How to Write a Professional Email Out Of Office Message

A professional email out of office message is necessary when you take your well-deserved paid time off from your job. You want to set up an automated responder for your email inbox informing people that you are away.  
 
In this blog post, you will learn why an out-of-office message is important, the potential negative impact of not having an out-of-office notice, and how to structure a professional out-of-office email message that sets clear expectations for yourself and your co-workers. The goal is that you can enjoy your vacation while work moves forward without you.  

Take Your PTO – You Need And Deserve It 

When was the last time you took a vacation? If you work in a government, like a school district, you likely have some significant time off compared to the private industry – at least in the United States.  
 
At the time of this writing this, I get 24 vacation days plus 12 sick days in addition to paid holidays.  

The US may not be the country where taking extended vacations is common (yet). But you receive your PTO (paid time off) as part of your pay. So, take it! 
 
I have seen colleague after colleague leave the district with weeks of unused PTO. And I wonder “Why? Oh Why?”. Not only is unused PTO leaving money on the table (because you still get paid for NOT working) but unused PTO also translates into fewer breaks for people to fully recharge.  
 
Especially when I see people leave during hiring season, I wonder if a high PTO balance is the reason they feel burnt out and thus look for something else.
 
That is to say, whether it’s just a day off in the middle of the week to catch up on household chores, additional days around the holidays or a planned vacation, I am happy you decided to take time off from your stressful job to recharge.  
 
p.s.

If you need further encouragement for taking time off, read more on the importance of taking time off here.  
 

Consequences of Not Having An Automated Out of Office Notice 

Without an out-of-office notice, emails will come in. And people who send you the emails will not know when they get a response.  

Especially if people are used to reliable response times from you, you need to set up a professional out-of-office message. That way people can manage their expectations, know when and how their message will receive a reply. 

Without a professional email out-of-office message, you may not be able to relax. You will know that emails are still coming in. As a result, you might feel the urge to check your emails occasionally while you’re taking PTO.  

What’s the point of that? Now you are not actually taking time off work? 

 Alternatively, if you can separate work and life and do not check your emails while you’re on vacation and do not have an out of office message that automatically gets send as soon as someone sends you an e-mail while you’re out, the person may wonder why they do not receive message from you. In turn, this may unintentionally reflect negatively back on and you’re standing at the office and your professionalism. All the while, work stops to move forward because it is getting stuck in your inbox. 

With a proper autoresponder, you can enjoy your vacation and know that others are informed of your absence and work keeps moving. 

How To Structure Your Out of Office Notice  

I take two week vacations every year. Sometimes a couple times a year. Before I leave, I set up my out of office notice.  
 
That automated message not only states how long I am out of the office and when I will return any missed emails. It also includes a backup plan for who to contact for what in my absence.  
 
Before I go on vacation, I think through the most important tasks I complete on a regular basis. For the tasks that are ongoing, I try to find a person who can do those in my absence.  
See the breakdown of the out of office notice below:  

#1 Acknowledge the message. 

Example: “Thank you for your message.” 

I don’t love starting the out-of-office message with a sentence like this. The reason is that to me the “thank you” is just fluff. At the same time, a friendly acknowledgement is just that – friendly and sets a good tone.  

I will leave it up to you if you include the note that you received the email. Placement options are the beginning or end of your out-of-office email message.

#2 State the time frame you are out of office.  

Example: “I am out of office from Monday, Sep 8 – Friday, Sep, 18 2025.” 

Let people know how long you will be away from the office. The timeframe you’re taking PTO is different than the timeframe you are away from email (#3). What I mean by that is that you will be away from your email longer than you will be away from the office. Yes. Because outside of answering email you have actual tasks to do. Getting back to your email inbox may take another day or two upon your return.  
So, stating the time you are out of office solely states that these are the days you are not working at all.  

#3 Set an expectation for when you will return missed messages.  

Example: “I will return messages in the week of Sep 22 2025.” 

In this part of your out of office notice, you set clear expectations for when you will return received email messages.  
As stated above, this is different than stating when you are out of office.  

Some people may be eager to receive a response from you, let them know a clear deadline for when you plan to get back to them. This helps people plan.  
Tip: Don’t tell people you will get back to them the first day back in the office. That may be unrealistic depending on how many emails you typically receive.  

#4 Provide contact information work that will continue in your absence. 

Example: “For immediate assistance, please contact the following people in the meantime:  
For XYZ contact: [email protected] 
For ABC contact: [email protected]” 

Ideally, (and I have been told I am an idealist), work keeps moving while you are out. You want to avoid being a bottleneck meaning other people should generally know how to do your tasks in your absence.  

Before you go on vacation, identify the most important tasks that need to be completed without you, teach someone how to do them, and inform other that your colleague will be the point of contact for the tasks in your absence? 
 
But doesn’t that create more work for my colleague? Well, yes. But when they are out, you can take on work for them in return.  

#5 Provide further resources.  

Example: “Please consider the following resources in my absence: 
 
www.office-clarity.com –> articles on reducing time spent with email 
Name and link to resource –> explanation of what to do with this tool” 

Provide further resources, like websites, checklists, templates etc. to help people help themselves while you are out. The more people can do without your help, the fewer emails you will have waiting for you upon your return.  

Additionally, your co-workers will appreciate that you anticipated their needs.  

All in all, these 5 parts of your automatic email response inform your co-workers that you are gone, sets expectations for when they will hear back from you and provide a plan for the work that needs to move forward during your absence.  

Email Out of Office Message is Up – Now Fully Relax! 

With a professional out of office message you can enjoy your time off fully. I do not check emails when I take PTO, so I can fully disconnect. I highly encourage you to do the same.  
 
My out of office message clearly states how long I am gone and that I am not available during the time. By following through on that, meaning to keep the email inbox closed, the computer at my work station, I teach people that I am actually unavailable during this time. This creates clarity for both me and my co-workers.  

For reference, here is the full out of office message for my two week trip to Europe in September 2025 (names changed): 

Thank you for your message. 
I am out of the office from Monday, Sep 8 – Friday, Sep 18 2025.  
 
I will reply to missed messages in the order received in the week of Sep 22 2025. 

Please contact these colleagues in my absence for the following: 
 
➡️ Scheduling requests: [email protected]  
Other resources: 
Information to Include in Scheduling Requests 

➡️ Contracts for the division of operations: [email protected]  
Other resources: 
Contracts Naming Convention  

➡️ Standard Operating Procedures: [email protected]  
Other resources: 
SOP SharePoint page

 
 

Upon Your Return… 

Returning from vacation can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Set an intention to ride that relaxation wave a little longer and change some habits in how you approach your work.  
 

The blog posts below help you maintain calm at work even during busy times: 

Simple Email Structure Template for Writing Clearer Emails 

How to Set up Rules for Outlook for Guaranteed Inbox Clarity 

How to be Less Stressed at the Office with This Easy Email Habit 

Email Back and Forth: The Best Way to End It For Good 

Just Another Day at the Office – A Simple Daily Structure 

Out of Office Message Examples