Out-of-office messages are essential for maintaining clear communication while you are away from work. They inform colleagues, clients, and partners that you are unavailable, set expectations for response times, and provide alternative contacts if necessary. A well-crafted out-of-office message can enhance professionalism and ensure that urgent matters are addressed in your absence. This guide presents a comprehensive outline for creating effective out-of-office messages, along with examples to inspire your own.
Email Structure For A Professional Out of Office Message
Subject Line
- Clear and concise statement of the email’s purpose
- Example: “Out of Office Notification”
- Greeting
- Address the recipient appropriately
- Example: “Dear [Recipient’s Name],”
- Opening Statement
- Briefly explain the purpose of the email
- Example: “Thank you for your message.”
- Main Body
- Duration of Absence
- Specify the dates you will be unavailable
- Example: “I am currently out of the office and will return on [return date].”
- Reason for Absence (optional)
- Provide a brief explanation if appropriate
- Example: “I am on vacation” or “I am attending a conference.”
- Alternative Contact Information
- Provide details for someone who can assist in your absence
- Example: “For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name] at [contact email/phone].”
- Expectation Setting
- Mention when you will respond to emails
- Example: “I will respond to your email as soon as possible upon my return.”
- Closing Statement
- Express appreciation for the recipient’s understanding
- Example: “Thank you for your patience.”
- Sign-Off
- Use a professional closing
- Example: “Best regards,” or “Sincerely,”
- Your Name
- Include your full name
- Example: “[Your Name]”
- Optional Elements
- Job Title
- Example: “[Your Job Title]”
- Company Name
- Example: “[Your Company Name]”
- Contact Information
- Example: “[Your Phone Number]” or “[Your Email Address]” (if not using an auto-reply)
Template Email for an Out of Office Message
Subject: Out of Office Notification
Dear [Recipient’s Name],
Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will return on [return date].
I am [on vacation/attending a conference], and will not have regular access to my email. For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name] at [contact email/phone].
I will respond to your email as soon as possible upon my return. Thank you for your patience.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Job Title]
[Your Company Name]
[Your Phone Number]
Examples of Out-of-Office Messages
- Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will respond to your message as soon as possible upon my return.
- I appreciate your message. I am out of the office until [return date] and will have limited access to email. I will respond to your inquiry once I return.
- Hello! I am currently out of the office with no access to email. I will be back on [return date] and will get back to you as soon as I can.
- Thank you for reaching out. I am away from the office until [return date]. If your matter is urgent, please contact [alternate contact name] at [contact email/phone].
- I’m out of the office and will not be checking emails until [return date]. For immediate assistance, please reach out to [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will not be available until [return date]. I appreciate your patience.
- I’m currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. If you need assistance before then, please contact [alternate contact name].
- I am out of the office and will not be checking emails until [return date]. Thank you for your understanding.
- Thank you for your message. I am away from the office and will return on [return date]. I will respond to your email as soon as possible.
- I’m out of the office until [return date]. For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name] at [contact email/phone].
- Hello! I am currently out of the office with limited access to email. I will respond to your message after [return date].
- Thank you for your email. I am away until [return date] and will respond upon my return.
- I appreciate your message. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. Please reach out to [alternate contact name] for urgent matters.
- I’m currently out of the office and will be back on [return date]. I will respond to your email as soon as I can.
- Thank you for reaching out. I am away from the office until [return date]. Your email is important to me, and I will reply as soon as possible.
- I am out of the office until [return date]. For immediate assistance, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. I appreciate your patience.
- I’m out of the office and will not be checking emails until [return date]. For urgent issues, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will respond to your email upon my return on [return date].
- I am out of the office until [return date]. If you need assistance, please reach out to [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your email. I am currently away from the office and will return on [return date]. I will respond as soon as I can.
- I’m currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for reaching out. I am away from the office until [return date]. I will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.
- I am out of the office until [return date]. For immediate assistance, please contact [alternate contact name] at [contact email/phone].
- Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will respond to your email after [return date].
- I appreciate your email. I am out of the office until [return date]. I will respond to your message as soon as I return.
- Thank you for your message. I am currently away from the office with limited access to email and will return on [return date].
- I’m out of the office and will not be available until [return date]. For urgent inquiries, please reach out to [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will respond to your message after [return date].
- I am away from the office until [return date]. If you require immediate assistance, please contact [alternate contact name].
- I appreciate your email. I am currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. Thank you for your understanding.
- I’m out of the office and will not be checking emails until [return date]. For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for reaching out. I am away from the office until [return date] and will respond to your email once I return.
- I am currently out of the office with no access to email. I will return on [return date] and will respond to your message then.
