You're finally about to head off on a well-earned break, but there's one more task to tick off your to-do list: composing an out-of-office reply. Many will be all too familiar with debating how much information to include and how available you will be - and whether to inject some personality into your message, or even risk cracking a joke. Experts say there are clear dos and don'ts when it comes to writing an out-of-office message (OOO) - and getting it wrong can have more serious consequences than you might think.
Here are their rules to penning the perfect out-of-office reply. Debretts, an etiquette consultancy, says a good automatic reply should be polite and concise, give a specific return date, and provide another point of contact if appropriate. But you should avoid oversharing, for instance including the specifics of your holiday plans, or boasting about things like second homes or expensive hobbies.
"Virtue signalling" about why you are taking time off is another no-no. It could seem "smug" or like you are "trying too hard", says director Rupert Wesson. "Some people will be delighted you are spending 'quality time with your family', but given that they are the ones emailing you and are hard at work, you could risk rubbing their noses in it." That said, a bare message that simply states, "I'm out of office" with no details of a return date or alternative emails to try, can raise more questions than it answers.
"People don't know when to expect a reply or who else can help, and that uncertainty is what leads to the 'just-in-case' follow-ups," says Charlotte Davies, a career expert at Linkedin. She believes a good OOO does two things: shares your dates and points people to a backup contact. She also thinks it's worth briefing the person covering you about anything important before you go: "It helps whoever's emailing you, and it protects your break too." While the personal touch may work in OOOs if your team culture is informal, beware that humour doesn't always land well over email.
Overly glib or sarcastic messages can get you into trouble, even if they are funny, reckons Paul Fitzsimmons, head of sales and marketing at law firm Wilford Smith. "'I'm currently out of the office pretending this company doesn't exist'... 'If it's urgent, call someone who cares'... 'Emails received while I'm away will be deleted unread,'" he gives as examples. Adam Murfet, 41, a senior sales executive, says a former colleague lost a deal after a joke in an OOO angered a client.
But he thinks humour can help some people stand out at a time when communication is increasingly AI-driven. "Always ask, would you put the same thing in an email?" he says, as a rule of thumb. "Anything you send will be read and people will judge you on it." Commentators often complain about the sender saying they will have "limited access to email" while they are away.
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