Guidelines for Dealing with Email and Post in Cases of Staff Absence

Guidelines for Dealing with
Email and Post in Cases of
Staff Absence
January 2006

Document title
Guidelines for Dealing with Email and Post in Cases of Staff Absence
January 2006
Document author and department Responsible person and department
Samantha Hill, Complaints and
Information Disclosure Officer,
Office of the University Secretary
Approving body
Sally Hartley,
University Secretary
Date of approval
Directorate 30 January 2006, Min 05/177
Review date Edition no. ID code
September 2007:
deferred to September 2010
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Password protected
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External queries relating to the document to be referred in the first instance to the University
Secretary: telephone +44 (0)23 9284 3195 or email university.secretary@port.ac.uk
If you need this document in an alternative format,
please contact +44 (0)23 9284 5776.

1. Introduction
1.1 The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) provides a general right of access to information held by public authorities.
The University is classed as a public authority for the purposes of this legislation. The effect of this is that anyone can ask
the University for any information held by or on behalf of the University, and expect an answer. There are, however, some
exemptions to disclosing information allowed by the legislation, which the University may be able to claim. Those exemptions
that the University might realistically be able to claim are that:
• the information is accessible to the applicant by other means
• the information is intended for future publication
• disclosure might prejudice effective conduct of public affairs
• the information relates to health and safety matters
• the information relates to environmental matters
• the information relates to personal data
• the information was provided in confidence
• the information relates to commercial interests.
However, the University must work from the presumption that the information should be disclosed rather than trying to find an
exemption to prevent disclosure.
1.2 Any request for information must be dealt with within 20 working days of the day after receipt in the University. Emails or items
of post that remain unopened could potentially breach this legislation if they contain requests for information, thereby bringing
censure on the University.
1.3 The purpose of these Guidelines is therefore to set out clear procedures for dealing with emails and items of post received
in the University and addressed to a member of staff, while that person is absent either through planned holidays, illness,
sabbatical leave or secondment, or if they leave the University.
1.4 It is recognised that Guidelines such as these, which allow third party access to email accounts and post, could impinge on the
privacy of individual members of staff, cause breaches of confidence with students or cause other unacceptable side-effects.
These Guidelines therefore seek to set out consistent procedures for when and how postal items and email accounts can be
opened by a third party without undue intrusion into a member of staff’s correspondence, and what to do with the then opened
correspondence.
1.5 Whilst this document aims to provide consistent guidelines it may not be possible to cover all working practices across the
University, between buildings, and between groups of people working in the same areas. Where these Guidelines cannot be
adapted for use in a specific area, staff in that area should discuss alternative measures to be implemented with Samantha Hill,
the Information Disclosure Officer in the Academic Registry.
1.6 The University recognises that staff may also receive correspondence in the University that may contain personal or confidential
material relating either to themselves, students or colleagues (e.g. where staff are in managerial positions). Anything that is
considered personal to the recipient should be marked as such in the subject line of the email or on the outside of the envelope.
If the information is considered personal to someone other than the recipient, this material should be marked as confidential.
Staff may also receive information that relates to a particular post they hold e.g. as a Union Representative or an harassment
adviser. Any email or item of post that is marked either personal, confidential or for a particular post such as the example given
above will be exempted from the Guidelines in Sections 2 and 3 below and will not be opened during a member of staff’s
absence. It would, however, be good practice where internal post carries a department’s stamp, for colleagues of the member
of staff to inform the sending department that the member of staff is unavailable so the sending department can decide whether
the information in the post should also be sent to someone else within the University to be dealt with.
1.7 Finally, whilst the Guidelines cover both planned and unplanned absences, it is envisaged that those procedures set out for use
in cases of unplanned absence (Sections 2.5 and 3.4) will only be needed if a person is away from the University for at least
ten working days and is unlikely to return within the next five working days and it is not possible, or appropriate, to contact the
individual member of staff to gain their consent to accessing their emails or post. However, it may also be necessary to use
these procedures in instances where a Head of Department becomes aware that the procedure for planned absences or staff
leaving the University has not been followed. These procedures will again only be used when a member of staff is away for at
least ten working days and known not to be returning within the next five working days or is known to have permanently left the
University.
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH GUIDELINES FOR DEALING WITH EMAIL AND POST IN CASES OF STAFF ABSENCE JANUARY 2006 3

