I'm currently out of the office and will have....

[MrBen]

.....limited access to emails.

Is something I see every day on auto replies. And it's bollocks. Unless your sailing to St Kilda or hiking round the remote alps everyone now has a smartphone,tablet,laptop. You're reading your email!

Why not just be honest and say you're on holiday and don't want to be interrupted? Or not say it at all?

We're stil adapting to the new world it seems....

[StraferJack]

ooooh hark at her!

difference between having access to your email and actually reading it all of the time you are out of the office

then there is the "well I've read the email but Sunita, Bob, or Samuel are in and will be dealing with it"

Then there is the "well only I can deal with this, but I need access to files on my desk/desktop so I will have to reply and see if the person is ok with wwaiting"

[Otta]

Mine just tends to say "Just fuck off and don't bother me again til next week".

[Jeremy]

Not everyone has a work blackberry, or remote access to work email.

Good for them, tbh...

[Lowlander]

"limited" means I'm at a conference/training/all day meeting, so I won't get back to you immediately

"No access" means that - I'm on holiday thanks, work phone is switched off (or work email disabled on personal phone). If you're luck I'll check it a few days before I go back into the office.

If it's really urgent? Call me!

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Thank you for your Forum Thread. I am currently out of office and will not be responding to any threads during this time.

MrBen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> .....limited access to emails.

>

> Is something I see every day on auto replies. And

> it's bollocks. Unless your sailing to St Kilda or

> hiking round the remote alps everyone now has a

> smartphone,tablet,laptop. You're reading your

> email!

>

> Why not just be honest and say you're on holiday

> and don't want to be interrupted? Or not say it at

> all?

>

> We're stil adapting to the new world it seems....

[MrBen]

Lowlander Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> "limited" means I'm at a conference/training/all

> day meeting, so I won't get back to you

> immediately

>

> "No access" means that - I'm on holiday thanks,

> work phone is switched off (or work email disabled

> on personal phone). If you're luck I'll check it

> a few days before I go back into the office.

>

> If it's really urgent? Call me!

So "no access" is a semantic. And its a relic from 10 years ago plus when people's only access to email was a laptop/desktop pc. Just say you're on holiday and not returning until X or do as Otta suggests in plain English.

I'll calm down now....

[MrBen]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not everyone has a work blackberry, or remote

> access to work email.

>

> Good for them, tbh...

Good for them perhaps. But genuinely - who are these people? They must be dinosaurs or cake decorators.

[red devil]

It works both ways, how many people say they are on holiday, non-contactable etc, yet still can't resist a little peek now and again?...

[Jeremy]

MrBen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Good for them perhaps. But genuinely - who are

> these people? They must be dinosaurs or cake

> decorators.

Plenty of people who I work with don't have Blackberries... company only gives them out to people who need them.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Careers Advisers can be added to that list.

MrBen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Jeremy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Not everyone has a work blackberry, or remote

> > access to work email.

> >

> > Good for them, tbh...

>

> Good for them perhaps. But genuinely - who are

> these people? They must be dinosaurs or cake

> decorators.

[MrBen]

I watch Mad Men and think - wouldn't it be great to go back to that time....where nobody knew where you were or could track you down...when information and intelligence was only got from gossip in bars.

And you spent the afternoon at the office smoking and knocking back Manhattans.

Is hyperconnectivity a curse?

[Otta]

Yes

[david_carnell]

Yes. And I want a better suit and a secretary to type for me.

[red devil]

Sex in the Charles Eames recliner wouldn't go amiss either...

[Lowlander]

MrBen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Lowlander Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > "limited" means I'm at a

> conference/training/all

> > day meeting, so I won't get back to you

> > immediately

> >

> > "No access" means that - I'm on holiday thanks,

> > work phone is switched off (or work email

> disabled

> > on personal phone). If you're luck I'll check

> it

> > a few days before I go back into the office.

> >

> > If it's really urgent? Call me!

>

> So "no access" is a semantic. And its a relic from

> 10 years ago plus when people's only access to

> email was a laptop/desktop pc. Just say you're on

> holiday and not returning until X or do as Otta

> suggests in plain English.

>

> I'll calm down now....

There's no access. The blackberry is switched off and work email disabled on my personal phone.

Granted, I could say "I am currently out of the office, the blackberry is switched off and work email disabled on my work phone. I shall return on x date, but may or may not check email a few days before going back in, depending on how I'm feeling. If you really need me, try calling - good luck, as I'm on a remote farm in Wales with no reception, and no inclination to go into the village until the booze runs out".

[Otta]

My autoreply says "MrBen, don't sweat the small stuff".

[Otta]

I mean this is a Tiny little things that cause irrational rage post surely.

[red devil]

Lowlander Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Granted, I could say "I am currently out of the

> office, the blackberry is switched off and work

> email disabled on my work phone. I shall return

> on x date, but may or may not check email a few

> days before going back in, depending on how I'm

> feeling. If you really need me, try calling -

> good luck, as I'm on a remote farm in Wales with

> no reception, and no inclination to go into the

> village until the booze runs out".

This will only engender sympathy rather than envy, surely the whole point of the ''I'm on holiday'' auto-reply.

Substitute with St Kitts...

[DaveR]

"Unless your sailing to St Kilda or hiking round the remote alps everyone now has a smartphone,tablet,laptop. You're reading your email!"

There's a difference between (i) having the ability to receive (ii) actually receiving and (iii) reading.

As noted above, the 'limited access' message is to deal with the unreasonable f&ckers who get shirty if they don't get a response within 20 minutes.

After I binned the B'berry I had an option to set up email on my own phone, which I politely declined. The best decision ever.

[ernesto]

" I am currently out of the office...for the forseeable"

[????]

email has completely obliterated the old working culture.

On holiday I tell my boss I'm not taking my Blackberry and at the weekends I say if it's urgent, as in an emergency, call them. I'm not that crucial.....or corporate.

[indiepanda]

I have a work iPhone - I use it to access my emails on journeys to and from the office and when working offsite.

I think I've taken it on holiday once when there was a project overrunning where I knew they might need my input. Otherwise it gets left at home. Mind you, I don't say I will have "limited access" - my out of office says I am out to a certain date and won't be picking up emails in my absence, and refer them to someone else who can help instead. Limited access is for days when I will be in back to back meetings or at a conference / training course.

I don't usually check or answer emails on weekends or my regular day off either. Things are rarely that urgent. I had a damn good try at killing myself with stress when I first moved to London (too long hours at work leading to alopecia and being signed off sick for 6 weeks) and now I accept need a proper break when I am out of the office, not one where I am always thinking of work.

[uncleglen]

Giving your employees phones and laptops is just a ruse to get more work out of them....

[indiepanda]

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Giving your employees phones and laptops is just

> a ruse to get more work out of them....

Oh, some jobs it's essential - I work for a consultancy firm and when you are out of the office (which you can be for months at the time) you don't always get given computers on the client's site to use so you couldn't do it without.

But I know what you mean - I can recall as a kid being told that all this new technology was going to lead to a new leisure age where we could get our work done in three days and have the rest of the time for ourselves. Instead it lead to a position where you have to set boundaries not to end up working 7 days a week - and accept the potential knock on impact on your career.

Mind you, I often think we've been sold a line with the whole notion of a "career" - seems like a way of getting a lot of people to work a lot of unpaid overtime under the promise you are developing your career / it will help you get on. Reality is beyond a certain level of pay, more money won't make you any happier, and if the responsibility that comes with it means you miss out on time with friends / family and mess up your health too, it's really not worth it.