Setting up an out-of-office email might seem like one of the simplest tasks to complete before going on holiday. However, what employees include in their out of office replies can affect how they are perceived by colleagues, clients and customers.

Recent discussion around out-of-office etiquette has highlighted the increasingly creative messages some employees use when stepping away from work. While humour and personality may be appropriate in some workplaces, employees should remember that an auto-reply is still a professional communication that could be received by almost anyone who contacts them.

The safest approach will often be to keep the message polite, concise and useful. Recipients generally need to know that the employee is unavailable, when they are expected to return and who to contact if the matter cannot wait.

So, what should employees include in their automatic replies, and what information might be better left out?

What Does the BBC Say About Out of Office Replies?

The BBC has explored the dos and don’ts of writing an out-of-office response, including the trend towards employees using increasingly personal or humorous messages.

The article highlights examples of workers being very open about where they are going and what they are doing while away from work. However, the central question is whether an out-of-office message really needs that level of detail.

An employee might be excited about spending two weeks in Barbados, attending a festival or travelling around Europe, but the person emailing them will generally have a much simpler concern: when will they receive a response?

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Out-of-office messages can also reach a much wider audience than employees anticipate. An auto-reply could be sent to colleagues, customers, suppliers, prospective clients or people the employee has never previously communicated with.

That means a joke that works perfectly well within a team could potentially be misunderstood when received by someone outside the organisation.

The broader lesson is that personality does not necessarily need to disappear from workplace communication, but employees should consider their audience before deciding how informal an out-of-office message should be.

Should Employers Have Rules About Out of Office Replies?

Whether employers should set rules for automatic replies will depend partly on the organisation and the nature of its work.

Some businesses may be comfortable allowing employees significant freedom over their wording, while others may prefer a standard format, particularly where employees regularly communicate with customers or clients.

Clear guidance can help avoid uncertainty.

For example, an employer might ask employees to state the dates they will be unavailable, provide an alternative contact and avoid including confidential or unnecessary personal information.

At the same time, out-of-office messages can play an important role in establishing boundaries around annual leave. Employees should generally be able to take their holiday without feeling that they must continually monitor their inbox. HR Magazine has previously highlighted the importance of employers setting clear expectations around email and supporting employees’ ability to disconnect from work.

An effective out-of-office response can help establish that boundary by making it clear that the employee is unavailable and directing urgent matters elsewhere.

What Should Employees Include in Out of Office Replies?

The best out of office replies are generally those that give the recipient the information they genuinely need without making the message unnecessarily complicated.

State That You Are Unavailable

The message should make it immediately clear that you are currently unavailable.

Employees do not necessarily need to provide a detailed explanation. Saying that you are on annual leave, away from the office or currently unavailable may be enough.

For longer periods of absence, such as maternity, paternity or other family-related leave, it may similarly be sufficient to explain that you are currently on leave.

Give a Return Date Where Appropriate

If you know when you will return, including the date, it can help manage expectations.

For example, telling someone that you will return on 14 September gives them a much clearer indication of when they might receive a response than simply stating that you are “currently out of the office”.

Employees should also be careful about promising that they will respond immediately upon their return. There may be a substantial backlog of messages to deal with after a lengthy absence.

Provide an Alternative Contact

If someone else can deal with urgent enquiries during your absence, provide their name and appropriate contact details.

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This can be particularly useful for employees in customer-facing roles or where delays could affect projects, deadlines or business operations.

Employees should, however, make sure the nominated colleague knows that they have been listed as the alternative contact.

Explain Whether You Will Have Access to Email

If you will not be checking emails, it can be useful to say so.

Alternatively, if you will have intermittent access, explain that responses may be delayed.

Being clear about availability helps recipients understand whether they should wait for a response or contact someone else.

What Should Employees Avoid in Out of Office Replies?

An out-of-office response may be generated automatically every time someone contacts an employee during their absence. Employees should therefore consider carefully what information they are effectively broadcasting.

Too Much Personal Information

Recipients rarely need to know exactly where an employee is travelling, which hotel they are staying in or what they have planned for their holiday.

Apart from being unnecessary, sharing detailed information about your location or travel arrangements could create privacy and security concerns.

A simple statement that you are on annual leave will normally communicate everything the sender needs to know.

Humour That Could Be Misunderstood

A funny auto-reply might be entertaining to close colleagues, but the same message could be received by a senior manager, customer or new client.

Humour is subjective, and sarcasm can be particularly difficult to interpret in writing.

Employees should therefore consider whether they would be comfortable with anyone connected with the organisation reading the message before setting it as an automatic response.

