So you've said your farewells and it's time to pack up your desk before getting escorted out. While you're there, you might as well create an out of office message to any hapless person that missed out on the news of your leaving.
Thankfully, setting this up in Gmail is easy to do and only takes a few minutes. Here are step-by-step instructions for setting your out-of-office message, plus some helpful examples you can steal for your own use:
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> When I get an answer from someone who reads his e-mails on vacation I’m pleasantly surprised.
The date range you're gone but more importantly . . . The day you will respond. (Pro tip: If you seriously get a ginormous volume of emails when you're away, or you're going to be gone for an extended amount of time, make sure this date is one or two days AFTER you're back from your vacation. Under promise, over deliver, do your laundry.) Alternate contact if there is an emergency. Your phone number (if you absolutely must, but I don't endorse this).
Emily was previously on staff at InHerSight, where she researched and wrote about data that described women in the workplace, specifically societal barriers to advancement, and workplace rights. Her bylines include Fast Company and The Glossary Co. Editors' Picks 5 Ways to Tackle the Sunday Scaries 16 No-Guilt Guilty Pleasures That Make Life a Little Sweeter How to Work More Steps Into Your Workday More articles ›
Website: https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/setting-up-vacation-and-holiday-call-rules/
(Aside: at my job, when you open a new browser window, a random picture of employee pets pops up. It changes every time. I could just refresh all day long.)
Here’s my pet peeve: OOOs that specifically state the person “won’t have access to email.” It contributes to this pervasive idea that an employee who might technically be ABLE to check her work email while OOO better have a damn good reason why she won’t be doing so. Which calls back to the reason someone’s OOO is no one else’s business. Whether you’re OOO because you’re on your honeymoon, having your gall bladder removed, or robbing a bank, OOO should automatically imply unavailability for work stuff. Full stop.
While the sender waits for your response to their email, take the sting out of your absence by involving them in a holiday survey, like the one below.
Home › Career Development › Out of Office Message: Definition, Instructions and Examples What is an out of office message?Why is an out of office message important?How to write an out of office messageOut of office message templatesOut of offices message examples
too short, though – most of the time you should give a date of return to set expectation (and so I don’t bug you again before you’re back)
I haven’t set up an OOO message since I got my first smartphone. My usual method is to glance at an incoming work email and forward it to the appropriate person, or maybe write a one-liner response saying I’m out and will answer next week.
Additional resources: You might include a link to one of your webpages or a download if it provides information that can be useful to people while you are away.
Written by Braden Becker @BradenBecker
If you’re not sure when you’ll return, don’t include dates. Simply direct them to a colleague.