Automatic
With December holidays quickly approaching, now is the perfect time for workers to think about the message they want to convey to people during their time off. A commitment to
"There is value in taking time off to recharge your batteries, and that doesn't quite happen if you are so constantly checking emails and not ever truly unplugging, which, for many, is a difficulty," she says. "So there is real importance to being very clear on if you're going to be checking, when you're going to be checking, or if you're not, and when people can expect to hear back from you. And if it is truly an emergency, who can they contact [instead]."
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It's also a chance for employees to give a glimpse of who they are. An upbeat tone, a blunt declaration about staying disconnected, or a traditional, basic-information-only format all hint at what kind of professional is behind the message — and that's a good thing, Augustine says.
"We're hired for the fit within the organization — why would we not extend our brand into our business communication, including our out-of-office messages?" she says. "Why would we not want to personalize them and make sure they remember that we are who they normally communicate with, or if it was their first time reaching out, they already have a sense of who they might be interacting with in some sort of business capacity."
Leaders have a role to play in encouraging workers to think through their OOO communication, and Augustine notes that they can establish expectations for OOO messages easily by sharing their own, or sending examples of some they like as well as some they would label inappropriate. By implementing some guardrails, employees know what is and what isn't in bounds, she says.
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To further promote the support of employee wellness, employers can use this communication as an opportunity to remind employees that taking time off is encouraged, says Augustine.
"This is the great time [for leaders] to go out and say, we give you that time for a reason: We want you to recharge your batteries, we want you to reconnect and ground yourself, we want you to see your family, we want you to have time to pursue your passions outside of this office," she says. "That said, when you are out of this office, we want to make sure it's very clear to anyone who contacts you if and when you are available, or, more importantly, when you are not available."
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Out-of-office messages that are both personalized and professional become part of an employee's broader representation of the company brand. Augustine reminds employers about the importance of establishing a culture where employees feel valued and supported, as this will come through in their internal and external communication.
"If you don't have a very strong corporate identity and internal corporate culture that you are promoting within the organization, it gets a little murkier," she says. "The idea is to let people know what the organization stands for, [whether] it's personal interaction, personal touch, being real, being genuine — whatever the core values of that organization are. It's, 'We believe in these things, and we would like to also see that through in all of your business communication, including your out of office [message].'"
