How to Write an Out-of-Office Message

The Countdown is over! It is the day before your first stay of vacation. You have effectively avoided work for the entire day to daydream about laying on the beach, skiing at the resort, or even just laying in your bed binge watching that show you’ve been dying to watch for weeks. But just one last item to complete before you can shout FREEDOM has you sprint to your car before your boss can change his/her mind about letting you have time off.

Writing Your Out-of-Office Message.

Sure you could write the same boring OOO that everyone uses – “I will be out of the office from this date to that date with limited/no access to email. I will return your message when I return on this date. Thanks.” But where is the fun in that?

Why not take some time to truly craft an Out-of-Office message that will be remembered, that will give the suckers still at work have 30 seconds of brevity in their day, that will win awards. Look to these examples below for inspiration:

For the bold: “I am currently out at a job interview, and will return your message if I fail to get the position.”

For the witty: “Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first ten words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.

For those who believe in fate: “I am currently out of the office. I have a cell phone, but I will not be giving the number out. If you can guess the number, however, I will take your call.”

For those who believe in survival of the fittest: “I am on vacation until mm/dd/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 email remaining. Choose wisely. Please note that you have already sent me one email.”

For those who are disconnecting from technology: “I will be out of the office and returning on mm/dd/yyyy. I have incredibly easy access to a phone and email, but I assure you, they will not be used for work purposes.”

For those who enjoy brevity: “On a beach, no laptop, no iPhone. Back mm/dd/yyyy.”

For the talkative: “I am out of the office until mm/dd/yyyy. Enjoy the quiet.”

Next time you have to write an Out-Of-Office Message, let the creative juices flow and give your coworkers a chuckle while you’re enjoying time away from the office and they are still slaving away.