OOO like a Pro
It’s x hot summer and time for you to do the living in the old phrase, “work to live.”
Request Time Off
Be honest with your request. Good managers respect that people need time away from work. In a post covid world there is an endless stream of business news about employee burnout and how to prevent it. Employees owning their wellness is just one less thing a manager has to worry about.
Outlook Calendar
Block your calendar so people will know you’re OOO when scheduling meetings ahead of time.
There is only one right way to do this, and it’s convoluted. Microsoft has it documented here.
The linked process below has two goals:
- Add the time to your coworkers calendars so they’re aware and reminded of your time off.
- Add time to your calendar so no one can invite you to meetings when you will be OOO.
Slack It
Remind your team in Slack that you have time off in the near future. The week before is a good time.
Also, Slack now has scheduled messages so you can schedule a message to your team the morning you start your OOO as a reminder.
Delegate Responsibilities
It should go without saying, but you need to make sure you update everyone on what needs their attention during your absence.
(Optional) Email automatic out of office replies
This step is optional if you plan on answering emails as required.
However, if you plan on going fully dark, you should set an OOO message. Here is the guide for outlook.
