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It’s shit, isn’t it?
not as shit as after 2 weeks when you’ve hat the chance to actually relax.
I sometimes think that just plodding on is easier than having a fun holiday. Though that only works as a single person.
I think it's pretty selfish and risky to delete or archive emails received while away.
It might work well for you short term, but be a net negative across the team and wider company. If you're responsible for teams and people, problems caused for others are probably your problem ultimately anyway. By reading something and saying something, you might be able to avoid a problem developing, or advise on better solutions etc. Maybe you'll miss out on some information or concern someone wanted to share with you, and then make bad decisions because you didn't know, and they didn't chase you up. etc etc
Also puts across a degree of self-importance - you contacted me but I'm in a position where I feel entitled and empowered to just delete it without even reading.
Back in on Monday after a week off. Also found out yesterday that there are going to be redundancies. Feel sick and stressed every Saturday evening knowing Sunday is coming and followed by Monday. This weekend is worse than usual.
It’s an odd position not wanting to lose your job even though it makes you feel shit. Really can’t afford to lose it. Sole earner with two young kids, a wife and a mortgage. No self esteem, so finding another job, let alone one that pays me what I earn now, is really stressing me out. Laid awake now worrying about it. Can’t quite believe this is what my life has come to
Maybe you’ll miss out on some information or concern someone wanted to share with you, and then make bad decisions because you didn’t know, and they didn’t chase you up.
an ex boss of mine had his Out of Message set to say that emails sent in his absence would be unread. He left alternative contacts if a response was needed before his return and if it could wait they were to email on his return.
bikesandbootsFull Member
I think it’s pretty selfish and risky to delete or archive emails received while away.
i wonder how many who say they do it actually do it.
Or if it’s one of those ‘I’m alpha important and look at me’ type statements, when secretly they are checking it every hour they are away. 😉
I think it’s pretty selfish and risky to delete or archive emails received while away.
As always, there’s an “it depends”. After a week off, I’ll read them, or at least scan read them, even though it can be several hundred if I’m on a busy project.
But once I was off for four weeks due to illness, and came back to over 5000, despite having an OOO that explained that I was going to be off for a considerable period and gave alternative contacts for every key part of the project. It would have taken me a week simply to read them all, and even then most were out of date and had been dealt with by the time I came back. In this case they all just got dumping in another folder, and I think I’ve still got them three years later although they have never been referred to.
With email storage space being effectively unlimited, I don’t see a need to delete, but I’m not alway going to read them.
i wonder how many who say they do it actually do it.
Me, have done for years. Across 4 or 5 employers i would guess.
Or if it’s one of those ‘I’m alpha important and look at me’ type statements, when secretly they are checking it every hour they are away. 😉
I don't even leave my phone on for long enough to get to the carpark. The only people who do, are those who use them for all their private communication as well. (i don't)
I think it’s pretty selfish and risky to delete or archive emails received while away.
Yes, it absolutely is selfish of management (or the company) to not have proper cover for people who are away from work.
I mean, i can't help it if you work for badly organised companies. If my place want me to read emails when i'm away from the office, and outside of normal working hours, they're going to need to give me a payrise.
If my place want me to read emails when i’m away from the office, and outside of normal working hours, they’re going to need to give me a payrise.
It's illegal in France...
https://www.good.is/Culture/france-lets-you-disconnect-rp
Back in on Monday after a week off. Also found out yesterday that there are going to be redundancies.
I don't work Fridays & to be fair get very few emails anyway (maybe 10 a day) but got a "there might be redundancies" email on Friday & anyone at risk will get a call today, I did wonder if they even considered my working hours when they sent it.. sadly I've been there ages & I think their plan is to not give me the pay rise I asked for in the hope I'd leave without having to pay me off, only time will tell 😕
Yes, it absolutely is selfish of management (or the company) to not have proper cover for people who are away from work.
I'm not talking about things that need covering. I'm taking about things that are someone's medium-term responsibilities, which they need to not miss out on information about, and possibly take follow-up actions to things that happened while they were away - that are on your own initiative rather than because someone asks.
My wife gets buried by emails , dreads the backlog. She took the 'nuke them' route and was promptly disciplined and placed on a warning, she was absolutely fuming but it did no good , gross misconduct !
'I think it’s pretty selfish and risky to delete or archive emails received while away.
It might work well for you short term, but be a net negative across the team and wider company. If you’re responsible for teams and people, problems caused for others are probably your problem ultimately anyway. By reading something and saying something, you might be able to avoid a problem developing, or advise on better solutions etc.'
I do this. I take a 3 week break every summer, as do most of the people I work with. I manage projects, and teams, and am in other teams and we do large budget things ( millions USD and up). I don't have time to go thro' all sorts of email back and forth, and if somwething needed to get done, it seems a bad idea to wait 20 days for an answer.
You need to plan and have a route for delegation setup - I cover for my bosses when he/she are away.
'I’m not talking about things that need covering. I’m taking about things that are someone’s medium-term responsibilities, which they need to not miss out on information about, and possibly take follow-up actions to things that happened while they were away – that are on your own initiative rather than because someone asks.'
Hmm, well you need to ask if anything interesting happened while you're away. How do you handle stuff that might have happened 2+ weeks ago?
TLDR – shorter breaks might be better for you that one long one
I dunno, I find everything gets left for me if I take a short break, but others have to deal with it if I'm off for a fortnight.
I’m taking about things that are someone’s medium-term responsibilities, which they need to not miss out on information about, and possibly take follow-up actions to things that happened while they were away – that are on your own initiative rather than because someone asks.
This is why you stick them in a folder elsewhere, earmarked for deletion, and have your email set to "conversation view". Then you can see all the responses to actual mails, you're actually interested in, in your inbox.