Negative Comments About Work

An out-of-office response is generally not the place to complain about workloads, colleagues, managers or how desperately you needed a holiday.

Even comments intended as jokes can appear unprofessional when taken out of context.

Statements suggesting that an employee is delighted to escape their workplace or intends to ignore everyone until they return might sound harmless between friends but could create a different impression when sent automatically to a customer or client.

Promising to Respond When You Will Not

Employees should avoid saying that they will monitor emails if they do not actually intend to do so.

Similarly, telling every sender that their message will receive an immediate response on the first morning back may create unrealistic expectations.

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An accurate message such as “I will respond as soon as possible following my return” provides greater flexibility.

Unnecessary Detail

An effective out-of-office message does not need to become an essay.

The recipient normally wants to know three things: whether you are available, when you will return and what they should do if their enquiry is urgent.

Keeping automatic replies concise makes that information easier to find.

Examples of Out of Office Messages

There is no single message that will suit every workplace. The appropriate wording will depend on the employee’s role, organisation and circumstances.

The following examples of out of office message wording provide a starting point that employees can adapt to their situation.

Annual Leave Out of Office Message

Thank you for your email.

I am currently on annual leave and will return on [date]. I will not have access to my emails during this period and will respond as soon as possible following my return.

If your enquiry is urgent, please contact [name/team] at [email address/contact details].

Kind regards,

[Name]

Long-Term Leave Out of Office Message

Thank you for your email.

I am currently away from work on [maternity/paternity/shared parental/other leave] and am not monitoring this inbox.

For enquiries during my absence, please contact [name/team] at [email address/contact details], who will be able to assist you.

Kind regards,

[Name]

Employees do not necessarily need to specify the particular type of long-term leave they are taking. Where they would prefer to keep that information private, “I am currently on extended leave” may be sufficient.

Intermittent Email Access Out of Office Message

Thank you for your email.

I am currently out of the office until [date] and will have limited access to email during this time. There may therefore be a delay in responding to your message.

If your enquiry requires urgent attention, please contact [name/team] at [email address/contact details].

Otherwise, I will respond as soon as I can.

Kind regards,

[Name]

Short and Simple Out of Office Message

Thank you for your email.

I am currently out of the office and will return on [date].

For urgent enquiries, please contact [name/team] at [contact details]. Otherwise, I will respond to your message following my return.

Kind regards,

[Name]

Should Out of Office Replies Always Be Formal?

Not necessarily.

The appropriate tone will depend heavily on the organisation, industry and employee’s usual communication style.

An employee working in a creative business with an informal culture may have considerably more freedom than someone communicating with clients in a highly regulated professional environment.

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There is also nothing inherently wrong with showing some personality. A friendly message can feel more natural than an overly formal automatic response.

The important consideration is the potential audience.

Before activating an auto-reply, employees might consider whether they would be comfortable with the wording being read by a client, customer, senior manager or someone contacting them for the first time.

If the answer is yes, the tone is probably appropriate.

Out of Office Replies Can Help Employees Switch Off

An effective out-of-office response does more than tell people that an employee is unavailable. It can also establish an important boundary between work and annual leave.

Employees should be able to use their time away from work to rest rather than feeling obliged to continually check emails. HR Magazine has previously discussed concerns around an “always-on” workplace culture and the importance of allowing employees to separate themselves from work outside their normal duties.

A clear out-of-office response can support that boundary by managing expectations before an employee even returns.

Rather than promising to monitor an inbox from the beach, employees can explain that they are unavailable and provide an alternative contact for anything genuinely urgent.

Keep Out of Office Replies Polite, Clear and Useful

Ultimately, out of office replies do not need to be complicated.

Employees can show personality where appropriate, but an automatic response is still a workplace communication and potentially has a much wider audience than expected.

A good message should tell the recipient that the employee is unavailable, provide an expected return date where possible and explain who to contact if something needs urgent attention.

Employees should think carefully before including detailed holiday plans, personal information, controversial humour or negative comments about their workplace.

When in doubt, polite and concise will usually be the safest approach.

After all, the purpose of an out-of-office message is not to provide an account of what you are doing while you are away. It is to make sure the people contacting you know what to expect until you return.

Have Concerns About Annual Leave or Workplace Policies? Get Help with Redmans

If you have concerns about your annual leave rights, workplace policies or how your employer has treated you in relation to taking time away from work, contact Redmans Solicitors today. Our specialist employment solicitors can assess your circumstances, answer your questions and advise you on your legal rights and possible next steps.

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