How in touch are you?

Managing your inbox when you’re out on holiday

It’s the dilemma that’s so common now – when you’re  “Out of the Office”, how “Out” of the office are you?  For so many of us, be it your own company or working within a company, the question ‘how in touch are you’ when you’re on your holidays is a tricky one.  It’s about balance.

I’ve read so many truly unprofessional, slap-dash versions of the ‘out of office’ note and they send a message about you and if and how you care about people, including yourself, when you’re away.  “I’m out on holiday for 2 weeks” really doesn’t hit the spot and just raises more questions.  When did you go?  When are you back?  Who do I call if it’s urgent?

A simple-to-follow formula of Acknowledge/Inform/Guide is useful and hits the spot. It’s also the safest bet to show your clients, customers and colleagues how professional, helpful and thoughtful you are.

Depending on how you’ve decided to handle being away by doing one of the following:

1. Read your emails regularly whilst you’re away, twice per day for example
2. Have someone read them and then sort out the ones you need to read when you return or
3. Read them all, but only when you return, so you can just slot your information in and then lean into enjoying your holiday.

Here are a few simple samples to slot your words into:

Reading your emails regularly whilst you’re away

• Acknowledge:  Thanks for your message and I’m away from the office until August X.
• Inform:  I’ll be reading and responding to my emails in the meantime and will do this twice per day.
• Guide:  If your message is urgent and you need immediate assistance, please email John Smith, Title, who will do his best to help you.  You can email him at — or call him on 123 456 7890.  Thanks again, Your Name. 

Someone reads them, sorting out the ones you need to read on your return

• Acknowledge:  Thanks for your message and I’m away from the office until August X.
• Inform:  My colleague, Jim Smith, Title will be accessing my emails during my absence and will make sure any which need immediate attention are handled.
• Guide:  If you want to speak to Jim Smith or call him direct whilst I’m away, he can be contacted at —– or you can call him on 123 456 7890 

Read them all but only when you return

• Acknowledge:  Thanks for your message and I’m out-of-the-office at the moment.
• Inform:  I’m in the office again on August X and in the meantime I have no access to my emails
• Guide: If you require immediate assistance, please contact Jane Smith,  Title,  who will be happy to help you.  You can email Jane:  ——-       or call her direct on: 123 456 7890.  Thanks again, Your Name.

There’s always a balance to achieve and to weigh up how your emails impact on your time away is a decision you have to make yourself.  There’s always a rub.

If you decide to read them and respond to them whilst you’re away, agree you’ll read them and respond to them for a certain period of time, say an hour, every day at the same time.  Plans can then be made around that and you can tell people when you’ll get back to them.  Managing their and your holiday companions expectations too!

Help yourself by discussing this first with everyone makes it easy for them to understand and let you get on with it.  Trying to do it between trips or between meals just becomes stressful.  It’s about managing expectations isn’t it?  Yours, your family’s and your colleagues’ and clients’.

You may, or may not agree but this quote sums up the point here:  “Time for work – yet take much holiday, for art’s and friendship’s sake”.  George de Wilde

Putting a bit of structure in place will set you free and anyway, everyone needs some down-time, some time to reboot, so lean into a successful break, a managed inbox and your art and friendships too.

Let me know your thoughts about this tricky old subject.  I’d love to hear from you.