What to include in an out-of-office email message?

Whether you send the email yourself or set up an autoresponder email message, it should include relevant information regarding your absence. Start by mentioning how long you'll be out of the office and why. Assure the receivers that you'll get back to them as soon as you return to the office but stay away from firm dates. If the case, provide your contact data for emergencies or the colleague's contact details in charge of your tasks in your absence.

Don't forget about opening and ending formulas but keep everything professional and neutral. It's usually isn't a good idea to start your vacation email to colleagues with 'Greetings from Hawaii' or other meant to be funny expressions. It's even more important to use an appropriate tone and check your email for typos when you set up an automatic response. You don't know who might contact you.

In short, if you write a professional Out Of Office email autoresponder might include information like:

• In short the reason why you will be gone
• How long you will be gone
• When you will return
• A contact point in case of immediate help or assistance.

Most of the time you will have to use sentences such as the following:

• I will be out of the office until
• Please expect a delay in my response to your email
• I will respond to your email when I return
• If you require immediate assistance.

What to avoid when writing automatic away email replies:

• Giving too many details
• Trying to be funny 
• Saying you will respond as soon as you return
• Committing a colleague's support without consent
• Typo errors or spelling mistakes.

Best examples of out-of-office email messages

Based on your specific situation, position within the company, and the people who usually email you, we've created a few different simple email examples for auto replies that you can use anytime. Choose the one that fits you and personalize it as you wish. Remember that it's important to add a personal touch to the out-of-office email you send. It will help you create better work relations and improve communication with your clients, suppliers, and business partners.

Frequently asked questions

How to set up an out-of-office autoresponder email message in Microsoft Outlook?

Suppose you want to avoid a delayed response and making a bad impression on essential people, set up an out-of-office autoresponder email message. Microsoft Outlook is one way to do it. Based on your Outlook version, the out-of-office settings may be under the Tools menu (Outlook 2007), under the File menu (Outlook 2010), or in the Mail tab of the Settings window under the name Automatic replies (Outlook Web version). Here are the steps you have to follow in Outlook 2010, the desktop version:

1. Go to File -> Automatic Replies (Out of Office). 
2. Check Send automatic replies option
3. Check Only send during this time range option and select the start date and the end date of your vacation
4. Microsoft Outlook allows you to send different email contents to people inside and outside of your organization. Use this option wisely and personalize the messages.
5. If it's the case, create rules that will apply to incoming messages while you're out of the office. For example, you may want to ignore spam messages or messages from a specific email address.
6. Press OK to save your settings.

If you're using Outlook for Office365/Exchange, you can find more details on how to set up an out-of-office automatic reply by watching this video:

How to set up an out-of-office autoresponder email message in Gmail?

To set up an OOO message within Gmail, follow these details provided by Google: 

• On your computer, open Gmail.
• In the top right, click the Settings icon and then See all settings.
• Scroll down to the "Vacation responder" section.
• Select Vacation responder on.
• Fill in the date range, subject, and message.
• Under your message, check the box if you only want your contacts to see your vacation reply.
• At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.