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
I have a colleague that does this with their voicemail. Almost always forgets to change the message once theyāre back in so if you call, say, on Thursday, June 3, and you get their voicemail, you will hear how the person is out of the office from May 24 to 26 and who to call while the person is away.
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I ALWAYS forget to leave a voicemail response with the same info above! Don't be like me.
Education Details: Template #1 Out-Of-Office Old School Style: For those who want to keep it low key. Thank you for your email, Iām currently Out Of Office till
I say I am āaway from my deskā, or āunavailableā. To indicate I am working, āI will be at my desk from xhour to yhour on xdayā.
āIt wasnāt a vacation, but I didnāt want to deal with normal business stuff,ā he says. āHumor is sticky. People laughed ā¦ and they left me alone.ā
I think itās irritating and condescending and could have been funny if only one of the goofy elements was incorporated, instead of trying to make a cohesive comedy bit. It seems like the points should be reversed. Most urgent to least urgent. If I have a truly urgent issue I donāt want to read through that I should ask myself if itās important and urgent. If itās something that can wait, Iāll just expect a delay. If itās not important or at least worth communicating, I wouldnāt be sending the email.
Is this heaven? No, itās Iowa. Thatās where Iāll be for the next couple of days, giving my last out of town keynote of the year (yay!). I donāt know if there really is a Field of Dreams, but Iāll be in search of it in between checking emails and getting back to you as quickly as I can. If you need something while Iām stuck in a corn field, you can send a note to my assistant and she will be happy to help you.
Hi, Iāll be out of the office until [MM/DD]. I will probably see your message because I donāt know how to relax. I will likely respond if I feel that I need to help in any way.
You embraced the thrill of Black Friday, shopped local for Small Business Saturday and hadā¦
For all pressing matters, please contact [Contact Name] at [contact email] for assistance.
So from [date] to [date], I am going to be laid out in the sun catching a tan and reading a book.
Hey, why are you being so sneaky about where you've disappeared to? If you're not on vacation and your out of office is for a work trip, well darn it, work that! [Editor's note:Ā Pun totally intended.]
Oh hey, Itās Christmas, what are you doing emailing me? Iām extremely busy watching Home Alone, Die Hard, and theĀ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Christmas Special on repeat until the new year. I might stop for food and toilet breaks, I also might now. Regardless of my general health and hygiene over the silly season, Iāll be back in office on January nd. Catch ya then, donāt forget to buy a pepperoni pizza for Splinter.
Hi, Iāll be back on {MM/DD]. please contact [name] at [email] or [phone] if you really, really, really think itās urgent. Otherwise, Iāll respond when I get back.
Let them know that while youāre not technically OOO, you arenāt operating at typical capacity.
I say āthanks for your messageā because it feels to brusque without a greeting ā but I can see it either way.