I usually go with “Hickory, dickory, dock, I’m off the clock. When the clock strikes Tuesday, I’ll be back.”
Note: If you are using an older version of Outlook, such as Outlook 2007, go to Tools > Out of Office Assistant.
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I’ll get back to you when I return to civilization. Or to an area with WiFi. Or to the office on May 10th. Whichever comes first.
iOS is offering a feature to set an autoreply for all incoming calls. Instead of merely rejecting the calls, you can send back pre-set messages while you reject it. You have an option to set three quick response message to send back while rejecting the incoming calls.
I don’t set my voicemail message, either. If you have the number, you know me. I think my last voicemail message on my personal cellular phone years ago was not even in English. Again, if you knew me, you’d more than half expect it.
Thank you for your email. I’m away from my desk until [return date] trying to corral my kids between family visits and holiday sugar highs.
John Whatsisname has retired. Please contact [insert name and email] for enquiries relating to [subjects], or myself at [email] for personal matters. Thank you to my colleagues and clients for your support over the years.
The science fiction writer John Scalzi says “The failure mode of clever is asshole,” which seems to apply here.
I forgot I did that and it was pointed out by a recruiter who was trying to reach me to schedule a phone screen. Whoops, haha.
I suppose it’s better than a colleague of mine who’s out of office is always: “I am out of the office until XXX. Please email me if you need assistance.”
I hate to break it to you, but I’m on annual leave until [end date] and will have limited access to my emails until then.
One of my co-workers, who was involved in a lot of committees and consequently got even more than the usual share of email around my place, put up an OOO message that said she was going to be “on pot for the week of the 15th.”
7.) Bem-vindo ao escritório de advocacia John Doe. Desculpe, no momento não podemos atender a sua chamada, pois você está ligando durante nosso feriado anual. Você pode nos enviar um e-mail em para info @ Lawoffice-john doe.de – que entraremos em contato o mais rápido possível quando retornarmos. Em casos urgentes, entre em contato com o nosso representante de escritório. Eles podem ser encontrados em nosso site www.law office-john doe.de. Muito obrigado pela sua ligação - Adeus.
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“This is MY NAME [from COMPANY] calling about REASON. Call me [by DAY/TIME] at (844) 387-6962 [pause, then repeat the number very slowly] that’s eight four four… three, eight, seven… six, nine, six, two.”
My favorite was one the one that said “I am out of the office and don’t plan on ever returning.”
Kat is a Midwest-based freelance writer, covering topics related to careers, productivity, and the freelance life. In addition to The Muse, she's a contributor all over the web and dishes out research-backed advice for places like Atlassian, Trello, Toggl, Wrike, The Everygirl, FlexJobs, and more. She's also an Employment Advisor at a local college, and loves helping students prepare to thrive in careers (and lives!) they love. When she manages to escape from behind her computer screen, she's usually babying her two rescue mutts or continuing her search for the perfect taco. Say hi on Twitter @kat_boogaard or check out her website.