12 Out-Of-Office Message Examples

Sunscreen: check. Passport: check. Floral shirt: check. Last step before you take off on your vacation: the OOO (out-of-office) message!

This type of email, sent automatically while you're away from the office, is essential for staying professional and maintaining good communication with your colleagues.

In addition to vacations, it can be used in all kinds of situations, whether it's a business trip, a public holiday, or a training course. The key is to formulate it correctly.

To give you some inspiration, here are 12 examples of out-of-office messages, with a few writing tips to boot!

How Do You Write an Out-of-Office (OOO) Message?

To ensure that your OOO message is understood and received by the former sender, certain elements of structure and content are essential:

• The subject of the email;
• The reason for your absence;
• The precise dates of your absence and return;
• The expected response time;
• The contact details of a colleague or contact person;
• A thank-you note.

Enter the Email Subject

When setting up your out-of-office message in your email software, it's essential to indicate the subject of the email, i.e. your absence.

This step makes it clear to your contacts that you are not available, and therefore unable to reply immediately.

Briefly Explain the Reason for Your Absence

In the body of your out-of-office message, after the customary greetings, you can specify the reason for your unavailability. Your transparency demonstrates your professionalism, which maintains and reinforces the confidence of your recipient.

However, be careful not to go into too much detail! Your recipient has no interest in knowing that you've gone off to herd sheep in the English countryside or basking in Costa Rica (yes, we know, it's a shame not to be able to say it to the whole world like that).

So keep it simple and concise!

Give Exact Dates of Absence

What the senders do want to know, however, are the exact dates of your absence. In your out-of-office message, always indicate the exact dates you'll be away, and when you'll be back in the office.

Providing this information shows your commitment to keeping in touch with your correspondent and meeting his or her expectations.

Note: For greater efficiency, you can also provide your dates of absence directly in the subject field of your out-of-office message.

“I Will Take Note Of [...]" : Indicate a Response Time

After announcing your dates of absence and return, you can indicate how long your correspondent will have to wait before receiving a reply to his or her request.

It's best not to use vague markers such as “approximately” before giving your response time. Instead, give a definite time, such as “two days”, “three weeks”, or a specific date.

Finally, depending on the profile of the person you're talking to, you may even want to indulge in a little humor to help get the message of the wait across. For example, use a light phrase like “I'll get back to you on [date] as soon as I have my first espresso”.

Suggest a Colleague to Contact

If you have the possibility of being replaced during your absence, you can also direct your correspondent to a colleague who will be able to respond to his or her request.

In this way, you show your correspondent that his request is important, while offering him an alternative solution that will help him to wait.

Remember to ask for your colleague's agreement before providing his or her contact. You can offer to return the favor when it's his or her turn to leave. Because helping each other in the office is essential!

Include a Thank-You Note

To conclude your out-of-office message, don't forget to include a thank-you note.

This is the time to thank the sender for his or her patience and understanding, which will soften any disappointment caused by your unavailability.

Finally, give your email a truly professional finishing touch by integrating your professional email signature.

What’s the Best Out of Office Message? 12 Examples

Now you've got the basics for writing a good out-of-office message. To give you some inspiration, here are 12 out-of-office message examples to suit your situation.

Vacations and Rest: Automatic Absence Emails Examples

Example 1: Out-Of-Office Message for Classic Vacations

Example 2: Out-of-Office Message for Summer Vacations

Example 3: Out-of-Office Message for the Festive Season

Example 4: Out-of-Office Message for Parental Leave

Example 5: Out-of-Office Message for Sick Leave

Examples of Automatic Emails for Work-Related Absences

Example 6: Out-of-Office Message for a Business Trip

Example 7: Out-of-Office Message

Example 8: Out-of-Office Message for Training

Example 9: Out-Of-Office Message Due to Your Company’s Activities

Other Examples of Automatic Absence Emails

Example 10: Out-of-Office Message in Another Language

For your non-English-speaking recipients, it's always a good idea to set up an out-of-office message in another language as well.

Here's an example (in French):

Example 11: Original Out-of-Office Message

Fancy an original automatic absence message? If (and only if) the sender's profile allows it, don't hesitate to add a little fantasy and humor to make the message more enjoyable.

Example 12: Permanent Departure Out-of-Office Message

How Do I Set Up an Out-Of-Office Message (Auto Reply) in Outlook?

With these tips and 12 out-of-office message templates, you're almost ready to go. All that's left is to set up the automatic message!

Setting up an out-of-office message in Outlook couldn't be easier:

• After logging in, select Settings > Mail > Automatic replies;
• Click on Activate automatic replies;
• Write your out-of-office message;
• You may decide to set up a different response to people outside your organization and type a different message;
• Click on Save.

And to complete your automatic out-of-office message, don't forget to set up an Outlook email signature!

How Do I Set Up an Out-Of-Office Message in Gmail?

Are you using Gmail as your email client? No problem. Setting up an out-of-office message in Gmail is just as easy:

• Open Gmail;
• In the top right-hand corner of the screen, go to Settings > Show all settings;
• Go to the Automatic reply section;
• Choose Autoresponder on;
• Select the start and end dates, fill in the subject, and write the message;
• You can choose to send the out-of-office message only to your contacts by ticking the corresponding box below;
• Click on Save changes.

****

Now you know how to formulate an out-of-office message to suit your particular situation, and how to set it up! Now you can leave with peace of mind.

And don't forget to include a personalized email signature with our email signature creation and management tool!

‍

‍