Writing a Clear Out of Office Message and Preparation Checklist

In today’s busy society and an ever-changing environment it can be extremely hard to step away from the office. Many leadership teams and companies expect you to be available or reachable when you aren’t in the office but, here is how you can win the battle and enjoy a work-free and stress-free vacation or time away from the office.

In this blog I’m sharing best practices for writing a clear and concise out of office message and share my checklist for what to do before your absence. My goal is to help you prepare so you can enjoy some fun, recovery, rest & relaxation, and time spent with family or friends without having to worry about work.

Out of Office Messages

An Out-of-office message is an automatic reply that let your contacts know you’re away from work and when they can expect a response. These messages are essential for setting expectations and ensuring smooth communication during your absence or vacation. Depending on the situation, you may need to include specific details. However, it’s important to keep these messages clear and concise.

Things to consider as you write your out of office message

Below I share the top tips to consider as you write your out of office message:

• Keep it simple: Provide only necessary information without going into detail.
• Avoid promising immediate responses: It’s best not to commit to replying as soon as you’re back, as it may take time to catch up.
• Obtain consent for alternate contacts: If you direct people to a colleague for urgent issues, ensure they have agreed to take on this responsibility.

A concise and professional out of office message can effectively communicate your unavailability and provide the necessary next steps.

Example of an out of office message

Hello,

I’m currently out of the office until November 15 and will have limited access to email during this time. For urgent matters, please reach out to Susan Souler at ssouler@email.com or 954-324-1010, ext. 4. I will respond to your email when I return.

Best,

Whitney

Stress-Free Out of Office Checklist

Complete As Soon As Possible (even if your trip is a year or more out):

–       Speak with your leadership team, if you aren’t the direct boss, and if you are make sure to share with your colleagues that you plan to be out of office and when.

o   No one should ever have to ask for permission but, in many cases this is true.

o   Make sure you are prepared with reasons why you need to be out of the office or why you deserve this time off (if for a vacation or the likes) should that come up.

–       If you have multiple people on your team or individuals that you work with closely on a daily basis, make sure you communicate right away when you will be Out of the Office and set clear expectations and boundaries that you will not be available and cannot be reached.

o   Send them a calendar invite that says you are Out of the Office so that they can see that and have a reminder when they are trying to set-up meetings and conversations.

–       Decline any meeting invites or calendar invites that take place while you are out so, individuals don’t think you ignored them or are planning to come and haven’t shown up.

–       If you have enough information and your trip isn’t too far out – Create a list of any projects that need your attention or any deadlines that may come up during that time.

o   Make sure to schedule time in your calendar to complete your portions, work with any team members that need your help, and hit your deadlines early so, you can have a stress free vacation.

–       Prepare or update your Policy and Procedures Manual. This will be important to pass along to your team to utilize in your absence. Make sure it includes critical elements about steps to take, how to complete tasks, and who they should look to if they need help while you are out.

–       Notify customers that you need to follow-up with or have weekly or bi-weekly touch points with that you won’t be able to that week or introduce and share the contact information with the person that they will need to work with that week while you are gone.

The Week Before Going Out of the Office

Here are some tasks to tackle starting the week before and leading up to your last day in the office:

–       Remind your team members/leadership that you will be Out of the Office and not reachable.

o   If you have weekly or bi-weekly check-ins with customers make sure you work with the team member that will be covering for you to prepare them while you are out.

–       Meet with your leadership team or colleagues and remind them you will be out of the office and discuss the steps you have take or put in place to make sure there are no issues and everything will be covered while you are out.

–       Create a plan for how you will tackle projects, emails, voicemails, and other items you missed while you are out so, when you come back you aren’t overwhelmed.

o   Be sure to share this with your Leadership team.

–       Ask the team if anyone needs your help, input, or the likes on any projects or deadlines they have coming up. Make time this week to work with them if they need help or input so, they aren’t held up on their tasks waiting on you to return.

–       Clean-up Your Office/Desk – coming back from a vacation can be stressful enough with all the emails you need to respond to, the voicemails to return, the team members vying for your attention; the last thing you want to do is come back to a messy office or desk after you just got refreshed.

o   Clean out and discard any food that will expired or go bad both in your office, desk drawers, refrigerators, in common areas, etc.

o   Wash out any coffee mugs or cups and if in a shared area remove and storage in your office so, they don’t take up drying space while you are out.

o   Organize your desk, including filing necessary paperwork, stacking things so they are neat and tidy.

o   If your position requires you to work with or see people’s personal information (Phone numbers, emails, social security, date of birth, etc.) make sure your drawers and files are locked and if available lock your office as well.

–       Set your Out of Office Auto Reply on your email letting people know that you aren’t available, when you will return, and who they can contact while you are out, if applicable.

o   We recommend that you set one OOO Auto Reply for Internal Folks with details about when you will return and that you aren’t available. Then set a different OOO for External Folks about who they can contact in an emergency or can communicate with if you will be out of the office for an extended period.

–       Change your voicemails (Desk Phone and Work Cellphone) letting people know that you are Out of Office and when you will return. It would be a good idea to leave another number of someone that could assist if your position works with other individuals that need things right away.

–       Shut down your computers and make sure that they aren’t available for anyone to use, hack into, or the likes. – Hackers look for when you might be out of office so, it is best to not give them free access to your documents or to utilize your computer while you are out.

While these are just suggestions be sure to touch base with your leadership team to find out what other policies your company may have in place or require prior to being Out of Office.

I’d love to help set you and your company up for success whenever someone is out of office. Feel free to reach out today.

For more insights, check out our related posts on Mistakes New Businesses Make in the First 5 Years and Outsource Project Management.