With the holiday season is soon approaching, we wanted to share some Out of Offices best practices. Our team is digital by default and spread all across the country, so these best practices allow those on vacation to truly disconnect and those still working not left wondering, why hasn't my colleague responded to my slack.
What OOO best practices does your team follow? Please share!
Tactical tips:
- Set an OOO message in your inbox if you have an external-facing role. Check in with your content team to shares on-brand out of office messaging.
- Block OOO on your calendar to decline all meetings automatically and make others aware that you won't be attending.
- Set your slack status as away (perhaps including your return date and the team/channel to reach out to in your absence). Also works for Teams and Google Chat.
- For pre-planned OOO: Use this OOO Template: Art Vandelay Coverage Plan to communicate with your team about who's covering what in your absence/escalation procedures.
OOO Rules to live by:
- Set expectations
- Respect your own status and time off
- Model behavior for teammates
- 9 times out of 10, work can wait until you're back in the office
- Trust your team and trust in your relationships
- Your work will improve if you take the needed time away; reduce burnout!
See an even deeper dive in our OOO Best Practices Public Card or our blog post on how to truly disconnect from work!