A reader asks: Two months ago, a colleague introduced me to someone at an organization that is similar to mine. We were trying to figure out if there was merit in our working together on a project or not, combining our skills. After my first email, I received an auto-response saying that they might not respond because of the large volume of email they receive and because they are very busy. There was no indication that this auto-response was temporary (no “this week is our annual gala, hence my replies will be slower than normal”), and there was no other name offered to approach instead (no “if you are looking for advice on X, please contact Bernice”).
I found it strange and was wondering if this is acceptable or not. They did get back to me right away, and we are collaborating now. But that first response left me wondering if I could count on their input on the project bid, given that they had signaled they were so busy (busy enough for the auto-response).
They are of a similar level as I am, and not the author of a best-selling book who might be expecting hundreds of fan mails. To me, it came across as not being able to manage the communications that come with the job. We are all busy in our field, so why make yourself the exception? I would not like my employees to use such a generic "I am busy" auto-reply, but am I being too judgmental?
Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.