Internet: Tips for better managing your email during your absence
10 November 2010
Read by 1809 persons
Check your email and forward urgent messages to colleagues or activate an out-of-office message with redirection to colleagues' email addresses and phone numbers: two possible choices.
Today, executives and managers can no longer disconnect, even when away from the office (leave, travel, or other). Communication gadgets (phone, computer, netbook, iPad, etc.) offer the possibility of always being reachable. If it is possible to control the flow of calls and sometimes disconnect in offline mode for the phone, electronic mail is less easy to manage. The multiplication of mobility solutions such as Blackberry or iPhone facilitates instant access to email. "I can no longer disconnect. With my Blackberry, I always check my emails, including weekends and holidays. I'm in non-stop mode!" says Hafid Limam, CEO of the IT services and engineering company Partnet. Nuance: "During my holidays, I continue to check of course but with a filtering approach. If necessary, I forward messages to my collaborators, especially for urgent technical assistance cases," he adds.
Despite this constraint, it must be recognized that mobility has made it possible to detach oneself from the obligation to return to the office or open the computer just to check emails.
Unsubscribe from mailing lists before activating an automatic reply
Other managers adopt an opposite approach. "Before my departure, I activate the out-of-office message with redirection to the email addresses and phone numbers of colleagues who are in the office during my absence. In case of emergency, I have the possibility of accessing my email remotely via a webmail platform via Wifi hotspot, 3G or an internet cafe," explains Nadia Dupuis, press officer at the European Commission in Rabat.
Based on these two approaches, the connectivity issue is no longer technical but much more behavioral. Today, each manager or executive develops their own approach to managing the accessibility of their electronic mail.
However, before going on vacation, it is recommended to activate the "out-of-office reply" option. Even more practical, it is advisable to inform your correspondents that you will not be able to read their messages before a certain time, while ensuring that you provide the contact details of a person to contact in case of emergency.
This option can be activated through your email client (Outlook or Lotus...). If you use free email services (Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail...), the activation procedure is usually available in the "Options" or "Preferences" sections.
Published on September 6, 2010
Posted online on November 9, 2010
lavieeco.com
Today, executives and managers can no longer disconnect, even when away from the office (leave, travel, or other). Communication gadgets (phone, computer, netbook, iPad, etc.) offer the possibility of always being reachable. If it is possible to control the flow of calls and sometimes disconnect in offline mode for the phone, electronic mail is less easy to manage. The multiplication of mobility solutions such as Blackberry or iPhone facilitates instant access to email. "I can no longer disconnect. With my Blackberry, I always check my emails, including weekends and holidays. I'm in non-stop mode!" says Hafid Limam, CEO of the IT services and engineering company Partnet. Nuance: "During my holidays, I continue to check of course but with a filtering approach. If necessary, I forward messages to my collaborators, especially for urgent technical assistance cases," he adds.
Despite this constraint, it must be recognized that mobility has made it possible to detach oneself from the obligation to return to the office or open the computer just to check emails.
Unsubscribe from mailing lists before activating an automatic reply
Other managers adopt an opposite approach. "Before my departure, I activate the out-of-office message with redirection to the email addresses and phone numbers of colleagues who are in the office during my absence. In case of emergency, I have the possibility of accessing my email remotely via a webmail platform via Wifi hotspot, 3G or an internet cafe," explains Nadia Dupuis, press officer at the European Commission in Rabat.
Based on these two approaches, the connectivity issue is no longer technical but much more behavioral. Today, each manager or executive develops their own approach to managing the accessibility of their electronic mail.
However, before going on vacation, it is recommended to activate the "out-of-office reply" option. Even more practical, it is advisable to inform your correspondents that you will not be able to read their messages before a certain time, while ensuring that you provide the contact details of a person to contact in case of emergency.
This option can be activated through your email client (Outlook or Lotus...). If you use free email services (Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail...), the activation procedure is usually available in the "Options" or "Preferences" sections.
Published on September 6, 2010
Posted online on November 9, 2010
lavieeco.com
