If you haven't gone on vacation in a while, you need to go… After all, it's the holiday season…
Seriously, I went last month and it felt great. Took my kids (8 and 5) on a long trip and had a blast. But I didn't let completely go – while I never booted the laptop up, the trusty old Blackberry was in my pocket. I checked emails at least 3-4 times a day while I was out and replied to the hot ones. Even responded with some detailed notes on a proposal while standing in a line at Disney (cmon, don't tell me standing in a line, the 7th thirty minute line of the day, is quality time).
It felt great. But do my work/life balance HR friends consider me a sellout? Maybe. I think it's just smart to keep the small connection around from a career perspective.
Sales guru Jeff Gitomer agrees with me – from his "Sales Caffeine" newsletter last year:
"Ever send somebody an email and it bounces back, telling you that the person you sent it to is "out of the office"?
How did you feel when you got it?
How about: Why are you telling me this?
How about: I didn't write you to find out what you're doing, I wrote to communicate a message, ask a question, or get information that I require. Do you stay in touch with your customers and contacts any other time than when you're in the office?
I have three words to tell you how I really feel: Quit doing this. You're making your customers mad at you. And you look like a fool. Okay, that's more than two words. But you get the idea. Stop it. There, that's two words.
Suppose a customer is trying to place an order, and they get your stupid reply that you're "On vacation, please call Mary." And they call Mary and she's "either on her phone or away from her desk." So the customer decides to call the competition because you are unavailable. Now you have gone from rude to stupid."
I didn't and don't use the Out of Office function on Outlook, because I know I am going to get your message. I know I'm not in Sales. But from a career perspective, I can't let go. I'm not suggesting everyone should bring their Blackberry with them and respond to emails while they are on vacation.
I know a lot of people believe work life balance means you have to totally disconnect when on vacation. But people don't stop looking for answers. Is their more balance in dealing with 500 unread emails and a bunch of dropped balls when you get back to work? For me, the balance is in keeping things rolling so I'm not cringing about what I return to the last 3 days of my vacation….
Hmmm…Jeff has an interesting take. I think about if I were in the opposite situation and I e-mail someone who is out of office. If I don’t hear from them for 3 days, I’m annoyed that they are taking so long. If I e-mail and learn that they are out of the office, especially if they give me the name of an alternate contact, I say, “Oh…then I won’t hear from this person for a while”, and maybe I reach out to the alternate contact. What’s worse…sending a customer a message saying you’re gone and will get back to them when you return or leaving them hanging wondering why they aren’t important enough to receive a response within 24 hours? I prefer not to leave them wondering.
But, Kris, I am like you. My phone is always attached to my hip, much to the chagrin of my wife. It’s my electronic leash.
Work life “balance” is for those who consider their job just a job.
For those of us who have found something we enjoy, it’s more about flow. Yeah, my few clients will know I’m going to be out, but also know that I’m reachable.
I’d never thought an out of office reply was an inconvenience or bad form. I think it’s nice to know you won’t be getting back to me for a few days, to set my expectations appropriately. Then, you can occasionally (for those really important messages) respond and exceed expectations with a response.
I love my job too, so yes, I check my BlackBerry when I’m on vacation, so I can prevent that 3 day vacation hangover of emails. Balance means working outside of the work day on my terms, and does not mean ALWAYS being reachable.
I don’t use them either. I always prefer to get back to the good folk when I can and then let them know I was out of the office.
They’re a waste of time, while you’re wasting time, especially when you’re on multiple email aliases at your company. Can you imagine the bounce backs? It’s like shooting your blaster in a Death Star trash compactor.
Wow, did I just really type that?
Both sides of the argument are probably correct depending on your particular situation.
Have to say I believe an out of office message is appropriate when used correctly. As mentioned before, it lets your customers know that you are generally unavailable, and is meant to be a courtesy. Make sure you leave a name to contact and if they are unavailable at the moment have them get back ASAP. A customer who goes elsewhere with their business if they get your Out of the Office message wasn’t your customer to begin with…
The bigger issue is how YOU manage being out of the office. Agree that having the BlackBerry in hand on vacation can be a good safety mechanism for you. Just remember that responding to messages while on vacation sets a precedent and can ruin your entire holiday if you aren’t careful. Being able to “monitor” what’s going on, but responding only to time sensitive issues, might build comfort for some while away.
Really everybody should enjoy their hard earned time off – you can be sure that your customers will do the same!
That’s why you don’t go to Disney and waste half your vacation NOT spending quality time.
It’s pretty pathetic that people’s lives revolve around their work and can no longer take a vacation without leaving work behind for a few days. It’s people like this who have the problem with the Out of Office. Not the more laid back people who understands that everyone is human and needs a little time off from their crazy, hectic work lives. Something to ponder: Get a life.
Maybe they just enjoy work, Angie. That IS a life. I hate that saying, “Get a Life.” Everyone has a life, and everyone’s life is different.
Sometimes it’s healthy just to not think about work for the few days a year you are on vacation, but then you risk missing important events. I will take along a different cellphone than normal and only give a few coworkers its number. This way I know that when the phone rings, it’s something important that requires immediate attention.
I believe it is healthy to leave work at work a few days a year. I feel everyone should enjoy life outside of work. I actually turn my blackberry off after 8pm and spend the next couple hours with my husband either watching a movie or spending time with the children.