Holidays, Christmas & Out Of Office Etiquette

Here’s a question from a frequent reader about Christmas & stuff.

Punk Rock HR Girl,

With the holidays fast approaching and many people’s vacations starting soon, I’ve been thinking about the topic of wishing coworkers a “Merry Christmas” at work. I did a quick search on punkrockhr.com for this topic, and found your top ten holiday mistakes at work. It mentions not to be offended when people send their wishes for a Merry Christmas (#6), but I didn’t see any posts specifically on the topic. I’m not finding much on the interwebs either, but I did find this article from The Claremont Institute, and of course gobs of info about the War on Christmas and even Bill O’Reilly’s crusades. Thoughts?

Have you experienced or supported any controversial Holiday policies in your past HR endeavors?

I’m guessing this is a non-issue in terms of HRM, but what’s your Punk Rock advice about sending an out of the office message with Christmas wishes?

-Your Friend

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I believe OUT OF OFFICE messages are overused in Corporate America. If you are truly out of the office and not checking email — which is highly unlikely for 99% of us who use blackberries and iPhones –  just give me the basics:

• When did you leave?
• When are you coming back?
• Whom should I contact in your absence?

Don’t wish me a Merry Christmas. Give me useful & concise information and wish me luck in finding someone who will solve my problems while you’re gone.

~ Laurie

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