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Email etiquette for the vacation period

Tuesday July 26th, 2011, 2:30 pm

What is good email etiquette for the vacation period?  After all there is nothing more annoying than coming back to an inbox full of trivial messages and multiple messages from the same person.  Here are a few guidelines to win friends and not make enemies of those on vacation.

1) Stop sending people on leave emails. Start making a note of what you planned to say in an email and gather all your thoughts together in one document.  Then on their return either send it or talk them through the matters.

2) For emails with a shelf-life add an ‘expiry date’ for example,  all the trivial but timely messages like, the server will be down for maintenance this weekend, the sandwich man is in reception.

3) When sending messages which are sensitive/confidential put the words ‘confidential’ in the subject and make sure the recipient has a rule in place to send these directly to a folder.  After all you never know who might be managing that person’s box in their absence.

4) If you do ask someone to monitor your inbox whilst you are away take time to agree how they will handle your email and how they will indicate which ones have been dealt with and which still need attention. 

5) This is a good time to adopt an email free period.  Take an afternoon off from your inbox and walk and talk a little more.

These tips on email etiquette for the holiday period will help you save time to both as a sender and recipient.  They will also help everyone reduce the email overload feeling which we all experience on returning from leave.

What are your tips?

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One response to “Email etiquette for the vacation period”

  1. Answers from…..1 to 5…..!
    1)How do you know, if there on vacation….unless it's family of course…!
    2)N/A.
    3)Who on earth sends sensitive/confidential messages….Must be mad if you do.
    4)Ask someone to monitor my inbox….You must be mad. (Yet again).
    5)Free period…..Ha!

    My Tips…….
    Get a life…..Perhaps the death of Amy has upset you….Once again, you just contradict yourself…..! Sad…..! :(.