Chris Gratigny

After having some of my team go out of town, I've learned the true value of an email auto-responder.  I'd hope that everyone who has a job, and receives email, will receive email that is somewhat important.  Among other things, the emails received while you are away may be asking you to perform a task, attend a meeting, or make a decision. The purpose of an auto-responder is to communicate to people that you're gone.  This shouldn't take the place of asking for time off, or communicating to your team and people that you work with frequently.  At work, people don't like surprises.  The more information they have, the more important they feel.  Prior to composing your auto-responder, be sure that anyone who thinks they should know that you are gone knows of your plans to be gone.  The different between, "John didn't show up to work today again, why not!" and "I hope John is enjoying his vacation!" is simply how you communicated your vacation. Always keep in mind that people think that their emails are important.  Because most people have this belief, you need to treat their emails as important. An example of an auto-responder would be:

Thanks for your message!  I'm on vacation starting Monday, September 7th until Monday, September 14th, and will reply to you when I return on Tuesday, September 15th. If you need a response before I return, you can contact John Doe at 555-1212 or john@doe.com

The elements an auto-responder should include are:

• Dates:  You want people to know when you are leaving, and when you return.
• Alternative Contact: If they really need you, who can they contact?
• Something Friendly: Mine just says "Thanks for your message!", but it is enthusiastic with the exclamation point.  As with all emails, you want to have as friendly of a tone as appropriate.

Now that you've communicated to other people, what can make life easier for you?  If you are going to be gone for more than a week, give yourself an extra day to get caught up! If you are coming back from vacation on a Monday, then say you'll return Tuesday.  I've found that almost everyone is far too optimistic when it comes to the return day from a vacation.  Just give yourself one day to settle in before people start emailing.   Like clockwork, some people will remember that you're back in town and expect a response the day you're back.  See Vacation Recovery.