Alina Stepan’s Post

Do you find it hard to switch off and take that much needed (and well-deserved) annual leave? Maybe taking time out of the office fills you with dread, and you have questions such as “can I take time out of the office,” I can’t afford to be away from my computer,” “but what if I miss x, y and z’s emails” are floating around your head and keeping you up at night! But what if you can?  (Shall I remind you of your why at this point? – It wasn’t so you could work all the hours and not have any days off, surely? One of the services I offer is summer-time holiday cover. Here’s how: 🔹Inbox cover - I can monitor your inbox, respond to urgent messages, sort the rest so when you return it’s to a tidy, manageable inbox. 🔹Diary cover – I can handle your appointments, reschedule meetings and ensure you stay on top of important dates. 🔹Updates – I can send you summaries of any essential communications or critical issues. Imagine taking time out with the assurance that your inbox and diary are being looked after and there is no feeling of anxiety on your first day back at your desk!  Ensure a stress-free break by contacting me today. #smallbusinessowner #virtualassistant #virtualassistantservices #inboxmanagement #stressfreeholiday #tealzealva

In 2024, business employees use email very differently compared to 2000. Back then, checking email once or twice a day was the norm. Now, we can't seem to go more than a minute without checking our inboxes – whether we're in the car, at dinner, or even in the bathroom. But there's one place we should reconsider checking email: on vacation. Or should we? What's the best way to manage your email while on holiday? When heading out on vacation, why not completely disconnect? Turn on your Out of Office and truly enjoy your time off! People deserve real time off, and that means disconnecting completely. To help you manage your email during holidays, here are our top four tips: - Turn off your notifications. - Turn on your out of office notification. - Have someone else check your inbox if possible. - Completely disconnect if you can. Enjoy your upcoming holiday!

Lots of my colleagues have been on holiday, and I have got some leave booked soon. Of course, being away from work for some R&R* is great, but the thought of coming back to work feels like Sunday evening x100. My thoughts? Take control of what you can: - Let people in your team know exactly how long you are away for, and if necessary put a note in your email signature so that it won't be a surprise that you aren't there. - Write your out of office autoreply to set a clear expectation that not only will you NOT be checking email, but it may take a few days to respond even after you arrive. - If you are prone to checking email or Teams when you are not working, either delete the app or at least log out while you are on a break. The emails and messages will still be there when you get back, but at least you won't have had a sneak preview of a message that sends shivers down your spine, lurking in the corner of your holiday. - Finally for now: while you are away, and even when you return, try and remember that "always on" usually equals "not very productive". Only a few more days until #holidaymode activated! Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://lnkd.in/e8e2-Ytw * I had a boss once whose out of office said that they were "away for some R&R (rays and rioja)"!

Do you look forward to your holiday but dread the hundreds of emails when you return? 😩 I just thought I’d share a few hacks which I picked up during my corporate life. Hope they are useful! 🥳 ⭐ ALWAYS use the out of office facility ⭐ We all want to respect other people’s holidays and avoid disruptions. But people aren’t psychic. It’s always good to let people know when you are leaving and even more importantly - when you are returning to work. This includes your internal organisation as well as external stakeholders, which you can easily personalise for both in Outlook. ⭐ Use this HACK with your teams and colleagues⭐ When I was managing a team, I asked all my staff to create one email in draft at the start of my holiday. Subsequently, they consolidate all their correspondence into a single email, ensuring I am kept in the loop without inundating me with redundant email threads upon my return. On the day prior to my return from holiday, the email can undergo a review process to eliminate any irrelevant content or outdated information. As a result, you receive only one email from that team member upon your return. Previously, I designated one person to oversee this process, collecting all team members' emails into a single consolidated message. ⭐ WRITE a clear out of office message ⭐ You could reiterate that you're away on holiday and will not be available to address messages. However, in your absence, the following individuals can handle enquiries related to specific topics: ➡️ For matters concerning A, please reach out to B. ➡️ If your email pertains to C, kindly contact D. By delegating responsibilities in this manner, you empower your team members and ensure that your client base continues to receive the necessary support during your absence. AND if you must check emails during your holiday, allocate a 30-minute slot and stick to it! Does anybody else have any out of office suggestions? #holidays #emailhacks #outofofficemessage

A few months ago, I saw one of the best Out of Office messages of all time: “I’m out of the office taking my negotiated and much valued time off. I’ll return on March 18. If it’s urgent, thank you for considering me so important. I am very flattered, but I know my colleagues can help you. Please reach out to so and so, or circle back to me after my return. Thanks in advance for not copying me On further emails so I can come back to a manageable inbox.” This is clever, and also bold I am as curious: 👉 what kind of confidence does the sender have? 👉 did they run this by their manager or just go with it? 👉 are there unspoken rules of vacation email? The psychology of the out of office message says a lot: - how we feel about our job - what we value on vacation - how comfortable we are in our role - how confident we are in our abilities and place in the organization - how concerned we are with messages while we are aware. Dont misinterpret my message here: None of this is inherently good or bad. They are simply considerations, questions to ask yourself, encouragement to dig into how you really feel and what’s important to you. Vacation is important. Time away, to mentally clear your mind, is important (to me, but also the research seems to indicate for most of us. And as I read in an article of someone who leaves an out of office stating “all emails will be deleted, please resend after XX date when I return,” his perspective was this: “I’ve never received a truly life changing email, critical email I have ever received.” Fair enough. So we have to ask ourselves, what propels us to be so concerned about email while we are out? Is this an undue, modern day burden we need find solutions to minimize? I don’t have the answers, but asking ourselves the right questions is a good starting point. Dont forget to my survey from yesterday!

