Don’t call me paranoid - my neighbors got burglarized just last year when they left for a long weekend. Just like you shouldn’t tell the world on social media that you’re away from your home, you shouldn’t via email either. Also, if a perfect stranger emails you, they’ll also receive your OOO. This will just give Competitive Cathy ammo to hold against you. There’s no need to reveal how long your vacation is. If someone is receiving this OOO message, you are already out of the office. Many people say, “I will be out of the office from to. It’s really none of anyone’s business why you’re unavailable - people just need to know that you areunavailable. Don’t confess you have a family emergency. Don’t relinquish details of your medical mishaps. Here are things you should not include in your Out of Office message:

Instead, they’ll be able to provide assistance “more immediately” than your return date. They’re already going above and beyond to help you out when you’re away. “More” immediate assistance, not “immediate assistance.” Don’t commit your colleagues to reply immediately.You might come back to hundreds of emails - give yourself time to catch up. Don’t commit yourself to reply THE DAY you return. You’ll reply “after” you return, not “when” you return.

If you need more immediate assistance, please email John Doe I will reply to your email after I return. Here’s an example “Out of Office” message you can use: Keep your “Out of Office” reply short and simple.

The “Slow to Respond” reply - for when you’re at a work-related event.

The “Out of Office” reply - for when you’re on vacation, medical leave, have a family emergency, etc.

There are two types of auto responders we’ll cover: In the age of immediate communication, this will aggravate people and make you seem unreliable. If you are one of these people, and you take time off without setting an out of office, you’re making everyone who emails you think you’re ignoring them. Unfortunately, there are people still behind. You might think this is obvious, and if so, good for you - you already have great professional etiquette.

So how can you remain reliable? The key is an effective “Out of Office” auto-responder, which automatically gets sent to whoever emails you after you activate it. If you have a good work/life balance, your vacation should be a true vacation, without checking your email every five minutes. But everyone deserves some time off from work. If you want to stand out in your career, it’s important to be professional and reliable at all times - even when you’re taking time off. If you’re interested in reading thrillers with a twist, snag a free short story or learn more about her upcoming book All Your Twisted Secrets. This article has been moved to Medium from Diana Urban’s author website to keep it focused on book-related content.

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