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Out of Office Message - answering emails.

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Out of Office Message - answering emails. Employed by a small consulting firm/hourly subcontractor. When we initiate an Out of Office Message -our emails state "to contact the owner of the firm for urgent matters- otherwise emails will be returned after vaca, etc". An associate who is on vacation, has an OOO message and is responding to emails - not mission critical. Today, the owner said, " I see "J" is answering emails, I feel like telling him not to work". Another employee who is a "buddy" of his... says "Oh dont say that to "J" (You know.. buddys stick together :)) Here is my question : I will be on vacation next week and do not want to check emails daily... it ends up not being a vacation. What is a diplomatic way to let her know I will not be answering emails..(PS I am ok with checking late at nite to assist her with questions that cannot wait -or is that being contradictory?)

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  1. E.S.

    I appreciate the phrase, "I will not have access to email".

  2. Anonymous

    You are either available to assist or you are not. It's a mixed message. So in your OOO message say you are currently away and will not have access to email. Leave your boss's contact or designated person for emergency until which time you return.

  3. Anonymous

    So from what you note above it sounds like she doesn't expect you to be answering emails? When I took a week long vacation in June (8 days if we are going to get technical), I told my boss that my work phone was staying home. I would not be checking in. If there is an absolute emergency that I can address, he and one other coworker had my personal phone to be able to get a hold of me.

    Also, if at all possible, don't check in, don't even volunteer to check in. Here's the thing I've come to realize (after many years): the more you do that while on vacation, the more it is expected of you. To go a step further - people seem to wear it as a badge of honor how much work they did while they were on vacation. You're right. that is not a vacation.

  4. Anonymous

    love your advice!!! Badge of honor!! Love that statement.. exactly what ‘J’ is shooting for!

  5. ReachingGoals

    My out of office says “I am out of the office - sometimes I’ll say I am checking emails periodically, sometimes I say I will have no internet access. I give them a person to contact for emergencies, and tell them that I will get back to them as soon as I can. “ I have a friend who says after the who to contact in emergency “if your matter has not been resolved before my return to the office, please sent me another email after as I will not be reviewing emails received while I was on vacation.”

    Many of us have started doing that from my department. You are on vacation. This is your paid benefit. If you are working, you are not on vacation and thus negates the time off.

  6. Anonymous

    Thank you for the suggestion about..” if not resolved…. Great idea!”

  7. Anonymous

    Try no access to email or phone …… returning ……

  8. Anonymous

    Do what I used to do — go diving. No phones under the water.

  9. Shelby C

    I used to go on cruises for that reason, but technology caught up to me.

  10. Clydene Horrigan

    I had a customer who wanted to know of they paid for my internet would I respond to emails. I told them they would have to pay for my while vacation and then laughed.

  11. Anonymous

    Luckily still no phones while diving.

  12. Anonymous

    Lol!!!!

  13. Michele Darley

    My OOO says " I will be out of the office from X-Y with no access to email/voicemail. I look forward to returning your message when I get back to the office." My boss/stakeholders know I don't check emails while I'm out. It' s a boundary I set when start any job and nobody has had an issue. There are no questions that are emergencies in my job that cannot wait.

  14. Anonymous

    Thank you .. setting boundaries is key!

  15. Anonymous

    For years I have been using the comment, I will not have access to emails and phone. It is up to you to set the boundaries. I used to be of the mindset I am so valuable until the day, I was laid off due to a bankruptcy. No more illusions. I have valuable knowledge, but I can be replaced. They may hurt and limp along for a bit, but they will survive.

    We are a global company and I guarantee you not one person who works for this company outside of the US looks at their emails or phone during their time off. It has been a blessing when we acquired a company based in Germany with their strict rules about time off/personal boundaries. It was a wake up call for all of us in the US to take our time off and enjoy it.

  16. Anonymous

    Thank you for sharing your experience!!

  17. Anonymous

    I am of the opinion that, when you are on vacation, you are being paid NOT to work. I have worked in environments before where working while on vacation was held up like a badge of honor, and it contributed to very toxic workplace. I hate that this recent experience has you feeling like you have to respond to email on vacation to fit in with the culture. Set up your out-of-office message as you indicated, and don’t touch work while you’re on vacation. You can reinforce it by managing expectations with your boss beforehand, telling her that you’re available only as a last resort on critical items, and that she’d need to call you because you have no intention of checking email. Don’t let your colleagues normalize working on vacation. Protect your time.