2. Handling emails
2.1 All requests received under the FOIA must be dealt with within 20 working days of the day after receipt. In the case of emails,
an email is received in the University on the day it enters the University email system, not when it is opened. This can be
suspended, however, by the use of an appropriate auto-reply, the text for which is suggested below. By using an auto-reply in
this way and encouraging the sender of the email to re-send it to another named person, then the email is not received until
either the sender re-sends the original email to the other named person or the original recipient returns to work and then opens
the email. If auto-replies are not used in this way, any email will be judged to have been received the day it enters the University
system and the clock on the 20 working day deadline will begin to run from the day after it is received in the University system.
2.2 The auto-reply that can be used during cases of planned absence from the University by individual members of staff states that
the recipient is unavailable and invites the sender of the email, if they so wish, to send their email to another named person. The
auto-reply should stress that unless the email is re-sent to the second person, the email will not be dealt with until the return
of the recipient. The suggested wording below is non-committal as to why the member of staff cannot respond to avoid any
inference as to whether the member of staff is also away from their home. Staff may choose to change the amended wording to
better reflect their own situation but should be aware of any safety issues that might arise from information that is too specific.
Suggested wording for an email auto-reply
Thank you for your email – this is an automatic reply.
I am currently unavailable and cannot therefore respond to your email. If you require a response, please contact [enter
name of agreed contact person] either on 023 9284 XXXX or by email at named.person@port.ac.uk
If you do not want to re-send your email I will deal with it as soon as I am able.
The person acting as the contact address should make a list of the forwarded emails they receive for the original recipient so
that they are aware, on their return to work, which emails have already been dealt with and what actions were taken.
2.3 In order to set up an auto-reply in GroupWise, from the Tools menu choose Rules. Click New, then enter a name for the rule
e.g. Out of Office. On the next line, ensure New Item is selected from the available list, tick the Received box and click on Define
Conditions. From the drop down menu choose Delivered then, from the next drop down list choose …Before. Select the date
you will return to your office, click OK and then from the drop down menu select Add Action and choose Reply. Click OK and in
the Message field enter the message you intend the sender to receive. Click OK, Save and click Close.
2.4 By using an auto-reply such as this there will be no need for Heads of Departments/Line Managers or IS staff to access a
member of staff’s email account.
2.5 In the case of an unplanned absence such as sickness or an accident, it is obviously not possible for the member of staff to
place an auto-reply on an email account before their absence. Emails will continue to be sent to the individual’s account but
nothing will be done with them. In these instances it will be necessary to check what is being received for FOIA compliance
and for any business emails. (Heads of Department are to use their judgement concerning the likely duration of absence to
determine when to invoke the procedures outlined in 2.6 below.) If possible, the Head of Department should speak to the
member of staff to gain their consent to access their email account but if this is not possible or appropriate, the Head of
Department or Line Manager (or nominee) should contact Information Services (IS) with the name of the member of staff who is
absent and ask that an IS operative access the individual’s account. This will be for the following two purposes.
2.6. Firstly, to take the names and email addresses only of the senders of any emails not marked personal or confidential or referring
to a specific job title (see 1.6 above) received in the in-box since the member of staff was last in the University, so that the Head
of Department/Line Manager can send an email based on the following text. It will not be necessary for the IS representative to
open any emails.
4 GUIDELINES FOR DEALING WITH EMAIL AND POST IN CASES OF STAFF ABSENCE JANUARY 2006 UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH

Suggested text for Head of Department’s/Line Manager’s email
Dear [enter name of sender of email]
I am aware that you have recently sent an email to [enter the name of the member of staff] and may still be waiting for a
reply. [Enter member of staff’s name] is currently unavailable so I am writing to let you know that your email – which has
not been read – has not yet been dealt with. If you need a reply, please feel free to forward your email to me at
line.manager@port.ac.uk and I will deal with your enquiry if possible. However, if you are content to wait until [enter
member of staff’s name] is available then there is no need for you to take any further action.
Best wishes
Head of Department/Line Manager
If it is possible to be more exact about the member of staff’s proposed date to return to work it may be useful to include this in
the email but this should be done without including any sensitive personal data about the member of staff e.g. the reason why
the person is away from the University.
2.7 A list of the addresses that have been sent an email by the Head of Department should be kept for the member of staff who
is absent from the University so that they are aware, on their return, of which emails have been dealt with in their absence.
Similarly a note of the actions taken should be left for the member of staff so they know what has happened in their absence.
2.8 The second reason for accessing an email account is to set up an auto-reply based on the text below, to notify the senders of
any further emails that they will not be acted upon straight away and could be sent to another person.
Suggested text for auto-reply
Thank you for your email – this is an automatic message.
[Enter member of staff’s name] is currently unavailable and cannot deal with your enquiry. If you need a quick response
to your email please re-send it to [enter the Head of Department’s/Line Manager’s name] at
line.managersname@port.ac.uk. Otherwise your email will be replied to when [enter member of staff’s name] is once
again available.
Again, if it is possible to be more exact about the member of staff’s proposed date to return to work it may be useful to include
this in the email but this should be done without including any sensitive personal data about the member of staff e.g. reasons
why the person is away.
2.9 When a member of staff leaves the University they should either post an auto-reply based on the wording below or arrange with
IS for emails addressed to them to be automatically re-routed to another, named person. Staff will be prompted to do this when
completing the leaver’s checklist provided by Personnel.
Suggested text for auto-reply
Thank you for your email – this is an automatic reply.
I am no longer available at this email address. Please re-direct your email to named.person@port.ac.uk as emails sent
to this address will not be accessed by University of Portsmouth staff.
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH GUIDELINES FOR DEALING WITH EMAIL AND POST IN CASES OF STAFF ABSENCE JANUARY 2006 5

