So there you have it! While having fun with your auto-responder, try not to get carried away and end up upsetting anyone or get in trouble with HR! š
Some of the people I know that have a lot on their plate are able to deal with a large volume of email with intent and integrity. Itās worth taking a look at how they deal with email so you can model some of their habits. Iāve listed three people below who I know handle their email really well.
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You may also want to include bullet points of what is in progress so that your client knows youāre on top of things. That will also likely reduce the amount of emails sitting in your inbox when you return. Unlike a more generalized email (like the one Iāve provided) that you can send en masse, youāll want to set aside some time to send more personalized emails out.
If youāve written an out-of-office message before, youāll surely know some of the basics. For the most part, they still apply during the pandemic, with a few additional considerations. Hereās a quick overview of what you should keep in mind as you compose your autoreply these days:
Note: The following steps are for users with a Microsoft Exchange account. If you donāt see the words, āConnected to: Microsoft Exchangeā at the bottom of your Outlook window, check out our article on how to set up out of office in Outlook with an IMAP/POP3 account.
8. Office Closed for Thanksgiving. This is a great template to use for Thanksgiving holidays. Hi (specify the Name field id), Our office will remain closed until the end of this week for Thanksgiving Holidays.
Oh gosh. Youāve just reminded me that I was supposed to change my VM before every vacation or holiday at my old job. Something I completely forgot to do after the first year. Whoops!
My department still doesnāt allow us to send OOO auto-replies to external recipients because of one incident years ago (a customer tried to contact a sales rep about an urgent order, got the repās auto-reply, and in their ensuing panic, somehow got escalated all the way up to the company president). Any external emails we get are auto-forwarded to a centralized mailbox and (ostensibly) handled by another rep while we are out. It bothers me to know that my external contacts wonāt get a reponse from me while Iām out and may think Iām just ignoring them.
If you have a job opening it can be difficult to get in touch with everyone who applies. To help you stay organized and let candidates know their application was received, consider a staffing automatic text reply. Thanks for your interest in joining the ABC team. You can check your application status on our employee portal anytime https://txt.st/PQB
I want to be clear that I donāt think OOO responders are the solution to the larger problems of worker inequality or the broad American cultural attitudes that celebrate and encourage overwork. That would be silly. The big remedies for what ails modern work will likely require workers organizing and employers recognizing and granting protections. Large companies will have to stop prioritizing shareholder at the expense of their workers. Iām aware how unlikely this feels in practice and how a thoughtful auto reply email feels like applying a band-aid on a gunshot wound. I get it.
What was weirder is that it took a couple weeks after covid hit for her to turn the message off ā which meant that when the entire company was wfh, we would still get an fyi message from her that she was also working from home.
According to The Washington Postās self-reported survey of more than 1,000 white-collar workers, āwe spend an average of 4.1 hours checking our work email each day.ā Thatās over 1,000 hours each year. The holidays are the perfect time to temporarily break up with your email inbox for a digital detox. Before you stress about crafting the perfect out of the office message, check out our sample templates. From professionally festive to holiday humor, we know youāll be ready to copy, paste, and fully embrace the holiday season.
If you think someone else at First Round Capital might be able to help you, feel free to email my assistant, Fiona ([emailĀ protected]) and sheāll try to point you in the right direction.
Unfortunately, Iām going to have to return your message. As itās the holiday season, Iām currently away from the office. When I return, Iāll give your email a good solid read and find that your request is exactly what I needed after all! But until then, Iām going to keep it in the inbox so it doesnāt get damaged and revisit it after the holidays are over.
A. Nearly all offices will be closed on Main Campus during winter break; therefore, each department should ensure their telephone messages and out-of-office email replies reflect that their office is closed but resuming normal business hours after New Year's Day. They may also want to note their winter break closure on their webpage.
Also known as āautoresponder emails,ā out-of-office messages run the gamut. From funny, to clever, to snarky, this message can both show your personality and let senders know that, well, youāre out of office.
I have literally never seen an OOO that wasnāt āI will be out of the office until DATE/further notice. Please contact X or Y at EMAIL/PHONE if you need assistance.ā This is fascinating stuff.