  18. Anonymous

    Thank you for your input! Certainly "J" is setting himself up for a "badge of honor". and I will take your advice that my colleagues will not normalize working on vacation.

  19. Anonymous

    Once upon a time, I use to check and respond to emails while on vacation. My philosophy back then was, damned if I do, damned if I don't. Either I check email while on vacation (negating that down time) or walk into a shit-show upon my return (negating any restorative calm from said vacation).

    These days, I do NOT check on singular days off. If I'm out for a week, I may glance and clear out the obvious nonsense emails. IF, and only if I am on a time-sensitive/super high-priority project (because hey, can't control timing as much as we'd like to), I will scan my inbox for urgent messages (I usually pre-instruct my team/supervisor to literally put "URGENT" in the subject line so I know what to address).

  20. Anonymous

    Once upon a time I ‘was’ the same.. love the suggestion about putting URGENT subject line!

  21. Anonymous

    Being contradictory.

    Vacation is vacation. If they can't handle that when you return....

    Put on your OOO that Jane Doe will respond and add her contact info AFTER you confirm Jane is ok to do this. I'd add a back up as well in case something happens to Jane - accident, etc.

    Tell Jane you can help her when she's out also

    Then

  22. Anonymous

    Thank you!

  23. Anonymous

    No problem :)

  24. Anonymous

    My way usual away message is:

    "Hello!

    Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office from X-X, returning on X date, with limited access to email. If your request is urgent or you wish to schedule with X, please contact [person], otherwise, I will respond to your message as soon as possible on my return."

    If I'm away for a week or two, I'll check in and delete nonsense emails like "George has accepted your meeting," etc. But then I will actually respond when I return, unless I see something EXTREMELY urgent (almost nothing is extremely urgent)

  25. Anonymous

    Thank you ..great advice!

  26. Anonymous

    You're welcome! The "limited access" is key for me - that way, if I happen to have time to answer something or clear out my inbox (say, while my friend is still sleeping or we're waiting around for something to start), great, but then people won't be surprised or be expecting me to do so because whoops! I don't have wifi again, lol

  27. Shelby C

    This completely contradicts the fundamental reasoning behind vacations. It isn't good for J's emotional health either because he doesn't have a chance to come back rested and recharged. It sounds like he has some control issues that won't ever allow him to obtain a work-life balance. Don't be like J. Don't check your emails. Tell your manager that they can call you in the event of an emergency.

    And, have fun!

  28. Anonymous

    Love it! Dont be like “J” ! Great advice

  29. Anonymous

    Thanks ..love the text approach!

  30. Anonymous

    Thanks ..summary was done .. thank you!

  31. Anonymous

    Vacation is vacation. Don't check emails 100%, don't, just because someone else does doesn't mean you should. Enjoy your time away. Be firm about it.

  32. Anonymous

    Thanks for your support!!

  33. Anonymous

    You had an open opportunity at that moment possibly saying 'Hey don't worry I won't be checking emails on my upcoming vacation'. Or just remind them hey 'see you on lalala date, but don't worry I won't check emails and enjoy the time away. I know you appreciate us disconnecting from the business during that'. But if you're going to check even late night, why say anything.

  34. Anonymous

    It’s clear the managers default preference be that people NOT answer emails while on vacation, so you don’t need to say anything. And sounds like you have some sort of issue with work friends, because what that person said was not a “buddies stick together” scenario, it was literally someone saying that what J does on their vacation is Js business.

  35. Anonymous

    Thank you...actually, my take on "the buddy" is that he wants his buddy to have a badge of honor.. since he is a slacker at times.

  36. Phillip Howells

    It's not a vacation if you're on call. Ask how much you get paid for answering eMails.

  37. Denise

    I would not advise anyone to ask how much their getting paid to answer emails especially if it is a company paid vacation that is being taken. If you don't want to answer emails that fine- advise your colleagues and get a back-up, but to add a rude comment, is not the professional route to go.

