The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
Summer has reached peak o-o-o.
Offices are a sea of empty chairs and inboxes are a flood of out-off-office emails. You’re unlikely to get a proper response to messages until September — but what does your o-o-o mean?
From workaholics sending emails by the pool to Theresa May lounging at Lord’s without a work phone in sight, this is a guide to how out-of-office you are.
The micro o-o-o: 10%
Auto-response: “I’m in an important meeting for the next hour. For anything urgent, send a text or contact my colleague.”
You’re not technically out-of-office but being away from your desk is essentially the same thing. Plus, the only meeting room left has a poor signal, so it’s safer to warn everyone just in case. You’ll be back at your computer by 10.35am, providing the meeting doesn’t run late (help!) — in which case you’ll have to ask your underling to update your out-of-office. All those urgent emails won’t look after themselves.
Out of will power: 30%
Auto-response: “I’m o-o-o for the rest of the afternoon so please don’t expect a response.”
The truth is it’s Friday afternoon and you just want to go to the pub. You’ll still reply to important emails on your phone but sending a cheeky o-o-o bides you time (and makes you sound important). Strictly speaking, you didn’t lie: the o-o-o acronym could mean anything (Off to the Owl & Oak? Out Of Oomph?) and technically, you are out of the office — your boss just didn’t sign it off. You’ll just have to blame the pint-induced typos on your phone.
One foot out of the door: 50%
Auto-response: “I’m out-of-office and will only check emails from 10am to 11am. For anything urgent, call me on 07xxx xxxxxx.”
You need a break so you compromise by leaving your work phone at home. Emails on your personal phone don’t count, right? Plus, you’ve promised to only check them for an hour each day, so you’ll have time to proof-read your colleagues’ new novel by the pool. The only slight qualm is you gave out your personal number and strangely everyone at home seems to be facing an “urgent” crisis since you’ve been gone. Bae will surely understand if you take a couple of calls during your romantic dinner.
The humorous humblebrag: 80%
Auto-response: “I’m sipping margaritas on the beach in Mauritius to avoid a nervous breakdown. Will have hundreds of emails in my inbox on my return so best to get back in touch later.”
Out-of-office messages are annoying enough without being boring: the least you can do is offer colourful details about your holiday/festival. As long as you close it with a comment on how busy/stressed you are, no one can accuse you of bragging. You’ve already planned your o-o-o for your honeymoon next month: all emojis, finished with a peace-out sign. Cute.
Out and proud: 100%
Auto-response: “I’m out-of-office until September 3. In case of emergency, please call 999.”
Setting your o-o-o is the final step: the real holiday prep starts at least three days prior to take-off — tying up loose ends, 12-page handovers, printing off five copies of boarding passes. It’s a hard task making sure you’re not hard-tasked on holiday. You “accidentally” forget to change the auto-response from your previous holiday — “I’m away,” you reply in August, “and will respond to my messages in the new year” — to the distress of your boss. When she asks how your inbox is looking on your first day back, you smile and tell her you deleted 1,546 unread emails. Anything urgent can be sent again.
Over and out: 110%
Auto-response: “SOME PERSONAL NEWS: Heading #offline for a #digitaldetox in the Maldives. Will be off Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest/emails for A WHOLE WEEK. Don’t miss me too much xoxo”
Your 5,633 followers need to know why you won’t join in the Twitter storms and your friends will be worried if they don’t see any beach snaps. Thankfully, you timed your trip so you’ll be back in time for the Love Island final, the thought of which keeps you sane throughout your digital detox… until you drop your new iPhone X in the sea.
