Are you taking vacation leave this December? As many of us have several days left up to use, it’s high time to kick back and relax at the end of the year. To minimise disruptions from work, it is also very important to set up an Out of Office auto reply email. Here’s a bit of inspiration for what to write.
As technology makes us evermore accessible and your boss can reach you at almost every hour at almost any place, it’s important to set boundaries when you indulge in your much-deserved break from work. As we discussed earlier this month with an HR professional, an Out of Office (or OOO) reply email is an important part of this.
Normally, the Out of Office response details your return date, and who to contact in case of emergencies or urgent matters. Sometimes, it’s a little cheekier.
Here, we lean into the latter, and seek inspiration from Twitter for the best, most hilarious OOO responses. Straight to the point, somewhat passive aggressive, and very inspiring if you really want your colleagues and clients to leave you alone — until 2 January, at least.
[Hero and Featured Image Credit: Luca Bravo/Unsplash]
How to craft the perfect Out of Office reply email, according to Twitter
Reminds us of the menu at Gaggan.
What is the best "out of the office" email response you've gotten? My in below. pic.twitter.com/7N9rVRmDVR
— Ben Stapley (@benstapley) July 31, 2017
Make us of bold, italics, and underline.
I once received one stating, “I am on my first completely offline vacation in two years”…the two years part was in bold.
— PJM of The Port (@MrMulcahy) July 16, 2018
A little Mary Poppins never killed nobody
Coworkers are gonna howl when they see my Outlook out-of-office reply. #ChristmasVacationStartsNow pic.twitter.com/iydV8PseZp
— Max (@ArbiterDroid) December 16, 2022
Avenge me.
— Muss (@scandalmuss) December 8, 2022
This very accurate timeline of events.
Best out of office email I've received in a while… pic.twitter.com/cKau0N59Kd
— Francesca Gino (@francescagino) July 12, 2017
What would it be for Asia?
European out-of-offices: “I’m away camping for the summer. Email again in September”
American out-of-offices: “I have left the office for two hours to undergo kidney surgery but you can reach me on my cell anytime”
— Samuel Pollen (@samuel_pollen) April 30, 2021
Fair logic.
An out-of-office reply from a female Assistant Professor that warrants a tweet- “I do not respond to emails on weekends. If this is an emergency, please call my mobile. If you do not have my mobile number, then you do not have a weekend emergency.”
— Stephana Julia Moss (@stephanajulia) October 6, 2019
For literature lovers.
New out of office reply pic.twitter.com/ke9vqkSf6A
— Kamran Javadizadeh (@kjavadizadeh) December 10, 2022
#CatchMeIfYouCan
December out of office replies be like:
"thank you for your mail, I will be out of office until July 2026 with intermittent access to emails. For urgent queries please contact switchboard on XXXX or hire a private investigator"
— Don Petty Cash (@iamkoshiek) December 15, 2022
Is this… too much honesty?
Always set an out of office auto-reply when you go away but try not to be too honest #cartoon #academia #science pic.twitter.com/wddGzWYc8P
— ErrantScience (@ErrantScience) December 16, 2022
Cheat code?
pro tip: if you set your out of office reply to "this message is undeliverable" you never have to reply
— Don Petty Cash (@iamkoshiek) December 15, 2022
A child’s honest beats all.
I asked my 11 yo to help me write my vacation away message, and she suggested “I AM ON VACATION SO YOUR EMAIL WILL BE DELETED”
— Kristen Bottema-Beutel (@KristenBott) August 2, 2022
Leave all those problems for the new year.
My out of office reply has gone live pic.twitter.com/3I2P3LEuQw
— Mia (@marielouise_82) December 15, 2022
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