How to Write the Perfect Out-of-Office Message

You’re off work and away from your inbox. But whether that’s for a well-deserved two-week vacation or an unplanned sick day or two, you need to let anyone who emails you know you won’t be responding any time soon. 

And setting an out-of-office message, or OOO message, may even help kick start your time off. Research from Microsoft found more than 77% say setting their OOO message makes them feel like their vacation has officially started. 

But out-of-office messages are tricky to get right, especially if you often get emails from people outside of your company. 

Below, we’ll dive into how to write the perfect out-of-office message, what you should include, and give you examples for every scenario. 

What to Include in an Out-of-Office Message 

Here are the key things to include in an out-of-office message. 

1. The Fact You’re Out of Office and Won’t Be Responding to Emails Straight Away 

Make sure you get across the main message: that you’re off work or otherwise not responding to emails right now. You don’t want to leave people hanging waiting for your response. 

2. Why You’re Off (Optional) 

This part’s optional, but you can include the reason you’re out of office. You don’t need to go into details, though. Simply stating you’re on vacation, on parental leave, or off sick is enough. 

3. When You’re Expecting to Be Back 

If you know the date you’ll be back — which you usually would unless you’re off due to an illness — include this in your out-of-office message. 

This lets the sender decide whether they can wait for a response until you get back or whether they need to contact someone else on your team. 

It also stops eager colleagues from following up on their email over the next few days, even though you’re away for two weeks. 

For example: 

• “I’m on vacation until September 20, so I’ll respond to your email then.” 
• “I’m on parental leave until November.”
• “I’m at a conference with no access to email. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”
• “I’m off sick, but should be back on email on Monday.” 

4. Who to Contact in the Meantime 

If you’re only off for a day or two, the chances are whoever emailed you can wait until you get back. But if you’re away for longer, or it’s an important topic, they may need a response sooner. 

Include an email address and the name of someone they should contact while you’re away. If you deal with multiple projects or different types of people, you might want to include two or more contacts for people to get in touch with, depending on what they need. 

For example: 

• “Please reach out to [email protected] who will be handling my accounts while I’m away.” 
• “For contract questions, please get in touch with [email protected] and any invoice requests should go to [email protected] while I’m away.”

Tips for Writing the Perfect Out-of-Office Message 

Here are a few pointers to make sure your out-of-office message is perfect. 

1. Keep it Short 

Keep your out-of-office message short and sweet. You don’t need to go into detail about your vacation plans or how exactly you’re suffering with the flu. 

You simply need to let people know you won’t be responding to their email and when they can expect a response. 

2. Add Humor with Caution 

Research shows 60% of people like seeing creative OOO messages from other people, but you should think twice before cracking your best joke. 

You can add personality and funny remarks to an out-of-office message, of course, but be sure the tone of the email matches the culture of your workplace. 

And remember, external clients or vendors may email you and get the same out-of-office message, so choose your words wisely. 

Some email services have an option to customize your out-of-office message depending on whether the email you receive is from inside or outside of the company. 

This is a good idea if you want a funny message for your team to receive and a more professional message to go out to anyone outside the company. 

3. Be Careful About Saying When You’ll Respond 

There’s nothing worse than promising you’ll reply to everyone’s message “when you get back on Monday,” only to find yourself with 695 unread emails when you open your inbox. 

Saying something like “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can” can ensure people aren’t waiting for your response the first day you’re back. 

Depending on where you work, you could even say you’ll be back a day later than you really will be to give yourself some time to settle back into work before people start expecting replies.  

This is especially important if you’re going away for an extended period of time or you’re off sick and you’re not sure when you’ll be well enough to get back to work. 

4. Give Alternative Contacts a Heads Up 

If you’re providing an alternative email address for people to contact while you’re away, be sure to let that person know you’re doing so. You don’t want them to be surprised when they suddenly receive a ton of emails they don’t know what to do with. 

Plus, you never know if they’ll be out of office at the same time as you, so it’s always best to double-check before directing your emails their way. 

