Holiday V work email

Jagraf

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I don't check my emails on holiday. I set up my work email so that all emails received during my holiday are deleted. I put an out of office message on telling people:

1) Their email has been deleted.

2) Who to contact if it's urgent.

3) Asking them to resend the email if it's important after I return.

4) The date I'm back in the office.

You'd be surprised at how few emails are resent.

Isn't that a bit risky if they send you something jut prior to when they go on holiday so your email is deleted too. :eek:

Grumpygit

I do check mine while on holiday, I am nosey so like to know if there's anything going on that I should know about but also, when getting to the end of the holiday I like to know what crap I am coming back to.

My boss has called me on day 2 of an overseas holiday (when I didn't have access to emails) and asked an important question which I couldn't help with but that dominated my thoughts for the rest of the time and couldn't relax.

I would rather spend a few minutes every few days going through them (and possibly dealing with something) at least then, I can relax.

It's sad but that's the way of the world now

Pixie5740

Jagraf wrote: »

Isn't that a bit risky if they send you something jut prior to when they go on holiday so your email is deleted too. :eek:

Not really. Very few people set up their email accounts like I do when they go on holiday. Even if they did and sent something at the last gasp if it's really really important it will eventually find its way on to my desk one way or another.

I like to tie up loose ends before going on holiday and let clients know I'm away and who their point of contact is whilst I'm away.

It's very liberating. I control my emails my emails do not control me.

Who cares if it's all gone to hell in a handcart whilst I'm on holiday? What am I actually going to be able to do about it? Nothing. Ignorance is bliss.

balletshoes

Jagraf wrote: »

My OH has just checked his email after ten days away from the office. He has over 2000 :eek:. Lots are junk and spam and CC but nevertheless the holidays seems like a distant memory!

I managed not to check mine and I switched off my phone for the first time ever, but the stress of not knowing what was happening I think outweighed staying in touch.

I think I prefer to check every day.

What about you? ::)

I never check my work emails (and rarely my home emails) when I'm away on holiday. Work belongs in work time, not home/holiday time.

LilElvis

We go on holiday in 3 weeks so I know I can expect the husband to answer his phone, check voice mail and make calls. Any important emails his secretary will forward to my personal email address as he is a technophobe. Past holidays have included conference calls, faxed contracts, trips to hotel business centres to print documents and FedEx deliveries and collections .... including on our honeymoon. He does try to keep it to a minimum, but sometimes it can't be helped.

Gloomendoom

I must admit that I mixed business with pleasure on our honeymoon. Mrs G didn't mind as it is par for the course in our line of work.

Jagraf

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Not really. Very few people set up their email accounts like I do when they go on holiday. Even if they did and sent something at the last gasp if it's really really important it will eventually find its way on to my desk one way or another.

I like to tie up loose ends before going on holiday and let clients know I'm away and who their point of contact is whilst I'm away.

It's very liberating. I control my emails my emails do not control me.

Who cares if it's all gone to hell in a handcart whilst I'm on holiday? What am I actually going to be able to do about it? Nothing. Ignorance is bliss.

I suppose if you have your own company its different, which is our situation. It's about trusting others to be as vigilant as you, which is rare I suppose.

squirrelchops

Unless it is your own business I fail to see why anyone would check work emails on holiday. You are only breeding a culture of dependency when there is a high likelihood that others could, in fact, work out an answer if you aren't around. I always say he- 'what if I fell off the face of the Earth'...they would just have to get on with it. Mind you I do spend a lot of time making my job transparent so anyone with half a brain could work out what needs doing if necessary.

We have only had 2 holidays we needed to check private emails and that was due to house sale completing and a job offer coming through.

tara747

No no no no no.

No.

I work when I'm at work, no way would I check work emails when I'm at home, never mind on holiday!

And yes, I'm fairly senior and well-paid. But the world won't fall down if I don't read my emails.

My team can deal with whatever comes up, just as I deal with stuff when my manager or director is on holiday.

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I don't check my emails on holiday. I set up my work email so that all emails received during my holiday are deleted. I put an out of office message on telling people:

1) Their email has been deleted.

2) Who to contact if it's urgent.

3) Asking them to resend the email if it's important after I return.

4) The date I'm back in the office.

You'd be surprised at how few emails are resent.

I've often thought about doing this, I think it's a great system. :T

tyllwyd

I'd be really annoyed if I sent something and got an email to say it had been deleted - I wouldn't expect an answer if someone is on holiday, but if I've sent something it's done and crossed off my to-do list. If I got a message to say it's been deleted, I'd have to put it back on my list, make a note in my diary for the right date, and re-send it at a time when I'm busy doing something else. That makes all that extra work for me for the sake of you spending a morning scanning through your emails and catching up when you get back.


If after 10 days you are coming back to 2000 emails, that sounds like you/the company needs a better system for managing junk mail and covering for colleagues when they are away. 200 emails a day? Surely that's got to be way too many even if you are at your desk.