Transcript Preparing for Vacation Best Practices

Going on vacation requires careful preparation and there are a number of
things you should do at the office before taking extended time off. This
Best Practices guide helps you prepare for your vacation so your work
can go on smoothly while you are gone. Enjoy your break!
1. Leave emergency contact information.
Give your emergency contact information to your direct manager.
Include at least one family member and his or her phone number. This
information is important in the event of an emergency.
2. Decline upcoming meetings.
Decline any upcoming meetings
that are scheduled during your
absence. If you're the
organizer, send a cancellation
or arrange for another to run
the meeting. If such a meeting
uses an MCI audio conference
account, make sure your
replacement sets up a new
account and sends participants
an updated invitation.
4. Make sure your Microsoft® Office Outlook®
mailbox won’t go over its size limit.
A full mailbox will prevent you from sending or receiving e-mail while
you’re gone. Check the current size of your mailbox at (Please insert
URL here) and delete or move your messages as necessary.
5. Make sure your responsibilities are
covered.
Delegate responsibilities to others during your absence, or take steps for
implementation. For instance, if you manage contractors or vendors,
remember to appoint a delegate to approve timecards while you are
gone. If people have requested time-sensitive actions or information
from you, be sure to respond before you leave. If you can’t provide the
information, forward the mail to someone who can.
6. Block off time in your calendar.
Mark your Microsoft Outlook calendar to reflect your absence so people
can see you're not available for meetings.
3. Update your voice mail greeting
Record an Extended Absence Announcement to let callers know
you’re out of the office and when you’ll be returning. This message
preserves your standard greeting while you are away. Learn how to
leave this message at (Please insert URL here). Provide the name of
a person to contact for immediate assistance. If your worksite has
Unified Messaging, you can retrieve your voice messages remotely.
Learn more about this at (Please insert URL here).
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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7. Keep your password from expiring.
If you’re going away for more than 14 days, change your network
password to ensure it won’t expire while you’re gone. Press
CTRL+ALT+DELETE and select Change Password.
8. Alert your team.
Send e-mail to your team letting them know when you’ll be gone, if
you can be reached, and who can be contacted in the event of an
emergency. This will help them plan around your absence.
9. Check in work files.
If you go on vacation with a file checked out, your team members
can’t work on the most recent version of that file. Make sure to
check all your files in before leaving the office.
10. Secure your laptop.
Laptop computers are a common target of theft. If you’re not taking
your laptop with you on vacation, take it home or lock it in your
desk. If you do take your laptop with you, review corporate security
guidelines.
Note Do NOT post your absence on your office door or other public
site. Such a notice can leave you vulnerable to theft.
11. Turn off office equipment.
Computers, monitors, office lights, and other equipment should be
turned off whenever you leave your office. Not only does this save
money, it helps prevent damage in case of a power interruption.
12. Turn on your out of office assistant.
Use the Microsoft Office Outlook Out of Office Assistant to let others
know you are away. This feature enables you to set an automated
reply to messages sent to you while you're out. You can set up rules
to file the messages you receive, send special responses to specific
people, and more.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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