Q In a few weeks, I’m going on a long-overdue vacation with my husband. I have a demanding job, and I really don’t want to hear from anyone in my office. How can I make sure they don’t contact me? The last time I went away, I kept getting “urgent” calls that were anything but urgent (e.g., “Where do we keep the toner cartridges?”).
A Start telling colleagues now that you’re looking forward to being completely unreachable on vacation. Say things like, “My husband and I are going to try to go off the grid. We’re locking our cell phones in the hotel room safe.”
Then, if possible, enlist an accomplice. You want someone who can be trusted to triage “urgent” requests and only contact you if they actually require your attention. Your e-mail “away” message and outgoing voicemail message should say, “If you have an urgent request, e-mail my colleague,” then list that person’s name and e-mail address. Just make sure you return the favor when this colleague is away.
If you don’t have someone to triage requests, then I’d simply recommend saying, “If this matter is urgent, please try my cell phone.” The key? Do not provide the number. If someone works closely enough with you to need you urgently, they should already have it. Plus, if you put it in your away message or outgoing voicemail, you might give it to people who really shouldn’t have it — like spammers and telemarketers.
Finally, if someone does reach you with something nonurgent, don’t be afraid to say, “Can this wait till I get back?” If you work hard, you deserve a vacation sans trivial interruptions.
Q I recently stayed at a resort that allowed cruise ship passengers to buy day passes to its pool. This meant that when my family and I got there around lunchtime, there were no chairs available. And the cruise ship folks left their stuff on chairs all day, including while they were away from the pool. I was tempted to wake up at 6 a.m. and save chairs myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. What should I have done?
A “Saving” lounge chairs when you’re not actually at the pool is rude, whether you’re an overnight guest or on a day pass. It’s not OK for you to get up at the crack of dawn and stake your claim on chairs you have no intention of using till noon. And it’s also not OK for the cruise ship folks to arrive at the resort, dump their stuff on chairs and then disappear into the casino for six hours.
I would’ve complained to the resort’s GM. The resort should limit the number of day passes it sells, enforce a “no saving chairs” policy or both.
E-mail travel etiquette questions to Lesley Carlin at [email protected].
