If you will be away from the office for a day or more with limited or no access to email, it is a good idea to set up an Out of Office Message, which notifies anyone who emails you when you are away from the office. In the old email system, you would set an Out of Office Message through WebMail. In BC’s new email environment if you are using iCal and Apple Mail, you set the Out of Office message through Outlook Web Access. Exchange provides finer control over your Out of Office Message, allowing you to set your message up well in advance of your absence and specify separate replies for colleagues at BC and external senders. To set up an Out of Office Message:

1. Open a web browser and login to your email at owa.bc.edu
   
2. Click Options in the upper right corner.
   
   
3. Click Out of Office Assistant in the Options menu.
   
   
4. Select Send Out of Office auto-replies
   
   
5. Check Send Out of Office auto-replies only during this time period: and select the dates and times you will be out of the office. In the example below, Out of Office messages will be sent beginning at 10 a.m. October 13, 2009, and ending at 5:00 p.m. October 16.
    
   
6. In the message box below, enter the message you want people to receive while you are away.
   
   
7. Click Save at the top of the screen.

When you return to the office, you do not need to disable the Out of Office Message — it automatically disables itself based on the end time you specify.

Some of the things you may want to consider including in your message are:

• The dates you will be away from email
• An alternate person that can be contacted during your absence
• If you are willing to be contacted while you are away by people within your organization, you could include your cell phone or home number in your inside message

To protect your privacy, it is a good idea not to divulge too much information in your Out of Office Message, especially in the reply that you send to individuals outside BC.