It is a standard business practice to set an Out of Office auto-response on your email when you will be unreachable. That way, when people reach out, you can set their expectations and redirect them, so they won’t think you are just ignoring their message. This is a good courtesy and almost everyone does it.

If you’ve forgotten what that feature even is, then it’s probably been too long since you’ve had a break. Read my article on the importance of using your PTO, then continue on here.

While the practice is pretty standard, I’ve found that the content of the auto-response varies greatly. Personally, I’ve adjusted my message over the years. Recently, I’ve pondered what all of this means.

Fundamentally, I believe this is a leadership issue. How our teams function while we are gone speaks volumes about our leadership capabilities. We leave clues to the outside world when we type up this simple auto-response. Let’s examine the various options:

Refer nowhere

This is the out of office message that says, “I’m out, but will still be checking my emails. I’ll get back to you but in a less timely way.” This might be okay for a work trip or a special project, but I don’t recommend using this while you are on PTO. This means that you can’t or won’t be truly offline during your PTO. This is setting yourself up to fail. This is the worst option. Any of the following options are better.

Refer to help desk

I used this one for many years, both as an individual contributor and as a front-line manager. For better or worse, no matter how strategic I thought I was, people came to me to fix stuff when it broke. The more senior you get, the less this referral makes sense. Honestly, don’t you want people going to the help desk all of the time, not just when you aren’t available?

Unless you are on the help desk, don’t refer to the help desk. Your customers should know to go there first. If you are doing this, then you might be undermining the forward escalation process. Read this to see if you are a part of the problem.

Refer to boss

I used this one for many years when I was an individual contributor and even a front-line manager. The mindset works like this: My company gives me time off as a benefit and it’s my boss’s job to figure out how to function without me.

I think this one stops being viable once you reach middle management, but probably even before. It’s not in anyone’s best interest for me to make my work-life balance a burden for my boss. I don’t want to create a dynamic where taking my PTO means I have to pull a favor from a senior leader. That also signals a lack of confidence in the next few options, all of which are better.

Refer to team

This one starts with the idea that your team can handle things while you are out. This is a really great place to be. There are a few variations of this approach that I will explain in increasing order of preference:

1. The Distribution List: Your team probably has an email distribution list. You can direct all of your inbound inquiries to turn around and spam your whole group. It gets the job done but is pretty inefficient. Besides that, people emailed you because they want a person, not a distribution list. This method is impersonal.
2. The Directory: I’ve seen very elaborate directories described in OOO auto-responses. It helps your inquirer map your entire organization and find the right person to address the issue. This is more helpful than the distribution list, but you must ask yourself, “Am I just a glorified directory when I’m on the job?” “Why do people contact me?” If your answer is, “People contact me because they need a leader,” then the remaining options are better.
3. The Delegate: This is the best method in this category. Identify someone to be acting leader when you are gone. “In my absence, contact Suzy.” Suzy reports to you, but only leads a small portion of your span of control. But while you are gone, Suzy is on point for everything. She horizontally engages her peers and directly escalates to your boss if needed. This is a great development opportunity for Suzy. I recommend rotating this responsibility to someone else the next time you are gone.

Refer to peer

The last option I’ve seen is a referral to a peer. This is an interesting option. I’ve not used it myself very often, but I like the concept. Every leader is on two teams. Team #1 is the team you are on. Team #2 is the team you lead. Most leaders I know have a higher level of trust with the people they directly lead than their peers. When I see this option used, I know the trust level on Team #1 is very high. Under those circumstances, this a great option and I consider it on par with the previous option of referring to a team delegate.

What does all of this mean?

At this point in the article, you might be thinking, “Wow, Zach, you are getting all of that from a simple OOO auto-response?” Yes, I am. If you made it this far, I’m willing to bet that this is the most you’ve ever thought about crafting this simple message. I hope I’ve given you a reason to reflect. This message communicates your leadership style to your team, your boss, and your customers. Make your choice wisely.

Summer is here. Make a plan. Use your PTO and set your OOO auto-response accordingly.

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