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Original poster

Why do I do this??

15 replies

BoDidley · 20/10/2023 18:40

I'm on holiday this week. I work from home so easy access to computer and therefore, the dreaded emails. I just went online and spent an hour going through emails, flagging the important ones and, of course, am now thinking about the stinkers that have come in whilst I've been off and how I'm going to deal with them on Monday.

Why do I do this?? Why can't I leave it alone when I'm supposed to be on holiday?! 🤦‍♀️

OP posts:
CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 18:48

You have to be really disciplined. In future, put your laptop right away - somewhere hard to reach - and don't retrieve it and switch it on till the day you go back.

If it helps you not to mess up your holiday, set your alarm early on the day you go back so you can get a head start on your emails.

Remember - you will get no thanks whatsoever for compromising your holiday. No one notices that kind of thing.

Pinkshoppingbag · 20/10/2023 18:53

So true. We are all dispensable and replaceable.

Dice3 · 20/10/2023 18:55

CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 18:48

You have to be really disciplined. In future, put your laptop right away - somewhere hard to reach - and don't retrieve it and switch it on till the day you go back.

If it helps you not to mess up your holiday, set your alarm early on the day you go back so you can get a head start on your emails.

Remember - you will get no thanks whatsoever for compromising your holiday. No one notices that kind of thing.

Or even worse they DO notice and earmark you as ‘the person who respons whilst on holiday’ and then come to expect it!

TodayForTomorrow · 20/10/2023 18:56

I used to have the sort of job where emails could be quite horrible and used to read them in the evenings 'to be prepared' for the next day.

It doesn't work.

All it does is affect your rest time and makes you less resilient in the long run. I changed when DH commented that my whole mood changed after I'd read my emails and it spoiled what was otherwise a nice evening together.

Remember; you will deal with whatever arises when you are back at work. Whether you read the email on the first morning back or halfway through your annual leave, the response will be the same. The only difference is the extent to which it affected your personal time.

Get an Out Of Office message and stop looking!

CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 19:02

You might want to consider the wording of your OOO message. When I was in a role where I got 100+ emails a day, mine was along the lines of:

"I'm away until X date

Due to email volumes I won't be able to reply to emails received in my absence - please contact Joe Bloggs if you need an urgent response.

If you still need me to respond, please contact me again after X date"

Pinkshoppingbag · 20/10/2023 19:08

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Pinkshoppingbag · 20/10/2023 19:09

CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 19:02

You might want to consider the wording of your OOO message. When I was in a role where I got 100+ emails a day, mine was along the lines of:

"I'm away until X date

Due to email volumes I won't be able to reply to emails received in my absence - please contact Joe Bloggs if you need an urgent response.

If you still need me to respond, please contact me again after X date"

I do have an OOO saying I have no access to emails whilst on holiday so I know no-one is expecting a response in that time, but I don't like thinking about them all building up in my inbox 😂

user1846385927482658 · 20/10/2023 19:10

Your employer wouldn't even blink if you dropped dead. Put your laptop in a box and bury it for the duration of your holidays and weekends.

They do not care about you. Don't make yourself feel shit for them.

ErrolTheDragon · 20/10/2023 19:34

CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 19:02

You might want to consider the wording of your OOO message. When I was in a role where I got 100+ emails a day, mine was along the lines of:

"I'm away until X date

Due to email volumes I won't be able to reply to emails received in my absence - please contact Joe Bloggs if you need an urgent response.

If you still need me to respond, please contact me again after X date"

That's good, but would be better without the 'Due to email volumes...'.

No one should need to give a reason for not doing work when they're on vacation.

CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 19:49

ErrolTheDragon · 20/10/2023 19:34

That's good, but would be better without the 'Due to email volumes...'.

No one should need to give a reason for not doing work when they're on vacation.

Show quote history

Good point, Errol.

Doingmybest12 · 20/10/2023 20:07

It's anxiety OP. Nothing would ruin my time off more than looking at emails and ruminating on them. Block out half a day on your return if you've got that kind of job. I always make the mistake of reading from the oldest after a holiday and I respond to things that have been sorted or updated since. I'm.not sure you can say you'll only respond to emails sent after you return, that's like saying any post that comes in you'll chuck and can.they please resend after your return. I admire you though if you get away with it.

Original poster
BoDidley · 20/10/2023 20:17

Doingmybest12 · 20/10/2023 20:07

It's anxiety OP. Nothing would ruin my time off more than looking at emails and ruminating on them. Block out half a day on your return if you've got that kind of job. I always make the mistake of reading from the oldest after a holiday and I respond to things that have been sorted or updated since. I'm.not sure you can say you'll only respond to emails sent after you return, that's like saying any post that comes in you'll chuck and can.they please resend after your return. I admire you though if you get away with it.

I don't say that though. I just say I have no access to emails whilst on holiday and that I'll reply to their email when I return. So they will get an answer, just not during the time I'm on holiday.

And it is anxiety, definitely.

OP posts:
Doingmybest12 · 21/10/2023 06:16

I was just commenting on what CesareBorgia said up the thread as wording for OOO.

TammyJones · 21/10/2023 08:42

CesareBorgia · 20/10/2023 19:02

You might want to consider the wording of your OOO message. When I was in a role where I got 100+ emails a day, mine was along the lines of:

"I'm away until X date

Due to email volumes I won't be able to reply to emails received in my absence - please contact Joe Bloggs if you need an urgent response.

If you still need me to respond, please contact me again after X date"

That's brilliant.
I do similar.

TammyJones · 21/10/2023 08:46

Doingmybest12 · 20/10/2023 20:07

It's anxiety OP. Nothing would ruin my time off more than looking at emails and ruminating on them. Block out half a day on your return if you've got that kind of job. I always make the mistake of reading from the oldest after a holiday and I respond to things that have been sorted or updated since. I'm.not sure you can say you'll only respond to emails sent after you return, that's like saying any post that comes in you'll chuck and can.they please resend after your return. I admire you though if you get away with it.

Yes i thought that too.
If I email and get ooo I'd email someone else, or if that was not possible I'd be happy to wait till they returned.
I mean some are just reply's to the ooo questions.

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