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Automatic Reply

Automatic Reply: “Relaxing, reflecting, and not looking at screens”

Bennett Purser Nov 27, 2019
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Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
Automatic Reply

Automatic Reply: “Relaxing, reflecting, and not looking at screens”

Bennett Purser Nov 27, 2019
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
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Automatic Reply celebrates the pithy, surprising or otherwise amusing out-of-office email messages pinging around workplaces.


Emily Theis produces websites at Upstatement, a digital design and engineering agency in Boston. When she went on vacation, her out-of-office message came with some scientific facts for why we should all take a little time off work.

Hi there! I’m out of the office on vacation.

Since multitasking isn’t a thing, and vacation is incredibly important for the health of a person and a company, I’m spending my time focusing on relaxing, reflecting, and not looking at screens. By the time you’re reading this, my computer has been thrown into the ocean. Metaphorically.

I’ll get back to you upon my return!

It’s your turn. If you’ve ever received an out-of-office email message you found amusing, tell us about it here:

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