With Summer approaching many of us will be jetting off for a much-earned holiday. As excited as you may be, it is important to be prepared for their time away from the office. Read through our must-see out of office checklist to make that return to work oh-so stress free.
Out of Office Emails
Setting automatic replies on your emails is vital. You can easily set out of office (or OoO, if you are feeling particularly spooky) replies in your email settings. Use our template below and ensure you choose the correct return date:
I am currently out of the office and will respond to your email when I return on [Return Date].
If your request is urgent, please contact the [Name of Organisation] Office directly using [Alternate Email Address] where one of my colleagues will be able to assist you.
Kind regards
[Name]
In addition to this, we find it useful to include any planned annual leave in your email signature as an advanced notice. This way your fellow members won’t have an unexpected shock when they need to get hold of you while you are topping up your tan.
Social Media Posts
If you haven’t already, it is time to start scheduling your organisation’s social media posts. There are plenty of websites which allows for multiple posts to be scheduled across a plethora of platforms. There is also an option for scheduled posts to be sent to a social media manager for approval before going live.
You can schedule for the days that you are out of the office, eliminating the need to constantly log into all your organisation’s social media accounts.
Handover
Let your colleagues know in advance of any planned absences. They will be able to monitor phone calls, take messages and possibly respond to emails for you. It may pay off to create a list of the key tasks you are working on, so that your colleagues know how to respond to any inbound queries.
Tidy Your Desk
Although it’s certainly not the most important item on our checklist, we are a strong believer of the ancient teaching of “Tidy desk, tidy mind”. Limit your return to office stress and help others by leaving your work area tidy – it may help them to find any notes for phone calls they may pick up.
To Do List
Leaving yourself a list of all current and upcoming tasks will prove beneficial to both you and your colleagues. It may help your co-worker answer queries while you are away and help to refresh your memory after your time off. It’s easier than you think to forget an all too important task or meeting after a long weekend off.
Bank Holidays
If you’re planning on taking extra annual leave across Bank Holidays, keep in mind that not everybody is lucky enough to have them off work. It’s important to note that Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland do not all have the same Bank Holidays as England.
Let us know what your top out of office tip is in the comments.