And please spare me the line "Your call is important to me."
1
Agonizing over an out of office message is possibly one of the dumbest first world “problems” I’ve ever heard of. Ridiculous.
3
Please don’t be the college professor who writes: “I am on vacation until X/XX. Please email me again when I return.”
Does your unread email self-destruct at the end of the day?
2
Wow, 1st world problems. Get over yourself, do a simple "I'm away from the office from xxx to xxx with very limited access to email. If this is urgent call xxx*.
Clear and concise, professional, with no chance of misunderstanding. Leave comedy to the comedians.
4
For the love of God, now we're worried about out of office messaging. How about a simply note that says, I'm on vacation or on a business trip until (date) and in the interim, please contact so and so if you need assistance before I return.
3
I can't believe there's an article on this subject. Why does an OOO have to be original or quirky?! Say you're gone, when you'll be back, and who to contact in your absence. The people who might need to contact you directly while you're OOO already know how to do that. The people who care about where you've gone and what you're doing can talk to you about it when you return. To avoid having to check email and texts while you're OOO on vacation, train people to cover for you, plan ahead, and leave instructions!!
1
What happened to professionalism? "Hello, you have reached [name] at [company]. I will be out of the office until [date]. If your matter is urgent, please contact [name/number]. Otherwise, please leave a message, and I will get back to you when I return. Thank you." (Adapt for e-mail. Use "Hi" and contractions if you want a more informal tone.) That's all people need to know.
I worked for a law enforcement agency and was on call 24/7, so I did, in fact, keep up with voicemail and email when I was out -- but not everyone who contacted me needed to know that. And they certainly didn't need to know my vacation plans or be entertained by witty comments. It's business -- nothing personal.
1
For an OOO msg, we would all do well to follow the iconic line attributed to Sgt. Joe Friday: “Just the facts, ma’am."
And, considering the importance of privacy, it's none of anyone's business, including my boss's, the reason I'm OOO. And really, who wants to suffer through a "cute" OOO msg?
A good template: I'm unavailable. Be back on Monday. Will get back to you by Tuesday. Contact so and so if you need assistance now.
2
I use OOO when in the office to get work done.
2
This is just one more example of our narcissistic, self-important society. Just like no one really needs to see your pic of what you're eating at that new, chic eatery, or your fifth selfie of the day, or some oversharing about your "wonderful" family, your business associates do not need to be regaled with some lame, cutesy monologue about the fabulous destination you're off to in the course of your fabulous life. No one cares! A simple "I'll be out of the office from xx - xx. If you need assistance during that time, contact xx." is all that is needed. Period. That's all the detail anyone even cares about. Personal friends will already know (whether they want to or not) the other personal details.
2
As with all social media these days-- less is just right.
Don’t get too fancy here, and don’t lie. Voicemail is what it is. “Away from my desk” is irritating and obvious, but don’t joke or make promises you won’t keep.
The very best are from those companies that turn off an email account during their vacation. "The addressee of this email is on vacation until ... this email will not be delivered. If urgent contact xyz, if not please resend when they return on ... thank you."
4
I got one OOO message saying that the person would get back to me at her earliest convenience. I wasn't sure whether she was being humorous, arrogant, or so ignorant she didn't know how rude the message sounded. I decided upon the third possibility.
2
The worst message I ever received was from a colleague who instructed me to leave a message and she would "return your call at my earliest convenience."
1
I have used: "I will be out of the office this morning. If you need to reach me, invoke my name thrice in front of a mirror while holding a lit black candle, then recite whatever the problem is, followed by a beep. My reply will appear written in oozing blood on the mirror."
If there is a phone number, slow down slightly to give the number and then repeat. Nothing wastes time like having to call again and wait through the process to get the number. It can be missed or not heard easily for lots of reasons.
This article reminds me of the “fun” people had when machines first came out. Fun to some, simply annoying to others.
5
Friends of mine have a very long message on Voice Mail. It is a poem of several stanzas which they take turns reading.
It was cute the first time. It is not cute after that. When I hear the "click" that takes me to their VM, I hang up. Their missed call function shows them that I tried to reach them.
4
Keep in mind an increasing trend to not leave these messages at all. Many people do have to check email a couple of times a day regardless. Depends upon your business and position.
4
I’d like to see an article compiling jaunty and odd OOO messages. It would be a fun read.
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@KathyGail How about this one when NYT covered this the last time -
Recent trips have seen him reproducing A.E. Housman’s “When Summer’s End Is Nighing” in full, and even venturing into the realm of vaguely Chaucerian himself: “Today I travel, if fortune be fair; I am armed with Virtue; I shall make the Journeye from Tampa to Charlotte and then, anon, to Washington National. Neither Ice nor Wynd shall delay me, and I shall not be waylaid by Ruffians. I may not see your Emaile, however, until Tomorrow.”
People who think OOO exemplifies self-importance have never been interrupted on vacation - either by a boss, client or colleague who presumes whatever they need is much more important than your vacation (rarely it is). At some point in your career you become competent and confident enough to do an OOO that is assertive, courteous and just the helpful facts: “ I’m away till___, you can contact ____ in my absence. I will not be checking email or phone messages. Thank you for your consideration.” And, for sure, don’t check office email while you’re away! The temptation to reply is a strong indication of self-importance.
