I read an article posted in LinkedIn the other day that prompted me to write this blog post today. It’s called “The Big Work Lie: Out of Office ” and I found what was said a bit annoying as I use the out of office tool on my e-mail a lot and think he generalized about people. I have client visits, business meetings, networking events, and more. Now a days it seems that when someone sends an e-mail to you, they expect a response back quickly as they assume you are sitting at your desk all day long. I don’t want someone to expect a response right away if I’m out of the office for a few hours, so I put an out of office response on my e-mail.
The author states that a message saying that there will be no access so responses to e-mails won’t happen is also untrue because everyone has devices they use to check their e-mail and respond to while they are supposedly unable to be reached. I will say I’m sure this is the case for many people because they do take their smart phones with them and probably check them often. But to say that this out of office response is a lie is a lie in itself for someone like me. (I will say, however, that I am sometimes back in the office a little earlier than expected and forget to turn it off, so I may respond to someone when the message says I’m not in the office).
When I say I’m unable to access my e-mail it’s true. I may be at a seminar with only a short bathroom break (my last seminar that ran 8:00-12:00, there is one break and everyone is making that quick dash). There is no time to check once you walk down the hall and then walk back. The speaker is ready to begin again. Secondly, (and I’m sure I’m only one of a very few who do this), I don’t have a data plan on my phone. I have an old Blackberry that is not even a touch screen, and I use it for emergencies only. I don’t text, use for regular calls, or read e-mails. I have a staff in the office available to assist customers, and if there truly is an emergency, I can be reached (unless my phone is off due to attending a business meeting). So when I say I don’t have access, I truly don’t have access.
I’m purposely trying to be unavailable when on (the rare) vacation so my family knows I’m truly with them. I don’t get time off often. Two years ago we took a real family vacation (a cruise) and I didn’t have access (I was unwilling to pay for expensive internet access) and my family appreciated that I was with them the whole time. I have to admit it was a bit scary not knowing what was going on (it was the first time I was gone that long with no access), but when I came back I found out everything was fine.
So when you receive my out of office response that says I’ll be out at a client appointment, or a business meeting, or whatever the situation may be, it’s true. And the rest of the message always says you can contact my staff and they’ll be glad to help. And help you they will.
If you’d like to read the full article, it can be found here.
So what do you think? I’d love to hear your feedback.