And resist the urge to say anything like “they’ll be able to help you right away.” Chances are they still have their own job to do, as well as your emails, so don’t promise something they can’t deliver. 

5. Include an Alternative Method of Communication (if Needed) 

If you’re heading off on vacation, you should definitely turn on an out-of-office message and not think about work while you’re away. And the same goes for when you’re sick. 

But there may be some situations where you won’t be on email, but you still want to be contacted in an emergency. 

In these scenarios, you can provide your phone number, for example, or let the email sender know you’ll be checking Slack. 

For example: 

• “I’m at a conference today, so won’t be on email. If you need an urgent response, you can call me on [your phone number].” 
• “I will be checking Slack periodically throughout the week, but won’t be quick with replies until I get back to work properly on October 12.”

When to Use an Out-of-Office Message  

When you use an out-of-office message will all depend on where you work and the type of role you have. 

If you regularly have colleagues and external clients emailing you and expecting a quick response, you may use an out-of-office message even when you leave the office early for a doctor’s appointment, for example.  

If you work with a small team, on the other hand, you may only need one for longer absences like vacations or extended sick leave. 

Consider using an out-of-office message when: 

• Going on vacation 
• Off sick 
• Taking a day off 
• Taking time off during the day (if appropriate) 
• At a conference 
• On parental leave
• On sabbatical 
• When it’s a public holiday where you live, but you work in an international team who don’t celebrate the same holidays 

Examples of Out-of-Office Messages 

Now you know what to include in your out-of-office message, it’s time to write it up. Here are some examples of what to say in every scenario. 

Simple Out-of-Office Message 

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office until October 12. I’ll reply to your email when I get back, or you can get in touch with [email protected] in the meantime. 

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message Vacation 

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office until October 12 on vacation. I’ll reply to your email when I get back, or you can get in touch with [email protected] in the meantime. 

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message Funny

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office until October 12 on vacation. I’ll reply to your email when I get back (or let’s be honest, probably a day or two after).

While I’m sipping margaritas and surfing my heart out in Mexico, you can get in touch with [email protected]

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message Funny 2

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office until January on maternity leave. That’s right! The bundle of joy/source of sleepless nights has arrived early. 

Please get in touch with Maria Smith who will be taking over all my duties until I’m back. She’s on [email protected] 

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message for One Day 

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office today on annual leave. I’ll reply to your email tomorrow, or if you need a response before then, please get in touch with [email protected] in the meantime. 

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message Sick Leave 

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office on sick leave. I’ll reply to your email when I get back tomorrow/Monday/as soon as I can. 

Please get in touch with [email protected] in the meantime. 

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message Slow Response 

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m at a conference today with limited access to email. If you need a quick response, please get in touch with [email protected].

If not, I’ll be back in the office tomorrow and will respond to your message then if I haven’t already.

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Message Public Holiday

These types of out-of-office messages are useful if you celebrate a public holiday that other members in your team don’t. They may email you not even realizing you’ve got the day off. 

You can use a simple one-day leave template or customize it to let email senders know why you’re off.   

Hi there, 

Thanks for your email! 

I’m out of office today on a public holiday/for Thanksgiving/as it’s a Bank Holiday in the UK. 

I’ll reply to your email tomorrow, or if you need a response before then, please get in touch with [email protected] in the meantime. 

All the best, 

[Your name + email signature]

Out-of-Office Messages Subject Line 

Just like with your out of office message, keep your out of office subject line simple. 

You can say something like: 

• “Out of office”
• “On vacation until October 12”
• “OOO: Back Tomorrow”

Do I Need an Out-of-Office Message for More Than Just Email?

While email is the most common form of communication at work, your company may use a messaging platform or another piece of software to stay in touch, like Slack or Microsoft Teams. 

Be sure to include out-of-office messages wherever colleagues or clients might reach out to you and need to know you’re not available. 

Depending on where you work and what communication software you use, you may just need an out-of-office message for your emails and an “on vacation” or “off sick” emoji or message for your Slack status, for example. 

Use the tips and templates in this article to craft the perfect out-of-office message, so you can get straight to enjoying that time off.