1 of 2 This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 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 Outlook mailbox 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 Office Outlook calendar to reflect your absence so people can see you're not available for meetings. won’t go over its size limit 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 (URL). 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 (URL). A full mailbox will prevent you from sending or receiving while you’re gone. Check the current size of your mailbox at (URL) and delete or move your messages as necessary.

2 of 2 This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. In your auto reply, mention your return date and who can be contacted in your absence. 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 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. 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 Outlook Out of Office Assistant to let others know you are away. This Outlook 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. Note Do NOT post your absence on your office door or other public site. Such a notice can leave you vulnerable to theft.