What we need in our work communication is not more professional politeness or less formal, chat-based messaging applications like Slack. We need honesty. The problem is that we’ve conditioned ourselves to see honesty as self-indulgent or disrespectful. I’d argue the opposite is true. Honesty, even if it’s a bit more inconvenient for all parties in the moment, pays dividends later. It builds trust. When my partner Anne Helen Petersen and I were interviewing people for our forthcoming book on remote work, a frequent lament from both middle managers and workers was that they didn’t feel like they knew how to succeed in their jobs; that they were guessing what their superiors and coworkers wanted and, even when they asked, they didn’t quite trust the responses they got back.
You are regarded as a responsible netizen when you imbibe the habit of leaving out-of-office messages. For employers and HR managers, it is worthwhile to teach this practice to your employees. Out-of-office emails show that you are polite and professional, lending credibility to your corporate culture.

Yes, this, and when people use OOO message as a “do not disturb” but then email you back right away. That’s not how OOO or email works!
Whatever you write, Instructional Solutions teaches a proven process to synthesize and communicate complex information. For teams and individuals. OFFERINGS Group Options Business Writing Courses Executive Coaching COMPANY About Us Client List Testimonials Case Studies ROI Calculator RESOURCES Blog Client-Only Resources Student Resources Jargon Grader