  38. Katheryn M

    You are being contradictory. Make your away message to internal and external emails clear, and clarify it to your boss. At a previous job, we had to send memos out to direct supervisors and colleagues to let everyone know what was or wasn't being covered and by whom so everyone was on top of things.

    At max, I'd suggest a one time 30-minute call to discuss any crises during your vacation (somewhere in the middle) and if it's shorter than 5 days, they can manage without you. But even that is not necessary- your boss should be able to figure it out.

  39. Carol Kelley

    My OOO is very clear. Some of my vacations I do spend an hour or so working each morning and some on demand around my schedule (hubby is still snoozing anyway, or I can work while he's driving), and my OOO very clearly states that. When I am totally offline, I state so and give coworkers to contact. I charge my time accordingly. When I'm totally offline, I don't even bring the work computer.

  40. Angela Ward

    In my former position as an Executive Director, I made the issue of always checking my email, even when I was on PTO. But, my outgoing messages, both inside and outside the building, had a clear person to contact during my absence. I did not want to leave my staff to deal with an issue that may arise, which is something I would have to deal with. However, I always spoke with the person or persons about being in charge during my absence and that if they needed my assistance, they could call me.

    I always checked my emails because they came to my phone and I would ONLY answer the imperative ones that needed my immediate response. I would let them know that I was out of the office until such date, and we could discuss the issue upon my return.

    Give the responsibility to someone to take care of matters within your office during your vacation. That lets that person know that you feel they are responsible enough for this extra duty and have confidence in their ability to deal with any situation that may arise while you are on vacation.

    During my four years in my last position, mind you I dealt with COVID, and took one real vacation during that time and my staff/colleagues told me NOT to check my email and take time for myself. That is what our vacations are supposed to be for resetting our minds, bodies, and souls to come back refreshed.

    So, find someone who is responsible and can handle any situation, in a manner that you would, while you are gone so you can enjoy your time away. Let them know if it is something super urgent they can contact you, if not, it is something that can be dealt with upon your return. Ensure your outgoing message states your away times and who to contact with their email and number in your absence.

    And do not feel guilty about taking a vacation - we all need one!

  41. Anonymous

    I refuse to put my work emails on my phone, but I do log in early in the morning if I’m in the country just to check and delete what I can. The first time I didn’t check emails when I was away for 3 days (for work training) I came home to 300 emails. Swore that I’d never go more than a day without at least checking to delete. Now with a clear I don’t have internet access (whether true or not) I have less ;)

  42. Anonymous

    Thanks.. your advices is valuable!

  43. Orlagh Costello

    I don't check emails while out of office. If my team has an issue they really need my help with, they know they can contact me on my personal phone. It's the best balance I've found between "refreshing break" and "support when absolutely needed"

  44. Carleen Carter

    There is nothing wrong with disconnecting during time off, unless you are on call to carry the "kill the AI" backpack around. Also, that kind of responsibility better be shared, don't make yourself the single point of failure.
    I used to check emails after hours, on vacation, ALL THE TIME. It took several vacations of temporarily uninstalling work apps from my phone to break the habit.
    Being a star performer is one thing, but when you continuously do "extra" things above and beyond your job description, you are solidifying yourself in the position you are in because it becomes too expensive to promote you, you have to be replaced by multiple other people who are "acting their wage." :)
    You are human and deserve not to make work your life! Enjoy your time off!

  45. Anonymous

    Well said! Amen!!

  46. Kelly Meigs

    OMG…unless you are on call to carry the "kill the AI" backpack around…that made me laugh out loud.

    That puts things into perspective!

  47. lynesha mitchell

    I’ve never had a problem disconnecting when on vacation. I always pre-warn my teams and boss that I won’t be responsive. But a non confrontational way to do this is to put in your OOO message something like “Out of the country with very limited access to internet”

  48. Aurora Hines

    Ask what hours she would like you available and if the time you're responding can be billed as OT.

  49. Andres Guevara

    I say, "I will be out of the office during (time period) and will have limited access to email. If you have a time sensitive concern, please contact XYZ@CompanyName.com".

  50. Anonymous

    Great OOO message ! Thank you

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