We're already coming to the end of the second week of the school summer holidays and although I'm shattered from trying to balance everything it's not been too bad. However, with people typically going away for that much-deserved summer break there comes the inevitable out-of-office responses. LinkedIn has been asking 'Does the old "out-of-office" template need a revamp?' and I think it does - but only slightly. When I worked in bigger companies there was always a standard template for when you were taking annual leave. 'Thanks for your email, I'm currently on annual leave returning (on this day). If your query is urgent, please email (insert person's name here.)' It's standard, works, and ticks all the boxes, letting people know of alternative contacts. When I was in the office I'd always try and inject some personality into it, without being unprofessional or straying from the company tone of voice. 'Thanks for your email, I'm currently enjoying the weather in sunny Cyprus (sorry!) I'll be back on (this date) but please email (these people) and they'll be able to help. Speak soon.' The difference may seem minimal but tonally it's a lot lighter. Nowadays, people are trying to be so inventive with their out-of-office notifications (with one recently I saw using James Buckley to record a video.) And that's great, as long as it fits with the company's tone of voice, or if you run your own business, it matches yours. What do you think? Does the out of office need to be shaken like a holiday cocktail? #HolidayMode #LinkedInNewsUK

☀️⛱️🏝️📅 Does the old "out-of-office" template need a revamp? This is the question I was recently posed with. #HolidayMode #LinkedInNews #LinkedIn Many of us in the UK now take our main period of annual leave. I must say that I’m not that creative with my OOO - for me, it’s about being factual, and maybe quite a bit about not wasting the reader’s time. But the question got me thinking. Here’s what a more fun OOO could read like: Subject: Out of Office: Sun, Sand, and Siesta ☀️🏖️ Hi there! Thanks for reaching out. I'm currently soaking up the sun, savouring local delicacies, and perfecting the art of doing nothing on a beautiful beach. I'll be back with a tan and tales on X . Until then, emails are on hold—no sand in the inbox! Stay cool and see you soon! Cheers, Anita While I like the tone and think it’s a nice touch for recipients to see my fun side, I’m not sure most would care or be impressed. Not in my industry. There’s still room for judgment or offence. But I do think there is space for organisations to allow people to bring their whole self to work - even if that includes a personal touch to their out of office message. What do you think? #holidayseason #corporateculture

You deserve a relaxing, worry free holiday. Before you go, make sure you prepare your business for your absence by following these 5 simple steps. 1. Let your key stakeholders know you will be away for a little while and let them know as soon as you can. 2. If there are tasks that need doing while you are away, make sure you have assigned these with clear and concise instructions. 3. Although you may want to disconnect completely from the business world, schedule your social media posts so that your visibility remains high. 4. Make sure any bills are paid before you go so you’re not worrying about these when you should be relaxing. Schedule emails that need to be sent. 5. Switch your ‘out of office’ on - you’ll find this under Automatic Replies in Outlook and Out-of-Office Autoreply in Gmail. Now, sit back and relax and enjoy the sunshine and maybe a cocktail or two. #virtualassistant #vabedford #administrationsupport #administrator #va #smallbusiness #businesssupport #smallbusinesssupport

Do you find it hard to disconnect when you're out of the office? I find this helps: Writing a crystal clear out of office message. It should cover the basis e.g. ▶  Whether you'll be checking your emails ▶  Who to contact in your absence ▶  When you'll be back online And please don't use: "I'm on leave. I'll respond on my return." This simply leaves the sender with no path to progress. These basics cover what helps the SENDER. Here's what can give YOU permission to go offline: 👉 Share what you'll be up to while offline. It connects you to the sender and can help hold you to account staying offline 😊 What's the best out of office message you've seen to give permission to go offline? #OutcomesOverHours #WorkLifeIntegration #Wellbeing 👍 React to support 💬 Comment to share your tips

[office worker's log] Day 728 at home office. [logs into linkedin] Ah, how's working life nowadays, lemme see. [sips coffee] ... So, grown up people are throwing tantrum over [checks notes] who gets to decide stuff at work? 😲 You have got to be kidding me. 😶 [logs out of linkedin] [sips more coffee] Well that was pretty enough of social media for the month. Now. Emails. What do I do with these emails. [jumps back into work] [/office worker's log] #adultsandbox #remotework #officework #workworkwork #workhappy #beproductive #personalstatistics