3. Handling post
3.1 Unlike the scenario for emails where the time limit for responding to an FOI request can be suspended by using an appropriate
auto-reply, items of post are always received the moment they are delivered to the University. Therefore, the 20 working day
deadline for answering FOI queries starts as soon as the letter enters the University and is not suspended during the breaks
between terms.
3.2 In the case of a planned absence from the University, members of staff should inform expected personal correspondents (there
is no need to tell junk mailers) that they will be away from the University (between specified dates – it will be at the discretion of
staff members whether to say how long for) and that any letters sent in that time should either be sent to another named person
to be dealt with during their absence, or that letters should be held until after the member of staff’s return from leave.
3.3 The member of staff should also arrange for a colleague who they know will be in the University during the relevant time to
check any post arriving for them unexpectedly during their absence to see whether it can wait for their return from leave or
whether it needs to be dealt with in their absence. In doing this it will only be necessary to open post where it is not possible to
see from the outside what is contained in the envelope/plastic wrapping and which are not marked personal or confidential or
addressed to a member of staff in a particular role such as a Union Representative or an harassment adviser. If it is necessary to
open post, only those people authorised by the member of staff should do so. When the contents of the letter are discovered,
it should be either passed on for action or re-sealed and initialled by the person who opened it. It will be for Heads of
Departments or nominees to arrange departmental cover when many staff in the department will be away on leave.
3.4 In the case of an unplanned absence, post for the member of staff away from the University should be sent to the Head of
Department or nominee for him/her to open as necessary. It will again only be necessary to open post where it is not possible
to identify what is contained in the envelope/plastic wrapping, and which is not marked personal or confidential or addressed
to a member of staff in a particular role such as a Union Representative or an harassment adviser. Any post that can be left for
the return of the member of staff should be re-sealed and initialled by the person who opened it. Any other post should be dealt
with and a copy left for the staff member’s return so they are aware of what has happened in their absence.
3.5 The contents of any post opened in these circumstances, unless of a business nature when it will be passed to the appropriate
person to deal with it, will be kept confidentially for the return of the member of staff to whom it was addressed.
3.6 A member of staff who is leaving the University should make arrangements with their colleagues to open post addressed to
them once they have left. It will be the member of staff’s decision whether or not to leave a forwarding address to allow any
items of post of a personal nature to be re-directed.
4. What to do with a request for information
4.1 If any requests for information made under the FOIA are received that need to be dealt with in the absence of the original
recipient, these should be dealt with as soon as possible to make sure the best use is made of the 20 working days deadline
the University has in which to answer. If the request can be dealt with in the same department, the request should be passed
to the appropriate member of staff for them to deal with. If it is not clear who should deal with the request, or it looks as
though the request is ‘complex’ in nature, whoever is in charge of the recipient’s post should contact Samantha Hill, the
Information Disclosure Officer in Academic Registry for advice on either extension 3642, or samantha.hill@port.ac.uk or
freedom‐of‐information@port.ac.uk. All ‘complex’ requests (i.e. those where it is not clear who should respond or where a
University-wide response is required) should be referred to Samantha Hill.
4.2 Whenever a request is transferred to a third party, a copy of the request should be made for the original recipient along with a
note of the actions taken in their absence.
5. What to do in the absence of senior managers
5.1 If these procedures need to be implemented and the Head of Department/Line Manager or nominee is also away on leave, the
next senior person up from the Head of Department/Line Manager should then be approached to carry out these procedures.
6. These Guidelines
6.1 The responsibility for these Guidelines lies with the Information Disclosure Officer, Samantha Hill, in Academic Registry. The
Guidelines have been agreed with Directorate and the Unions representing University staff. These Guidelines will initially be
reviewed every year, the first review being due in September 2007, and thereafter at least every two years.
6 GUIDELINES FOR DEALING WITH EMAIL AND POST IN CASES OF STAFF ABSENCE JANUARY 2006 UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH

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