WORK HACKS FOR WORK HACKS

Out-of-Office Replies We Wish We Could Send

Automating how you really feel while on vacation

Screenshots herein created by author in Paint.

I just got back from a short vacation with my wife.

I considered it a vacation because we left the kids at home. If you bring kids, it’s just a trip.

This is science.

Whenever I leave the office, whether on a blissful vacation or headache-inducing trip, my company requires me to set up automatic out-of-office replies on my email. This is a nice way to tell coworkers that I am ignoring their emails for a good reason, instead of ignoring them on purpose like I usually do.

In typical Out-of-Office fashion, we are told to write in our dates of absence and who to contact in case it’s important. I have never been on any corporate flowchart other than the polygon at the very bottom that says “Everyone Else,” so important emails never come my way.

I wish, though, I could set up my Out-of-Office to say things that I’m really thinking, like:

Honesty is the best policy.