CREATING THE RIGHT OUT OF OFFICE MESSAGE

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Introduction

Many companies have an Out of Office template which employees are obliged to use. This often

tends to be a generic message which ensures consistency and probably reflects the corporate

branding, values and ethos. It does not, however, take into consideration personal circumstances

or individual client relationships.

The example below is very useful because it can be adapted to suit every occasion. However, it is

not very personal. How would you feel if you received this?

Dear Sender

Thank you for your message.

Please note that I am currently out of office until xxxxx due to: [ ] customer

meetings with limited email access [ ] attending internal meetings / training

with no email access [ ] working in a different time zone or somewhere else

with limited email access [ ] vacation without email access [ ] public holiday [

] illness [ ] being offline this afternoon.

In urgent cases please contact my colleague xxxxxx.

Messages are answered with a delay.

Best regards

If you can personalise your message to make it relevant to you and those you communicate

regularly with, you are guaranteed to get a better reaction. The challenge is to get the language,

style and tone right!

Language

There is no excuse for making language errors when writing Out of Office messages these days.

Use your computer software to make sure you have spelt everything correctly and there are no

grammar mistakes. Below are some of the key areas where people make mistakes.

Task 1

Choose the correct prepositions (from the dropdown menu) to complete these extracts from out of

office messages:

by in on until from between for

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1. I will be travelling on business …………. 12

th

and 16

th

March.

2. You can reach me …………. the following phone number: +44 (0) 7986 452315.

3. If you need urgent assistance, please contact my colleague Anya …………. the Sales Dept.

4. I will be on parental leave …………. the next six weeks.

5. I am currently on sick leave so there may be a delay in responding to your mails. A member

of the team will get back to you …………. the end of the day.

6. The office is closed for the summer. We will re-open …………. the beginning of September.

7. Please note I will be out of the office …………. next Thursday.

Task 2

1.

Find the mistakes in the Out of Office message below. (There are at least five mistakes in

each example).

Example 1

Hello

I am currentally out of the office until January 10th, please allow delay in your

responses.

Please, expect my answers when I am back.

- For Technical issues please contact xxxxx

- For none urgent requests, I will respond you when I am back.

Thank you

Example 2

Dear sir and madam

I’m not in the office this day. I will be back on the next week.

In urgent cases please contact my college xxxx

Kind regards

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2.

Now write your own improved version of the examples above.

Example 1

Example 2

Task 3

Put the words in the following sentences in the correct order to produce an Out of Office message:

Message 1

Thanks / email / your / for /. I’ll / out / be / office / of / the / Sept. 3-8. If / need / I'm / you /

away / assistance / while, / contact / please / Jane / for marketing /, or / Jones / questions / Bob

Miller / for / questions / accounting.

Message 2

Thank / you / message / your / for. / today / I / am / the / out / of / office, / no / email / with /

access. / be / I / will Feb. 16 / returning. / If / immediate / need / before / assistance / you /

then, / you / reach / on / may / me / 07958646521

.

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Message 3

Thank / you / for / email / your. / currently / I am / office / out of the / and / not / checking / I

am / email. / I / return/ not / will / until Aug. 26. / If / an / urgent / this is / matter, / contact / at

/ please / James Johnson james. johnson@yahoo.com. /, I will / respond / Otherwise / as

possible / to / my return / your email /as soon after. /

Style

It is important to write in a style which reflects your corporate culture and the relationship you

have with the reader

.

Before you write your Out of Office message, decide if it needs to be formal,

neutral or informal. The biggest mistake people make is to mix the different styles within one

message. This can make it look rather strange and inconsistent.

* It is possible to have a different version for internal and external contacts by changing the

settings on your email server.

Task 1

Discussion

Look at the following examples of real Out of Office messages. Are they formal or informal? Which

situations would they be suitable for? Which one do you prefer and why?

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Example 1

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am not in the office until 03.12.2021 and I have limited access to my emails. In urgent cases

please contact my colleague X.

Please note that your email will not be forwarded.

Example 2

Hello

Thank you for your email. I am currently on annual leave. I will be back on Monday 10th January.

Please expect some delay in my response. If urgent, please text me on xxxxxxxx.

Example 3

I am on my annual leave returning on Monday 10

th

. For any urgent issues, please WhatsApp me.

Thank you.

Task 2

Match these formal business words and phrases with their less formal equivalents:

Formal

Informal

respond

require

query

advise

assistance

due to

question

help

because of

tell

need

answer

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Tone

What do we mean when we talk about ‘tone’?

Task 1

Discussion

Look at these real examples of Out of Office Messages. How do they make you feel when you read

them?

Example 1

Hi!

Please be advised that I am out of the office due to my day off and national public holidays till 9

January inclusive.

Example 2

I will be out of the office from 20th December to 10th January (vacation) with no access to my

email.

I will get back to you on my return.

Model template you can adapt for your own use

Below are some templates covering the most common reasons for being away from your desk:

Model Template 1

Your Greeting

I will be out of the office starting (Starting Date) to (End Date) returning (Date of Return).

If you need immediate assistance during my absence, please contact (Contacts

Name) at (Contacts)

Warm regards

Your name

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Model Template 2

Your Greeting

Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office, with no email access. I will be

returning on (Date of Return).

If you need immediate assistance before then, you may reach me on my mobile – (Mobile

Number).

Kind regards

Your name

Model Template 3

Your Greeting

Thank you for your email. Your message is important to (us/me) and (I/we) will respond as

soon as possible.

Thank You!

Your name

Model Template 4

Your Greeting

Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office from March 19 - 25 for a work conference.

If you require any assistance during my absence, please contact John James [email and phone

number] if you have any questions or concerns while I am away.

Best regards

Your name

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Model Template 5

Your Greeting

Thank you for getting in touch! I am out of the office for vacation from [start date] until [end

date].

During this time, I will not be checking my email.

If you require immediate assistance or have a question, please feel free to contact my colleague

Tom Asper at [email and phone number]. For all other matters, I will respond to messages as

soon as I can upon my return.

Thank you for your patience!

Model Template 6

Hello

Thank you for getting in touch. Due to the birth of my [son or daughter], I will be away on

paternity /maternity / parental leave from [start date] until [end date].

During this time, all my accounts and clients will be handled by the very talented Amelia Harkins.

She can be reached at [email and phone] during regular office hours. Thank you for your

understanding during this exciting time.

Best wishes

Model Template 7

Hello

Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office on medical leave from [start date] until

[end date]. During this time, I will not be checking messages or responding to emails.

If you need assistance or have a question, please contact my colleague Amy Ryan [email and

phone] with all concerns during this time. I thank you for your understanding and patience as I

recover.

Warm regards