Out of office email
A good out-of-office reply answers three questions before anyone has to wonder: when you're back, who to contact in the meantime, and whether you'll be checking messages at all. Be specific about the return date and resist promising to reply 'as soon as possible' if you won't. Tell it your dates and a cover contact below, and get an auto-reply that protects your time off.
What to include in a out of office email
- ✓ The exact date you will be back at your desk
- ✓ A backup contact and their email for anything urgent
- ✓ Whether you will be checking messages while away
- ✓ A brief, friendly tone so it does not read as cold
Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕ Promising to reply 'as soon as possible' when you will not
- ✕ Forgetting to name a backup, so urgent items go nowhere
- ✕ Leaving an old auto-reply on after you have returned
Questions about out of office email
What should an out of office message include? +
Your return date, a backup contact for anything urgent, and whether you'll be reading email while away. Those three details let people decide whether to wait for you or reach out to someone else.
Should I say where I'm going? +
No need. 'I'm out of the office until the 19th' is plenty. Sharing that you're on vacation versus traveling for work is optional and doesn't change what the sender needs to know.
How do I handle urgent emails while I'm away? +
Name a specific colleague and their email so urgent items have somewhere to go. If there's no backup, say when you'll respond instead, so senders aren't left guessing.
Should I set an out of office for one day? +
It can help for a full day offline, especially if you usually reply quickly — it stops people assuming you're ignoring them. For a couple of hours, it's usually unnecessary.