A colleague is away and several questions are waiting for their return. Sorting them before sending a long message can make the handback easier for both of you.
- A decision cannot wait.
- Use the team’s agreed cover or escalation route. State the deadline and consequence of waiting.
- The work can continue with a recorded assumption.
- Check that you are authorised to make that assumption and keep it visible.
- The question can wait.
- Collect it with the relevant context rather than sending repeated reminders during the absence.
This is a sorting aid, not permission to bypass a required approval. Some work must pause even when the delay is inconvenient.
Before the colleague returns, remove questions already resolved and update any changed deadlines. A message assembled across several days can otherwise contain contradictions.
Lead the handback with the items needing their attention now. Put background beneath each question so they do not have to reconstruct the whole week before answering.
The goal is a manageable return to work. Clear prioritisation respects that a returning colleague has a queue of their own, while making genuine time-sensitive decisions visible.