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We all need time to switch off and recharge our batteries.
Studies show that phases without electronic communication - especially without emails - reduce our stress level and make us more productive.
Nevertheless, we often hesitate to take the first step and formulate an out-of-office notice that sets clear limits for our time off.
I myself have always struggled with the fear that my out-of-office messages could have unintended consequences - for example, that others might perceive me as lazy or that I would miss opportunities.
Michelle Gielan
is an expert in positive communication.
As the founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research, a research facility of the US consulting firm GoodThink, she wrote the bestseller "Broadcasting Happiness".
She was previously a TV news presenter for CBS News.
But exactly what we often shy away from - precisely because we believe that it could negatively affect our image or our success - can also be used to achieve the exact opposite.
Out of office notices can be a great lever to drive your own success.
Anyone who goes on vacation, travels to a conference or experiences one of the great moments in life - such as the birth of their own child - can strengthen social connections with colleagues, customers or suppliers in this way.
By sharing small pieces of information about yourself, your trip, or your company's products and services, you can strengthen business relationships or connect customers to your company.
Studies by happiness researcher Shawn Achor (he is my husband) have shown that the strength of our social connections - the ones that give relationships meaning and depth - are particularly good at predicting how high our levels of happiness will be in the long term.
This also gives an excellent indication of our professional performance level.
When people feel positively connected to us, they are more likely to do business with us and are more willing to work with us to solve problems.
This connection comes from the feeling that you really know someone.
98 percent choose security
However, most people opt for the "safe" variant of the vacation notice. This simply notifies the recipient that they will not be in the office by a certain date and that the other person should contact a colleague if they need to reach someone in the department immediately. My guess is that around 98 percent of out-of-office messages contain this type of text.
I've received literally tens of thousands of these messages over the course of my career. Very rarely was it a rather aggressive phrase, as Daniel Mallory Ortberg allegedly sent according to an article in the "New York Times": "I'm on vacation and don't take e-mails about anything. reading any old emails when I get back because that feels like the opposite of a vacation experience. "
That kind of message is not my style.
But it has something that resonates, because of course it ruins the purpose of a vacation when we come back and have to work through a huge backlog of emails - especially when many of them are old messages or inquiries have already been dealt with.
A friend of mine who worked at a publishing company dumped all of his emails while on vacation and wrote to senders to resend their message if it was still relevant when he got back.
On the first day after his vacation, he received exactly three emails.
Of course, if we have to deal with a huge backlog of emails afterwards, it ruins the purpose of a vacation.
If this doesn't seem like the right path to you, maybe you and I can learn from the remaining 2 percent of the out-of-office emails I get.
Sometimes it just takes an extra line in the standard out of office message to turn "sufficient" into "beneficial".
1. Make the point clear
Tell the recipients of your out-of-office message something that they can use as a starting point for a conversation the next time they come in contact.
Why are you not in the office during this time?
What do you learn at a customer service conference?
Where are you going on your vacation and what are you particularly looking forward to?
Here are two sample emails that add more meaning to a vacation.
(My husband actually used the first one.)
Hi, I am celebrating my fifth wedding anniversary and enjoying a summer vacation with our four year and four month old children. In honor of such an important holiday, I will not read my email until [date]. If you need anything urgently, please contact my wonderful assistant Jenny at [email address].
Hi, I'm attending a conference in Atlanta this week with other health care professionals. I would like to get to know new methods there in order to support my customers even better. During this time I can only read my e-mails from time to time. If you have an urgent matter before Monday, [colleague] will be happy to help.
E-mails like this can be a great way to start the conversation when colleagues ask you about your return from the conference or after your vacation.
They get to know you as a versatile personality and not just as a colleague.
2. Offer additional information
You can also name a source of information in your e-mail that offers the recipients added value.
In selecting such an article or link, keep in mind the people who send you the most emails.
Hi! I hope you enjoy the summer. It's time for my annual vacation. I look forward to answering you on my return on [date]. In the meantime, I would like to draw your attention to this article for our customers. In it, you will find some tricks to get the most out of your CRM system. Using just one of these hacks will save you hours of time. If you need urgent assistance while I'm away ...
more on the subject
Self-Management: Finally ProductiveBy Alice Boyes
Newsletter Lead Forward: Are you too cowardly to really go on vacation? By Antonia Götsch
Self-Management: Time Makes You HappyBy Ashley Whillans
Last summer I tried the following text for the first time - and received an overwhelmingly positive response from the recipients.
Most of them even jokingly threatened to copy the message from me.
Hello! In our latest study, we found that vacations are good for the brain and can improve work performance. That needs further research! Therefore I will not be in the office until [date] and during this time I have only limited access to my mail. If you need urgent assistance, please contact [my colleague]. Have a nice summer! Michelle Gielan
3. Customize your message
Some mail programs allow the sender to compose one message for internal recipients and another for people outside the company.
With Gmail, it is possible to send automatic reply messages only to contacts in your address book, rather than to people you may not even know.
These simple functions give you greater flexibility, for example by giving your colleagues more personal information than external contacts.
Here are examples of both variants:
External Recipients:
My husband and I have just had our second child.
Therefore I will be on parental leave until [date].
Please contact [colleague] if you need support during my absence.
I look forward to getting in touch with you again after my return.
Internal recipients:
Little Lucy stormed into our world on [date].
Mark and I couldn't be happier!
I am on parental leave until [date].
During my absence, please contact Sheri Parks for all marketing matters and Emily Smith for PR related inquiries.
And here's another photo of baby Lucy and her big brother Cooper.
I look forward to celebrating with all of you when I get back.
As with most of the topics I write about, this time around, I personally experiment with ideas like this.
So I copied my husband's out-of-office notice in the summer and rewrote it for my purposes.
The reactions were extremely positive.
I had wonderful conversations with contacts and customers about summer vacation plans, weddings and the importance of consciously enjoying all these special moments with children while they are still young.
The trigger for this was my new, improved Out of Office reply.
It gave me the much-needed chance to be completely there for my family on vacation and to maintain more intensive contacts with other people after my return.
© HBP 2019
This article appeared in the June 2019 issue of Harvard Business Manager.
