Whether you're off sick, away on training or somewhere blissfully sunny, you'll need to set-up your 'Out of Office' auto-reply. Most people tend to go with the boring and basic formula of apologies and redirection to someone else who might be able to help. We've scoured the internet and gathered 10 of our favourite responses. After reading these, you might rethink your own!
1. Send them on a little guilt trip
Wherever you go on holiday, you'll probably have access to the internet at some point. You might want to acknowledge this in your O.O.O. - but it's also worth forcing the sender to question if it's really worth interrupting your holiday by setting up a very blunt alternative inbox...
I am currently out of the office on vacation.
I know I'm supposed to say that I'll have limited access to email and won't be able to respond until I return, but that's not true. My iPhone will be with me and I can respond if I need to. And I recognise that I'll probably need to interrupt my vacation from time to time to deal with something urgent.
That said, I promised my wife that I am going to try to disconnect, get away and enjoy our vacation as much as possible. So, I'm going to experiment with something new. I'm going to leave the decision in your hands:
• If your email truly is urgent and you need a response while I'm on vacation, please resend it to interruptyourvacation@firstround.com and I'll try to respond to it promptly.
• If you think someone else at First Round Capital might be able to help you, feel free to email my assistant, Fiona, and she'll try to point you in the right direction.
Otherwise, I'll respond when I return...
Warm regards
2. Say it with emojis
Who doesn't love a bit of decoding? Why use basic words, when a broad range of emojis can spell out exactly what you want to say, but in a much more interactive and fun way?
Image Source: Orega
3. Help settle this debate
This person decided that setting their out-of-office message was a prime time to settle an ongoing office argument about which Die Hard film is the best, complete with an integrated poll to add a little festive cheer to the auto-reply.
Sorry I missed you. I'll be out of the office and slow to respond until after the break.
While I have you though, help settle an argument amongst my colleagues and me:
Die Hard Quiz
What was the best Die Hard movie?
â Die Hard 1: The Office Christmas Party Gone Wrong
â Die Hard 2: Airport Conspiracy
â Die Hard 3: Samuel L. Jackson. Enough said.
â Die Hard 4: Cyberthreat.
â Die Hard 5: You should probably not pick this one.
â Impossible! It's like choosing a favourite child!
4. Would you like to play a game?
This is the perfect way to reduce the sheer email volume that you'll return to, with a little anarchy involved...
I am on annual leave until dd/mm/yyyy. I will allow each sender one email and if you send me multiple emails, I will randomly delete your emails until there is only one remaining. Choose wisely. Please note that you have already sent me one email.
5. We all know one of these people...
A 'Type A' who can't ever fully switch-off from work... at least they're honest about it!
I'll be out of the office on vacation for the next week. I will probably see your message because I don't know how to relax and will likely respond if I feel that I need to help in any way. Otherwise, I'll get back to you when I return. Thanks!
Image Source: Pexels
6. Only interested in presidential emails
Let's be real, the majority of the thousands of emails you return to after being O.O.O. will be spam and salesy marketing drivel - any legitimately important emails will probably get lost! Unless you're Barack Obama, just send it when they're back.
I'm out of the office from 11/11 to 11/17 and I will not be checking my emails. It's likely your note will be swallowed in a sea of inbox banality, never to be seen again. If you require a response, please resend your email after 11/18. For urgent editorial issues, please contact the channel or features editor responsible for that content. If you are Barack Obama, text me bro. We need to talk.
7. Rub it in a little bit
A well-deserved holiday deserves a substantial out-of-office message that really hammers home the fact that they're still working, while you're off on your travels - nice and descriptive to really paint the picture!
Konnichiwa,
Apologies, but I'm currently knee-deep in sushi and shrines on the other side of the world in Japan. I will be back to the usual tea and crumpets when I return to the office on Tuesday 30th May.
If you have any urgent query about Tyro Magazine before then, please don't hesitate to contact *** in my absence.
Thanks so much
8. Vacation? What vacation?!
Going back to how some people can't ever switch off, this person went above and beyond for their auto-email with a humorous graph that very accurately shows the highs and lows of stress levels before, during and after time away.
Image Source: Twitter
9. Sciency stuff
Maybe you're still available on email, but your location means there might be a little bit of an issue with time differences. This response is clever and a little bit geeky!
I am in London May 29th - June 4th, so email replies may be tardy due to the curvature of the earth and the sun... and you know... science and stuff.
Thank you!
10. A lasting impression...
If you're leaving a company for good, use your favourite book or film to make someone smile - like 'Master gave Dobby a sock... Dobby is a free elf' or 'Hasta la vista, baby'... but this type of message really depends on the kind of impression you want to leave them with and who the message will go out to. Don't forget, you might need them for references!
Have any of these examples tickled you? Tweet us @OregaOffices.
Header Image Source: Pixabay
