Rude or not?

Question

Is it rude to, in an out-of-office email, ask someone to resend their email when you get back into the office? I've seen this in auto-replies a few times, and it always rubs me the wrong way. I've even seen one that flat out says, 'all the emails from that time will be deleted.' Why is the onus on me to get in touch if you're the one who's not in?

Kim Callinan · Answer

Well, I appear to be in the minority but this feels very inappropriate to me, especially if it is going out to external customers or supporters.  In my opinion, it communicates a lack of customer service and professionalism.

I run an organization with 80 people and if anybody posted such a message, I'd ask that it be removed. An organization should not be about an individual alone, and it should not come to a standstill because somebody is on vacation. Likewise, it should not be the person emailing's responsiblity to adjust because somebody is on vacation.

You could try something like this:

I am on PTO and returning from on [DATE].  I will likely have several thousand messages to weed through when I return, so please anticipate that it may take me several days to be back in touch.

If your message is time sensitive, please either reach back out to me on [DATE] when I return so it ends up on the top of my to do list or  you can contact [NAME] while I am out and he/she can help keep things moving in my absence.

Thank you for your interest in our organization.

Look forward to catching up when I return,

[PERSON]

Maria Molinari · Answer

I don't take it in a bad way. You never know what all that person may have on their plate. Like me for example, I make it my top priority to read, reply and organize my mailbox but this is a huge stress at times. This mentality has me replying well after I have left for the evening or centering my reply around the time I know the recipient will be in the office. Often times people will have their inbox set this way to avoid being overwhelmed upon their return with hundreds of emails each of the same importance. I know it may be hard to wait or even to remember to re send that email but sometimes, it's worth it when they will actually see it and be able to reply

tholliday452 · Answer

My mailbox has 300 new emails, minimally, daily.  If you want me to fish for your email somewhere within 1500-2500 emails when I return, it will not happen.

Sweet Caroline · Answer

I average about 200 emails a day, if it's important, you need to re-send it.  After a week off I have 1000 emails to sort through, it can take me a week or more to review them. 9 out of 10 times stuff resolves itself before I even get a chance to reply.

Lissy Lex Burboa · Answer

I wouldn't say it is rude, but I do not think it is necessarily appropriate to have that on an out-of-office. If I were to receive something like that, I would set a reminder for myself for a day or two after that person is set to return and then send a follow-up email.

Rude or not?

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