Is Out of Office (OOO) Going Out of Fashion?

UPDATE 9th November:

Having read through all your comments, I felt it was worth adding a preface to the original post.

I had anticipated division, but not quite the outcry that has resulted. Clearly emotions run high when it comes to issues of work life balance. I thought that some of the comments deserved a response. I started this, so I’ll finish.

Before I go on, I would like to point out that I am not some kind of new-age digital evangelist, prophesising for a new working paradigm. But I did want to raise a question mark over how connectivity impacts on our lives… simply because it impacts mine. Clearly some of us see a problem with this progress.

Anyway, here are some other conclusions from the glut of comments (full disclosure – I decided to ignore non-constructive comments about culture, my family, toilet humour and references to vinyl sales!):

- We all need vacations. I acknowledge this to be universally true.

- Going offline is something of a right, one which we guard preciously (but I maintain that you can go offline without going OOO… it is not an obligation). For the record I qualify myself as an expert in taking myself offline

- Fact is, the line between work and personal life is increasingly blurred. There it is, all in one device. I agree that it’s challenging to filter business from personal, I don’t profess to have the answer, but I know what works for me.

- A key common thread is the issue of courtesy. This I take seriously. It is important and perhaps OOO deserves to exist on this basis, but should we set some ground rules on how to use it effectively? Perhaps more entertainingly?

- A strong sense of peace of mind seems to arise from the use of OOO. This is interesting – but how else can we find peace of mind? Is there a substitute for the OOO? Remember, consumer and business email is on the decline, driven by younger generations shifting to new technologies

In short, this post threw up many questions to which I don’t have the answer. But it is great to read, I am grateful it generated some interest and I now look forward to my next post more than I did before (after all this is only my 4th).

Thank you.

ORM

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ORIGINAL POST

I realise what follows may divide opinion but my therapist says the two best ways to de-stress and regroup are to articulate your feelings or go on holiday. As holidays are today the cause of my annoyance, I have decided to let my feelings out on paper, so to speak.

A few facts first:

• E-mail has come a long way since it was embraced on a wide scale in the 1990s. In fact, the scenery today is unrecognisable from the pile of faxes we had waiting for us every morning.
• The ‘Out of office’ function was created around the same time and strangely enough has taken on a life of its own.
• According to figures from the FT, 90% of us check emails whilst on holiday. So we’re not really ever out of the office are we, digitally speaking?

And that’s what led me to the question: Isn’t OOO a Little Bit Old Fashioned?

Whether we like it or not, we are all connected, all of the time. We should marvel at this, not find ways to hide away. People are inherently social creatures, we crave the attention of others.

Like many of our Southern European cousins, I recently returned from ‘a few’ weeks of hard-earned rest and recuperation. Did I press the OOO button in anticipation of such an extended absence? ‘fraid not. Why?

1. Out Of Office is Out of Date. The thought of an escape is a tantalising one. But come on – they WILL find you. By phone, whatsapp, text, snapchat filter or sexy emoji – there’s always a way to get to you. So why fighting the relentless tide of technology instead of embrace it?
2. Because of our new found connectivity, an OOO becomes by definition a negative vibe, a quiet but demonstrably unhelpful nudge to the sender that you’re not interested, can’t be bothered, altogether pre-occupied with anything but them.
3. It’s a signal that your defences are down. A notable sign of weakness. Dare I say an admission of defeat? Advancing armies at the ready….
4. Most people don’t need to know. Especially your boss… Come on, those that count will know you’re away and cover accordingly, the rest you can manage with minimal effort. Have you ever read an OOO and found it particularly useful?

Slack and similar apps proclaim that ‘email is dead’ and whilst I remain (for now) a proponent of the traditional email, modern technology has leant it a new kind of profoundness. How hard is it really to spend a couple of mins per day on Wi-Fi (wherever you are) to ensure the world hasn’t blown up? I sleep better this way, with or without the jet lag. And by the way, on our escapes to faraway places, we still find the time to post “legs or sausages” pics with a swimming pool in background. So a cheeky email can’t hurt.

In summary, next time your finger hovers over that OOO button, think about why you are pressing it. And in spite of sounding tyrannical, I haven’t actually outlawed its use in my team – in fact I’m sure they do it to annoy me.

As a final meditation on the extent to which we remain connected/ plugged into the matrix, I decided over the course of writing this blog to take note of all messages received within the timeframe:

• 35 emails
• 12 Whatsapps
• 3 Texts
• 4 Calls
• 10 Facebook Messages
• Oh and a Tunemoji (more on that to come)

Where exactly would OOO have got me when dealing with this mounting in-tray? I deal with 150 emails a day, a third of which are directly actionable and actually interesting. Sweeping this responsibility under the carpet would only delay an inevitable meltdown (I love the drama…). RIP Out of Office.

ORM

P.S. I will concede that the occasional OOO has made me giggle such as this one:

“I am currently out of the office. I have a cell phone, but I will not be giving the number out. If you can guess the number, however, I will take your call”.

Please put your favs in the comments section.