Over Twitter DMs, one woman sent me her OOO messages from when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The messages — composed while she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments and recovering from surgery — were detailed and unique. They offered touches of humor, honesty, details about her treatment schedules and set expectations for others trying to reach her. She offered alternative contact options for potential emailers to make sure urgent requests didn’t fall through the cracks but offered a dose or reality as well. I particularly appreciated this line:
If they have to leave an OOO message for being out for an hour for a meeting, clearly it is A Big Deal in that office :(
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Former coworker: “I am out of the country from X until Y. Please do not email me during this time as last time I came back to about 250, and reading them all takes up a lot of the time I have left before I retire.” Some people thought that was funny. The director who received that in response to an all staff communication? Not so much. Coworker got a talking to by his manager when he got back to the UK.
The one that gave a personal cellphone number (they didn’t have a company phone or were required to use it for work) while out on vacation, with a comment like “I’m out on vacation from date x to date y and in my absence please contact Jane Smith but if you don’t get any joy please call my personal number if it’s urgent”.
I like funny OOO – but I am a bad offender regarding these and may slightly overshare. I recently had to be in and out for eye surgery and this was mine:
The eternally mind-blowing story of the company-wide email, OoO messages, and reply-all autoresponders that took out a 30,000 employee university email server one summer, comes to mind here…
It doesn’t work when a group text is sent, is their a workaround for that situation?
I don’t. They just have to wait. The people in my office that could have a legitimate emergency that requires my input have my cell number, and they’d just call me.
As the country’s situation gets better, we’ll reopen it and inform you through emails. In case of any queries, you may email at [Email] and your questions will be answered. I hope to see all of you once again in the office after the situation calms down.
Sample Phone Scripts. After Hours Voicemail for a Small Business: Thanks for calling (our company). The office is currently closed. Office hours are 9am to 6pm, Eastern Time. Please leave a message at the tone and we'll call you back on the next business day. Thank you. Voicemail Script: You have reached (your business name).
But nope, we’ve created a world where “I have a dentist appointment and won’t be in until 10 today” is cause for alarm.
You can get quite creative and figure it out by yourself. However, here’s an example.
Josh Kopelman’s vacation email is a classic example of taking a blunt approach at OOO messages.
By the way, BizzyWeb will be closed November 26-27, December 24-25 and January 1. We promise to only use professional and appropriate out-of-office messages, and to reply as soon as we are back in the office. Happy Holidays from the Hive!
Even if it’s for a short amount of time, an autoresponder helps you enjoy your time off from work.
20+ Office Welcome Sign Ideas. I'm out of the office until date. I am out of the office for the holiday weekend, however, i am responding to emails that need immediate action. If you have any pressing questions, please include the word urgent in your subject line so i can make your email my top priority during. Examples of out of office messages for holidays.
The Management Office will be closed on [date] for [Holiday Name]. Any inconvenience caused is much regretted.