I once emailed a colleague in our main office and got an OOO reply that said just: “I am currently out of the office. Please press 0 to reach the operator for assistance”
"I'll be out of the office from Monday, 12/14, and will be back on Monday, 12/21."
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If you don’t see the Automatic Replies button, follow the steps to use rules to send an out of office message.
Well, but as others have pointed out, that depends on the part-time job and the industry. If you don’t work Tuesdays and Thursdays, but those are considered standard hours in your business, clients or other folks outside the office might email you on Tuesday morning with something important, not hear back and not know why — and get irritated. If they get an OOO, they now know what to expect or they have a backup option if the matter is urgent.
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I struggle with naming a contact too. My current job doesn’t really have emergencies, so while my second in command could handle stuff I normally would, should she have to? Also, 98% of the people that would get my OOO would know who to go to anyway if they actually needed something urgent. I hate to make someone else’s life harder for my own convenience when it’s not even needed.
I haven’t set up an OOO message since I got my first smartphone. My usual method is to glance at an incoming work email and forward it to the appropriate person, or maybe write a one-liner response saying I’m out and will answer next week.
I think the OOO you wrote in about is hysterically funny. I also think it would be out of place in a lot of offices (the board of directors that oversee my org would emphatically not think the message was funny).
Hi, I am currently out of the office from [MM/DD] to [MM/DD]. I will do my best to respond promptly to your email when I return. Please contact [name] at [email] or [phone] for any urgent matters.
Our office will remain closed until the end of this week for Thanksgiving Holidays. We assure you that all your emails will be answered as soon as we return to the office. Happy Thanksgiving!
My new job provided a template OOO as part of the onboarding brand templates package! I’m sure it might seem like overkill to some, but I’ve had tons of nervous first-job employees ask me what theirs should say, so I loved that they just gave a sample to go from. Also goes a long way in communicating that unique office culture stuff that is usually unspoken/not formalized.
Chances are, you’re taking at least one day off in the coming week. Here’s how, and why, to produce an out-of-office reply that will delight the people emailing you. “Thanks for your message. I’m out of the office for the holidays from Dec. 24-Jan. 2. I’ll respond to your message as soon as I can upon my return. If your message is urgent, please contact (INSERT NAME HERE). It’s benign, and it’s safe. For many people, the example above adheres to “corporate guidelines.” In fact, some companies have templates for out-of-office replies. If you don’t have to adhere to corporate guidelines (strictly), please consider a little creativity with your message. Here’s why: To read the full story, log in. Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content. Sign up today Already a member? Log in here. Learn more about Ragan Insider. Terms of Use | Today's Headlines I accept Terms of Use Topics Social Media Media Relations Crisis Communications Marketing Writing & Editing Health Care What We Do Awards Consulting Custom Workshops Events Host an event Speak at an event Sponsorship White Papers Guidebooks Memberships Ragan Insider Ragan Training Communications Leadership Council Social Media Council Crisis Leadership Network Web Sites Ragan Communications Communications Week Ragan's Workplace Wellness Podcasts About Us About PR Daily Contact Us Receive our newsletter Crisis Comms Briefing FAQ Privacy Policy Site Map Store Follow Us Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram RSS YouTube Forgot your password? Log In Submit Send recovery email Forgot to set up an account? Set it up now. Having trouble? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Trouble logging in? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Login × LOG IN Forgot to set up an account? Set it up now. Trouble logging in? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Create Account × Having trouble? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Setup Password × Having trouble? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331
Anything worded like Option 1 would never fly at my workplace, exactly because of this. I have colleagues who complain to upper management if their non-urgent tech support questions (that a whole troubleshooting website already answers) don’t get an answer from me or my boss within half a day. And oh, did I mention our job is not actually tech support?
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I’ve honestly considered changing my OOO message/voicemail to “You’ve reached Lisa. I’m overwhelmed right now, so I’ll get back to you eventually.”
I worked with a guy years ago who would update his voicemail greeting literally every time he left the office. So the bare minimum would be that he’d record a new message when he arrived in the office in the morning. Then, when leaving for lunch he’d record a new greeting listing the time he would be back in the office, then he’d record a new message when he got back from lunch, then a new one at the end of the day saying he would be back in the morning. That’s not even counting the times he was out of the office on work business. It was deranged, especially since he had the type of job where he would normally be in and out of the office often.