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@TurandotNeverSleeps Agree completely. I used to be much more responsive even when on vacation. Now, I provide appropriate contact info for the right person (the ability to provide different OOO messages for different audiences - like inside the organization vs. outside - makes it easy to say the right thing), and make sure key colleagues know how to get me if there really is an emergency. I tell them explicitly what they can contact me about, and I don't bring my laptop on vacation so I'm largely useless to them other to offer advice on critical issues.
4
@TurandotNeverSleeps This is almost *exactly* what my own OOO says!
I worked with someone who would put long OOO with details... I'm at blah-blah until 10/1; returning home on Saturday, 10/2; back in the office Monday, 10/4. Oh, please
37
Mine always says I am out and have no access to email; you can reach my team address at BlahBlah.com, or I will revert to you upon my return. If there is a holiday, I will add something like, Happy 2019. (Because, no, I don't check email on vacation, and no, I won't return your calls, and no...)
I am sometimes tempted to add something cheeky like, "May the odds be ever in your favor." Someday, I might!
20
You’d think it was the Gettysburg Address!
Has anyone every read and “out of office” email and been totally put off? If so, you’re the problem.
30
Be straight forward - give the dates you will be out of the office, provide a coworker's or supervisors's number to call if immediate assistance is needed, or tell the caller to leave a message if they want to wait for your return. That's it. Save the humorous stories for open mic night at the comedy club. Callers want the facts and nothing else.
109
Get over your self-importance, narcissists. Nobody cares about your edgy humor unless they have lots of time on their hands. A simple "I will be unavailable until (X date), but please call Jane Doe at extension xxx for assistance" should suffice. My millennial boss signs business correspondence with "Have an amazing day!!!!!" which she does not realize alienates our client base of, well, adults. Business is business - leave your humor for your personal phone.
95
Here’s what far too many OOO messages actually mean:
"Hi, I'm out of the office beginning one day before you discover that I wouldn't be available until well after that thing I promised you becomes critically important. In my absence, please refer any inquiries to (someone in a different time zone who has no clue about what you need, or what I promised, or, in fact, anything having to do with the systems or business for which I am responsible. As you are not the only person left hanging, upon my return, you can expect to have to wait for my attention. For how long, I can't say, but it is likely to coincide with your own time OOO at which point I can blame you for the missed deadlines. Happy Holidays!"
40
I hate all out-of-the-office messages. Many emails get sent around among large teams of people. Everyone is cc'd so that the team can keep in the loop and so that the proceedings are transparent. Just because I responded to a request for input sent to several dozen people doesn't mean I need to know which of those several dozen people are out-of-the-office. I have NEVER received an out of the office notification that was useful or needed. I often receive them from people who set them up but then send me an email from whatever trip they are on so that when I respond to THEIR email question, I'm hit with an out-of-the-office message. Almost none of you actually need these. You are using them to make yourself feel important. Stop.
19
Best ever I've seen for an OOO message:
"I will be out of the office and I won’t have access to email, so responses will be delayed till xxxxxx.
If you need to reach me in very urgent cases, you can send me a text message at +xxxxxxx
If you still can't reach me and feel that you've exhausted all options
just remember that I'm always with you: on the face of every child, in the smile of every baby."
--
Made the workplace tolerable for one more day...
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@Middleman
HA! Love this one!
"I am out of the office and will be unavailable until RETURN_DATE. Please contact SUPPORT_TEAM or escalate to ESCALATION_CONTACT if necessary."
Keep it simple, stupid. "Jaunty?" Really?
52
Here's what NOT to put "I am out of office". Duh. The out of office puts Auto Reply in the subject. You dont need to tell us again.
Is there anything else you need to say besides "I will be returning to the office on this date... "?
Just keep it simple and there will be no need for silly How To articles.
14
Some of the faculty at the university where I worked said that in their absence all emails would be deleted, so "if yours requires a response please resend it after my return."
23
@Faith What an arrogant attitude. One of the things they should be required to do after their return is appear before a Performance Review Board.
You may be on vacation, but do not waste my time in remembering when and what to resend what I attempted in the first place.
Oh, but these must have been tenured profs who were embolded by their position.
I think it is a bad practice to broadcast that you are away from home to an unknown audience. Better to say "Away from the Office until April 10. Until then contact John_Jones @".
34
@Gertrude, except that people who are out of office may not be away from home. They might be taking a day off to run errands, or handle family illness, etc. And even for long times off, they might be having a staycation and doing home projects. I don't put away on my personal email, though. Nobody's business.
12
@ClaireNYC Exactly! I don't want to say if I am at home or not. Writing "Gone to the Beach" or "Visiting China" is a big hint that I am not at home.
17
@ClaireNYC That's precisely Gertrude's point.
I've noticed a lot of 'without access to email' use in these out of office messages. This strikes the wrong tone for me because in most cases it's not true. Can't we just say 'I'll respond to your message when I return'? I don't feel like I should have to pretend I'm deep in the wilderness just because I want to go on vacation without working.
55
@Jmf Sometimes it's true! I was recently out of office in another country and my phone, despite promises, did not work. Better to temper expectations.
21
@JR absolutely. Some of us literally do vacation in the wilderness or in areas where technology isn't the key to life. More of us probably should escape to nature or go on international adventures to recoup and recenter.
17
That’s a funny comment. I’m on vacation now and really don’t have access to my email. Purposely left my laptop and company phone at home. Feels great!
1