Windows, Mac and Linux

1. Click Tools > Vacation Rule.
2. Tick the “Activate my vacation rule” checkbox. If you don’t do that, none of the rest of this matters. (Seriously, this is the biggest gotcha in the whole process.)
3. Write a Subject line.Something like “Away from office” is a bit more professional than “Scuba Diving in the Bahamas” – but do what you want here. 
   1. Security Tip: We have heard of people’s homes being robbed because bad guys learned from their Out of Office messages precisely what days they were going to be away from home, and where they were going to be. So it’s safer not to get too specific here. (Same goes for Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

    

4. Write a Message.Just state that you’ll be away, and offer helpful suggestions about which of your co-workers might be able to take up the slack in your absence. It’s nice to double-check with them before you throw more work their way. 
   1. Security Tip: If your paranoia has been aroused, just say you’re away from the office. Which could be read to mean you’re hanging around at home with your shotgun waiting for bad guys. This takes some of the brag value out of going on vacation, but on the other hand, your flat-screen TV will still be there when you get home.

    

5. Tick the checkbox called “Reply to External Users” if you want to show this reply to people outside your company.
6. Set the Start Date and End Date using the handy calendar selector.
7. Click Save. 
   

   Click to view.

    

When you get back from vacation, there’s no need to turn off your vacation rule. Because you told it the End Date (Step 6), GroupWise stops replying with your message once the vacation period has ended.

If you change your plans, or (shudder) get back from vacation early, you can manually turn off your vacation rule like this:

1. Click Tools > Vacation Rule.
2. Untick the “Activate my Vacation Rule” checkbox.