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This article originally appeared on the geeks & creatives blog of wisnet.com
But so is spending the next few days after vacation following up on emails that have already been addressed, social updates, links to cat videos, bike break updates, doughnuts and asparagus in the cafe (usually not at the same time), and messages that have passed their prime.
If you know the Geeks & Creatives @ wisnet, you know that we work hard, and we work hard to have a strong culture to keep our team engaged both mentally and physically. Time away from the office lets our brains recharge so we come back energized and full of new ideas and inspiration. Enjoying our time away from the office is an important part of making our team and culture as strong as possible.
Encourage your team to COMPLETELY disconnect from work when on vacation.
Here is how to do it:
1. Clearly state in your out of office message & subject that your messages are being deleted until you return. If information or questions are specifically for you, encourage them to email you back after your return.
2. Let your office team know that you are doing this – and you have some serious vacationing to do. Trust and know you have the right people in place. If emergencies arise, provide options to contact you for just these cases.
3. Let clients / vendors you communicate with often know you will be out and unplugged well in advance.
4. Provide alternative contacts clients and other email senders can work with in your absence.
5. Set up a delete filter in your email (or at least a filter to archive messages to temp folder if you want to cheat).
6. Make sure you use work email for work – friends and other social updates should run through your personal email
7. Kick back and chill. Enjoy your time off and breath easier knowing that emails will not be your main focus (a.k.a. a major pain in your….) when you return.
Here is a sample ‘out of office’ that covers the bases:
SUBJECT:
Out Of Office – Your email to {insert name} has been sent to an email landfill
BODY:
I’ll be out of the office until {insert date here}. IMPORTANT FYI – ALL MY MESSAGES ARE BEING DELETED WHILE I AM OUT.
Why, you ask? You just might want to give this a try next time you are out of the office.
If you need immediate assistance, please email {insert email} or call our office at {insert phone number}.
If it can wait – and you have information or questions specifically for me, please resend them in/after {insert your return to office date}.
Go ahead – copy/paste.
So, next time you are out of the office taking a brain break, we hope you give this a try (with support from your team of course).