{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "content": "---\ntitle: \"On parental leave and auto-reply messages\"\ndescription: \"Going on parental leave, deleting all unread emails on return, and the surprisingly liberating auto-reply policy behind it.\"\ntags:\n---\n\nimport Picture from \"@/components/Picture.astro\";\n\nI'm now (as of the date of this blog post) on parental leave\n([thanks, Brian](https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/anu-announces-major-expansion-of-parental-leave)\n😊). I'm about to set up an email auto-reply which will guard my work email\naddress until 15 July.\n\n<Picture file=\"posts/nathalie-spehner-1338356-unsplash.webp\" alt=\"baby dogs - puppies, in fact\" />\n\n_Note: the baby I am taking care of is a human baby, but the above photo\ncontains baby dogs._\n\n:::tip\n\n**Here's the deal**: I'm away for a long time, and when I get back in July I'm\ngoing to delete all the unread emails in my inbox. Sorry if that seems harsh,\nbut it's the only way to deal with this situation and have any chance of\nenjoying one's return to work.\n\n:::\n\n- If you've got important information which needs to be actioned _before_ July\n  15, then you need to make alternative arrangements. I wish you all the best,\n  but I can't help you out with making it happen.\n\n- If you've got important information which has an expiry date _after_ July 15,\n  then put a note in your calendar to re-email me after that date (because your\n  email still won't survive the purge, sorry).\n\n- If you need to get in touch urgently, then you probably have my personal email\n  or phone number.\n\n- If you want to organise some sort of hangs/see baby pictures, then try me on\n  my personal email or phone number. I will be pushing a pram around campus at\n  times, and I'd be keen to catch up.\n\n_But doesn't that mean you'll (1) miss a bunch of fantastic opportunities and\n(2) let a bunch of folks down?_ Well, maybe. On the first point, I already feel\noverwhelmed (at times) by the amount of stuff on my to-do list, so any attrition\nwhich occurs is actually kindof appealing. And on the second point I've tried\nreally hard this last month to hand various things over to capable folks, so I'm\nhoping that if we are/were working on something then we've made a contingency\nplan (and that this hasn't caught you by surprise).\n\nAnyway, I'm gonna go be a Dad for a while. I'll still read the odd book, and\nmaybe even make some more music, but this isn't a research fellowship---it's\nparental leave. Have a great Autumn/Winter, and I'll see you on the other side.\n\n_p.s._ I really like the title of this post; inhabiting the liminal space\nbetween the the plainspoken declaration \"I'm on parental leave\" and the more\nphilosophical (and pretentious) \"On _blah..._\" literary device.\n",
  "createdAt": "2026-05-13T23:15:00.002Z",
  "description": "Going on parental leave, deleting all unread emails on return, and the surprisingly liberating auto-reply policy behind it.",
  "path": "/blog/2019/02/26/on-parental-leave-and-auto-reply-messages",
  "publishedAt": "2019-02-26T00:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:tevykrhi4kibtsipzci76d76/site.standard.publication/self",
  "textContent": "Going on parental leave, deleting all unread emails on return, and the surprisingly liberating auto-reply policy behind it.",
  "title": "On parental leave and auto-reply messages"
}