUploading Special Holiday GreetingsForwarding Calls to an Announcement-Only Greeting Note: To set up a holiday schedule for your Auto Attendant in Account Manager, the legacy version of 8x8 Admin Console, click here.
While you’re writing and activating your out of office message, avoid including the following:
Hello! Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office, with no email access. I will be returning on [date]. If you need immediate assistance before then, you may reach me at my mobile – [mobile number]. Thanks!
Just hang in there, the holiday break is near. Alas! You can finally disconnect, recharge, and relax.
There’s a grim, apologetic vibe to these messages — I’m sorry I’m taking time for myself but I’ll try to check in on occasion! They’re a vivid reflection of a work culture that valorizes constant productivity and the near-total overlap of work and life. But they’re also do a terrible job of what they’re intended to do, e.g., set realistic expectations for both sender and recipient. A vague OOO message traps both parties in an uncomfortable liminal space where both productivity and rest go to die. The original sender is left unsure if they’ll be getting a timely response or a whether the email will go ignored for a time or forever. The original recipient has taken what is a rock solid excuse (time off) and cheapened it, offering a backdoor for email guilt to creep in.
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I include my boss because I have different backups for five or six different parts of my job, and my boss is more likely to know the nuances of which one is the appropriate contact than the person sending the email, so it’s more likely to get to the right person if she redirects than if the emailer tries to guess which one of the six contacts I listed is the one who can solve their problem. (My specialty is the “other things as requested” section of my job description; I’m sort of a jack of all trades around here. :) )
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Thank you for getting in touch! I’ll be out-of-office from [date] to [date] and will not be checking email during that time.
It’s kind of a ridiculous OOO anyway since by the time I get it from you, I have already sent my email.
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Best of luck in the new job.Best of luck with your exams.All the best for the future.
And if you suspect that you won’t look through all those emails that cluttered up your inbox while you were on a vacation at all? Be honest about it and tell your prospects to contact you again at a certain date.
Going beyond being formal and functional with your messages, you can also add a note of festive mood to your email if you feel like being creative. To this purpose, you can adopt a lighter tone, while referencing the holiday in question.