In an effort to make holiday OOO messages more fun, LinkedIn invited its members to request custom out-of-office messages for the holidays, sung by Cameo carolers.
The short videos feature singers in matching sweaters belting out popular carols with the words altered, like:
- “Deck the Halls” for this doctoral student at the University of Michigan
- “Up on the Housetop” for a sales executive at CameraMatic
- “Jingle Bells” for a relationship manager at LinkedIn
The partnership was inspired by member surveys…
… that found some people aren’t very good at taking or announcing time off.
LinkedIn found that 34% of respondents felt anxious about turning on their OOO message. And even while OOO, only 35% were totally off, while others lurked, worked anyhow, or remained available if necessary.
Respondents also said OOO messages would be easier to deal with if they were more fun (49%), if more people used them (36%), or if someone else wrote theirs (15%).
What makes a great OOO is debatable
Alison Green of Ask a Manager called OOO messages the “wild west” because there really isn’t any general consensus on how to use them.
She also shared a collection of atypical OOO messages submitted by readers, which included oversharers, people who weren’t actually away, and a guy who left a snarky OOO after he quit.
However, if you’re stuck on yours, Green does have some tips here. Happy holidays!
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