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.
Hah! Maternity/parental leave is often 1 year here, so there is zero expectation you will read or “catch up” afterwards. We keep our email addresses during where I work (Canadian government), so it’s standard to put an OOO that just says “on parental leave. Please contact X instead” with no reference to actually reviewing any of those emails, and often not even a projected date of return since people often flex their return date or take extra time, or just return to a different position entirely (out of choice).
.
As part of the festivities, the company will reimburse all employees the price of two drinks during the party. Please submit your drink expenses using this form to People Operations by Wednesday, December 30th. In addition, People Operations has planned a fun night full of games, challenges, and cocktail lessons that are sure to get you excited for the holidays.
Website: https://www.garamgroup.com/tips-after-hours-business-voicemail-auto-attendant-greetings/
When one of my colleagues is out of the office, he doesn’t mess around. In fact, he’s turned his auto-responses into a running series of commentary from fictional cartoon character Troy McClure.
And that's it. Easy peasy, right? We know there are tons of genius out of office messages we missed, so if you've got a favorite don't forget to share it with us in the comments below!
Create your profileYour nameYour bio Sign up for the newsletterSave & Post Comment
What makes this a decent example of an OOO message is that it’s candid, (hopefully) honest, and blunt. There’s no guessing whether or not this dude is going to respond to your email this week. Also, it gives us a bit of an insight into his life right now, which helps communication in the moment and in the future. He’s burned out. Even if you did manage to reach him, it’s likely he’d be resentful, even if he didn’t say so. There’s a good chance the sender of the original email will identify with this and respect his time.
A couple work friends and I banded together years ago to fill each others’ voicemails so it would be impossible to leave us new voicemails.
Because of this, typical out-of-office replies will often split the difference between our hopes and fears and say something like: “I’m out of the office and can be reached but if you need assistance right away, please contact x person.”
ResourcesSaneBox for YoueBook: 25 Email TricksWhitepaper: Email Overload in the EnterpriseInbox Zero Academy Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Cancel Events About HLS Search Where theory meets practice: curricular depth and experiential learning.Academics & Clinical Overview Academic Calendar Degree Programs Course Catalog Courses and Academic Programs Handbook of Academic Policies Clinical and Pro Bono Programs International Legal Studies Office of the Registrar Continuing and Executive Education Dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and interdisciplinary exploration.Faculty & Research Overview Faculty Directory Faculty Bibliography Visiting Faculty Appointments Fellowships Research Programs Faculty in the News Unrivaled access to opportunities and support for career goals.Careers Overview Private Sector Career Services (OCS) Public Sector Career Services (OPIA) For Private Sector Employers For Public Sector Employers 1L Career Advising Judicial Clerkships Public Service Venture Fund Treasures collected from around the world, for the world.Library Overview Research Student Research Resources For Faculty Access FAQs Empirical Research Digital Collections Historical & Special Collections About the Library Latest information from Harvard Law School’s news publications and multimedia channels.News Overview Harvard Law Today Office of Communications Media Relations Harvard Law Bulletin HLS Podcasts Harvard Law YouTube Harvard Law Twitter News@Law Photography and Multimedia HLS Bicentennial Events About HLS Search HomeDepartmentsInformation Technology ServicesSetting an Out of Office Notification in O365 Setting an Out of Office Notification in O365 Information Technology Services ITS Services ITS Policies Getting Started Safe Computing Phish Bowl Clinical IT Services Knowledge Base Contact ITS Software Library ITS Online Forms HLS ITS Blog Scheduled Maintenance ITS Training Calendar Create a Service Request
Business Emails Basic Guidelines & Tips Professional E-mail Responses Business Phone Calls HR & Job Marketing Business Marketing Business Blogging Social Marketing Customer Service Ask Woculus Basic Guidelines & Tips Email Replies: 5 Best Hacks on how to Start Getting Them Every Time
I start work at 9.30am but always leave the OOO on until at least then and schedule it until 10am – that way if the backlog is terrifying, people who email me that morning will know why I’m not replying straightaway. Similar to how some people mark their first day back from a few weeks off as out of office so they don’t have meetings (which is a great idea although I rarely do it).
Oh hey, It’s Christmas, what are you doing emailing me? I’m extremely busy watching Home Alone, Die Hard, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Christmas Special on repeat until the new year. I might stop for food and toilet breaks, I also might now. Regardless of my general health and hygiene over the silly season, I’ll be back in office on January nd. Catch ya then, don’t forget to buy a pepperoni pizza for Splinter.
She definitely had an excessive ego, and she was also a narcissist who loved to micromanage so it was a really toxic place under her. We used to love it when she went on vacation because the office was quiet, calm, and drama-free.
As a “don’t try this at home” anecdote, last week we had an all staff retreat, and we were asked to put up away messages. I put a perfectly professional one up for outside email, but in a fit of whimsy, the internal mail triggered an away message that said “Why are you emailing? We are supposed to be paying attention to the retreat!” I figured, we were all at the retreat, so nobody would ever know. Of course, someone did email me 30 minutes before everything started, and triggered the message. Fortunately, he figured out it was an away message and thought it was funny.
A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction.