The out-of-office email is a great tool\u2026provided, that is, that it is used to its full potential. Let\u2019s talk about a simple adjustment you can make to the ones you send to ensure they are much more effective, and much less likely to be ignored as a result.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the trick: just make sure to include a personal detail in your out-of-office email.<\/p>\n
As simple as it sounds, just adding a little bit of additional context can make all the difference amongst many who might try to reach out to you when you are away.<\/p>\n
The reason for this is pretty simple, too: by giving that context, you\u2019re explaining your absence in a way that clearly establishes that you are not available and\u2014crucially\u2014why this makes you unavailable.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say you sent an email to someone, and got the following message back:<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, I won\u2019t be in the office until Thursday the 27th, but I\u2019ll be sure to respond to your email once I\u2019m back.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Hopefully, this would be enough to stop you from repeatedly reaching out until the 27th, but many people wouldn\u2019t, instead sending repeated emails, and potentially even calling or sending instant messages until a response was received. However, when an additional detail is added to the message, it may be enough to make those people pause. Consider how your thought process might change if you received the following message instead:<\/p>\n \u201cHi, I\u2019m taking my family on a vacation until Thursday the 27th, but I\u2019ll be sure to respond to your email once I\u2019m back.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n See the difference?<\/p>\n In the first draft of the message, you just know they\u2019re out of the office, but in the second, you know they\u2019re out of the office to spend quality time with their family. The second draft politely makes sure that you know what you\u2019ll be interrupting if you reach out to them repeatedly, seeking a response. Chances are, this will make you think twice about pursuing them more.<\/p>\n Of course, you may be out of the office for a variety of reasons, not necessarily to take the family on a vacation. The same principle applies, of course, and it isn\u2019t as though you need to be overly specific, either.<\/p>\n Maybe you need some time for surgery. Frankly speaking, it is nobody\u2019s business what this procedure is, so don\u2019t feel pressured to share.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, due to personal medical needs I will not be able to respond to your message until the 19th, but I will be sure to respond to you once I have returned.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Simple, to the point, and effective\u2026and while it won\u2019t stop some people from poking, it will hopefully relieve you of the lion\u2019s share of interruptions and messages. It\u2019s important to be able to maintain a balance between work and life. With any luck, this tip will make it that much easier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The out-of-office email is a great tool\u2026provided, that is, that it is used to its full potential. Let\u2019s talk about a simple adjustment you can make to the ones you send to ensure they are much more effective, and much less likely to be ignored as a result.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,63],"tags":[79,92,85],"class_list":["post-6296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-tip-of-the-week","tag-email","tag-user-tips","tag-workplace-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nYou Don\u2019t Need to Overshare, Either<\/h3>\n