When you’ve finally powered your way through that seemingly endless to-do list and are ready to check out of work-mode once and for all, there’s one final thing you need to take care of: Setting your out-of-office response.
In 2013, researcher danah boyd wrote a LinkedIn blog post advocating for the nuclear option which was framed in the piece as an “email sabbatical.” Coming back to an empty inbox after a vacation is should be a break from the insanity, not a procrastination of it,” boyd wrote of the decision to send everything to the trash.

People are naturally impatient, and when they are looking for answers to their questions, they want them as soon as possible. That’s why some recipients of your auto-reply messages won’t be happy if they just get some information that you are gone and have to wait for your return. In such cases, you need to provide an alternative point of contact for urgent matters.
B037 Wasserstein Hall (WCC)1585 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA02138Phone: 617-495-0722Hours: 8:00am - 5:30pm M-FHLS Services Hub Using OWA: Login to your mailbox by going to outlook.office365.com On the menu bar on the right-hand side, click on the gear icon and then click Automatic Replies (Note: The window can appear two different ways depending on the browser and if the screen is done loading) Select “Send automatic replies” Enter in your desired automatic reply message. You can also select “Send replies only during this time period” and set the start and end times if you’d like to set a specific time frame Optionally, if you would also like your automatic replies to be sent to people outside your organization, select “Send automatic reply messages to senders outside my organization” and then type the response you want to send while you are out of the office. Click OK at the top of the screen when you are finished Outlook for Windows: Open Outlook Click on the File tab in the upper left-hand corner, then select Automatic Replies (Out of Office) on the next screen. Select “Send automatic replies” Enter in your desired automatic reply message. You can also select “Only send during this time range:” and set your start and end times if you’d like to set a specific time frame. Optionally, if you’d like your automatic replies to be sent to people outside your organization, select the Outside My Organization (On) tab and then type the response you want to send while you are out of the office. Check “Send automatic replies for account ” Enter in your desired automatic reply message. Select “Only send replies during this time period:” and set the start and end times if you’d like to set a specific time frame. Optionally, if you’d like your automatic replies to be sent to people outside your organization, select “Also send replies to senders outside my organization” and then type the response you want to send while you are out of the office. About Contact or Visit HLS Accessibility Media Relations HLS Bicentennial Apply J.D. LL.M. S.J.D. Special Programs Academics Academic Calendar Course Catalog Curriculum Helios Alumni Giving to HLS HLS Amicus HLSA Harvard Law School Reunions Administration Dean’s Welcome Department Directory Human Resources Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures) Campus Student Services Student Organizations Sustainability HLS Calendar of Events Publications Faculty Publications Student Journals Harvard Law Today HLS Case Studies General Harvard University Careers at HLS Title IX Information Emergency Information Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube News RSS Feed Privacy and Copyright Trademark Notice Digital Accessibility News Series Topics Threat Research Podcast Search {{#articles}} {{title}} {{/articles}} View All News {{title}} {{/articles}} View All Series Application Security Artificial Intelligence CISO Cloud Security Data Protection Endpoint Fraud Protection Identity & Access Incident Response Mainframe Network Risk Management Intelligence & Analytics Security Services Threat Hunting Zero Trust Timeline: Local Government Cyberattacks Industries Banking & Finance Energy & Utility Government Healthcare Retail View All Topics {{title}} {{/articles}} View More From X-Force {{title}} {{/articles}} View All Episodes News Series Topics Industries Banking & Finance Energy & Utility Government Healthcare Retail Threat Research Podcast Home / Topics / Data Protection Taking Time Off? What Your Out of Office Message Tells Attackers