- Thank you for your message. I am out of the office until [return date]. If you need immediate assistance, please contact [alternate contact name].
- I’m currently away from the office and will return on [return date]. I will respond to your email as soon as I can.
- Thank you for your email. I am out of the office and will not be checking emails until [return date]. I appreciate your patience.
- I am away from the office until [return date]. For urgent inquiries, please reach out to [alternate contact name] at [contact email/phone].
- Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will respond to your email after [return date].
- I’m out of the office and will return on [return date]. If your request is urgent, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for reaching out. I am currently away from the office with limited access to email. I will respond after [return date].
- I appreciate your email. I am out of the office until [return date]. For any urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name].
- I’m currently out of the office and will not be available until [return date]. Thank you for your understanding.
- Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will respond as soon as possible.
- I am away from the office until [return date]. For immediate assistance, please reach out to [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your email. I am out of the office and will respond to your message after [return date].
- I’m currently out of the office and will return on [return date]. If you need urgent assistance, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for reaching out. I am away from the office until [return date]. Your email is important to me, and I will reply as soon as I can.
- I am out of the office and will not be checking emails until [return date]. For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact name].
- Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will respond to your email after [return date].
Set The Expectation: Are You Open To be Contacted While Out of Office?
An out-of-office message does more than notify people you’re away—it sets expectations, maintains communication, and reflects your professionalism. Whether you’re completely offline or still available for urgent matters, your auto-reply should match your level of accessibility.
A well-tailored message helps colleagues, clients, or partners understand when and how to reach you—or who to contact in your absence. Below, you’ll find examples for both scenarios: when you’re fully unavailable and when you’re open to being contacted. Use these templates to craft a message that fits your situation and communicates clearly.
A. Out-of-Office Statements When You Are Not Available
(These clearly communicate unavailability while maintaining a polite and professional tone.)
- Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will not be checking email during this time.
- I am away from my desk and unavailable until [return date]. I will respond to your email as soon as possible upon my return.
- I am currently on leave and not available to respond to emails. Thank you for your understanding.
- I’m currently out of the office and unable to respond at this time. I appreciate your patience during my absence.
- I am taking time away from work and will not be available until [date].
- Please note that I am currently unavailable and will not be monitoring email during this period.
- I am out of the office with no access to email. I will respond when I return on [date].
- I’m away from the office and will not be available for calls or messages until [return date].
- Thank you for reaching out. I’m currently offline and will be back in touch after [date].
- I’m currently on leave and not reachable during this time. I’ll get back to you after [return date].
- I’m away on personal leave and will not be able to respond until I return.
- I am currently taking time away and will reply to your message as soon as I can after [date].
- I am not available at the moment but will respond to your inquiry when I return.
- I am currently off work and not checking emails. I will follow up after [date].
- I’m out of the office at the moment and will not be able to respond until I return.
B. Out-of-Office Statements When You Are Open to Be Contacted
(These express your unavailability but offer a way to reach you or someone else, maintaining support and responsiveness.)
- I’m currently out of the office but will be checking email periodically. If urgent, feel free to follow up.
- I’m away from my desk until [date] but available by email if your message is time-sensitive.
- I am currently out of the office. For urgent matters, please contact me at [alternate contact method].
- I am on leave but will be checking email intermittently. If this is urgent, please write “URGENT” in the subject line.
- I’m away from the office, but I’ll do my best to respond within [X] business days.
- While I am currently out of the office, you may reach me on my mobile for urgent requests.
- I am away from work until [date]. If you need immediate assistance, please email [backup contact name and email].
- I am currently out but available for urgent matters via email or phone.
- I’m away from my desk but reachable for urgent issues at [alternate contact info].
- I am on leave and may have limited access to email. Please mark urgent messages accordingly.
- I’ll be out of the office until [date], but you can reach me via [method] if necessary.
- Thank you for your email. I’m away until [date], but I will be monitoring email occasionally.
- I’m currently out of office. If something requires immediate attention, please reach out to [colleague’s name and contact].
- I’m on a short break and may take longer to reply, but feel free to follow up if needed.
- I am currently unavailable but open to responding to urgent inquiries. Please indicate urgency in your subject line.
Crafting the perfect out of office message is more than a formality—it’s a reflection of your professionalism, clarity, and respect for others’ time. Whether you’re away for a short trip or an extended leave, a well-written auto-reply helps manage expectations, maintain communication, and uphold your personal or company reputation.
By tailoring your message to suit your role, audience, and tone, you can leave a positive impression even when you’re not available. Use the examples in this post as a guide, and don’t forget to update your message regularly to keep it relevant. A little preparation goes a long way in maintaining smooth communication while you’re away.
