Out of Office Email Etiquette: 15 Essential Rules (2026 Guide)

Do: Set your OOO message for any absence of 2+ days, including weekends if you won't be checking email.

Don't: Set an OOO for a 2-hour dentist appointment or single-day conference attendance (unless you truly won't have email access).

Why it matters: Senders deserve to know when to expect a response. If you'll be gone for two business days or more, they need to be informed.

Best Practice: Set your out-of-office message the evening before you leave, or first thing on your departure day.

Common Mistake: Forgetting to activate it until you're already at the airport, or worse, after you've landed.

Pro Tip: Add "Set OOO message" to your pre-vacation checklist. Many email clients let you schedule OOO messages in advance.

Critical: Turn off your OOO message as soon as you're back and checking email.

Embarrassing Scenario: Sending emails while your OOO is still active makes you look disorganized.

The Fix: Make disabling your OOO the first thing you do when you log in on your return day.

Essential Information: Tell people when you'll be back and able to respond.

Example: "I will return to the office on January 23 and respond to your email by January 24."

Why it matters: Without a return date, senders don't know if you're gone for 2 days or 2 weeks.

Professional Standard: Always offer an alternative contact for urgent matters.

Format: "For urgent matters, please contact Sarah Johnson at sarah.johnson@company.com or (555) 123-4567."

Important: Get permission from the person you're listing before including them in your OOO message.

Three Options:

• • "I will not be checking email" (complete disconnect)
• • "I will have limited access to email" (checking occasionally)
• • "I will be checking email periodically" (responsive but delayed)

Don't: Say you won't check email, then respond within 2 hours. Pick one approach and stick to it.

Ideal Length: 3-5 sentences, 50-100 words maximum.

Must Include:

• • You're out of office
• • Dates you're gone
• • When you'll respond
• • Alternative contact for urgent matters

Don't: Write a novel. Nobody wants to read a 300-word OOO message.

Conservative Industries: Law, finance, healthcare—keep it strictly professional.

Creative/Casual Industries: Startups, marketing, tech—personality is okay (within reason).

Golden Rule: When in doubt, err on the side of professional. A slightly boring OOO message never got anyone in trouble.

❌ Too Much: "I'm in Bali at the Four Seasons celebrating my anniversary in villa #207"

✅ Just Right: "I'm currently on vacation from January 15-22"

Security Concern: Broadcasting your exact location and travel dates can be a security risk. Keep it vague.

For Internal Colleagues: You can be slightly more casual and include internal contacts.

For External Clients: Keep it formal and provide customer-facing alternative contacts.

Pro Tip: Most email clients (Gmail, Outlook) let you set separate OOO messages for internal and external senders.

Consistency: Your voicemail greeting should match your email OOO message.

Example: "You've reached John Doe. I'm out of the office January 15-22. For urgent matters, please press 0 for the main office or call Sarah at extension 234."

Don't Forget: Also update Slack status, Teams availability, and any other communication channels.

Sabbaticals/Extended Leave: If you'll be gone for 4+ weeks, add this line:

"Due to the extended nature of my absence, I will not be able to respond to all messages. For immediate assistance, please contact [alternative]."

Optional: Some people set up filters to auto-archive non-urgent emails during extended absences.

❌ Bad: "I'll respond to your email as soon as possible" (when you have 500 unread emails waiting)

✅ Better: "I will respond to your email within 3 business days of my return on January 23"

Reality Check: Be realistic about response times. It's better to under-promise and over-deliver.

For Global Teams: Include time zones in your dates.

Example: "I'm out of office December 23-January 2 (EST) and will respond when I return on January 3."

Why: January 2 in New York is January 3 in Sydney. Clarity prevents confusion.

Check For:

• • Spelling and grammar errors
• • Correct dates
• • Working email addresses and phone numbers
• • Proper formatting

Pro Tip: Send a test email to yourself to see exactly what others will receive.

Critical: Include emergency contact information and disclaimers.

"This email is not monitored for medical emergencies. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room. For urgent medical questions, call our office at (555) 123-4567."

Formal: Legal OOO messages should be strictly professional with clear alternative counsel.

Always include a disclaimer that the OOO response doesn't constitute legal advice and note any filing deadlines during your absence.

Urgent: Provide multiple contact options to prevent losing sales opportunities.

Include a general support email, phone number, and live chat link if available. Lost opportunities cost money.

Flexible: Personality and humor are acceptable (within reason).

You can be more casual, but still include all essential information. Fun is fine; unprofessional is not.

Duration: Clearly state you're on parental leave and for how long.

Privacy: You don't need to share personal details. "I'm on parental leave until April 15" is sufficient.

Coverage: Provide detailed alternative contacts since you'll be completely disconnected for weeks/months.

Keep It Private: "I'm currently on medical leave" is all you need to say. No details required.

If you don't know your return date, say "I'm currently on medical leave and will return to the office at a future date. Please contact [name] for assistance."

Transparency: Be clear you'll be gone for an extended period and won't be checking email regularly.

Consider adding: "Due to the extended nature of my sabbatical, I may not be able to respond to all messages upon my return."

Before You Leave:

• ☐ Write your OOO message with all essential information
• ☐ Proofread for errors and test by sending to yourself
• ☐ Confirm alternative contact is aware and willing
• ☐ Set separate messages for internal vs. external if needed
• ☐ Update voicemail greeting to match
• ☐ Update Slack/Teams status
• ☐ Decline recurring meetings you'll miss
• ☐ Activate OOO the evening before or morning of departure

When You Return:

• ☐ Turn off OOO immediately upon return
• ☐ Reset voicemail greeting
• ☐ Update Slack/Teams status to "Active"
• ☐ Triage urgent emails first
• ☐ Set realistic expectations for response times