Tips for your absence notice and templates for holidays, parental leave and sabbaticals
Holidays are coming, a sabbatical is coming up or your parental leave is about to start? We have tips for your absence notice and templates for holidays, parental leave, sabbaticals or longer absences. If you set an automatic out-of-office message in your e-mail program, incoming messages will not remain unanswered for weeks or months. In the absence notice, you inform your contacts briefly and concisely about the duration of your absence, whether the e-mail will be forwarded or read and, if necessary, refer to a colleague who will take your place. With our tips and templates, you can quickly create a successful absence notice with all the necessary information.
When is the best time to create an out-of-office reply?
Do not wait until the last moment to create an out-of-office message, because then you risk making mistakes in the text or having problems with the automatic notification settings. It is better to prepare and write the notice of absence a few days before the start of your vacation, parental leave or sabbatical, for example when handing it over to your substitute.
This gives you enough time to have a colleague proofread the notice of absence or coordinate details with your manager. Questions about the correct settings in the e-mail program can then also be answered. You only have to activate the prepared absence notice before you switch off your computer on the last working day before your time off.
What style should an out-of-office reply have?
Whether your out-of-office reply is very formal or more casual and informal depends a lot on the industry you work in. However, keep in mind that an out-of-office notice is automatically sent to all e-mail senders who write to you during your absence. These can be colleagues with whom you are on first name terms and can joke around. But they can also be important customers or superiors – a colloquial tone would be out of place here. In general, it is recommended to keep an out-of-office message neutral, impersonal and rather formal.
What goes in an out of office notice?
An out-of-office reply should be short and contain only the information relevant to your contacts during your absence. Regardless of whether you set an out-of-office notice before you go on vacation, for a long sabbatical or for several months of parental leave. Don’t forget these items:
subject line
Write “Out of Office Message” in the subject line of the automatic email reply. In this way, the recipient knows without opening the e-mail that you are currently unavailable. The e-mail can be opened as required to find out the duration of the absence or to get the contact of a substitute.
Thanks for the message/salutation
Start the out-of-office reply like you would start a normal email. With a greeting such as:
- Good day,
- Ladies and Gentlemen
Alternatively, start the out-of-office notice with a thank you for the message you received and write:
- Thank you for your message.
How long have you been absent and when will you be back?
After the greeting or thanks, the main information comes straight away: the duration of your absence. To keep the out-of-office message simple and concise, you can omit the start of your absence and write either when you will be unavailable or when you will be back. For example:
- I am until XX.XX. XXXX not available by email.
- I’ll be back for you from Tuesday, XX.XX.XXXX.
Whether you want to state the reason for the absence is up to you or you should discuss this point internally with your superiors. It is usually not a problem to mention a holiday, for example:
- I am on vacation until XX.XX.XXXX.
Most people do not want to include an absence due to a long illness or a stay at a spa in an out-of-office message. Parental leave or a sabbatical can, but does not necessarily have to be mentioned if you do not want to disclose this private information. If you are unavailable for an indefinite period or for a very long time, you can write:
- I am currently unavailable by email.
- I am currently on sabbatical / maternity leave.
Will the email be read or forwarded?
You should also clarify in a notice of absence whether the incoming e-mail will be forwarded or read and answered by another person. This is usually not the case and is often problematic for data protection reasons. For example you can write:
- Your email will not be forwarded or read in my absence.
Optionally add reasons for this, for example:
- Unfortunately, your e-mail cannot be forwarded for data protection reasons.
Who will represent you?
If you have a substitute during your absence, then you should definitely mention them in the notification of absence and provide a contact option:
- My deputy takes over XX, whom you can reach by email at [email protected].
In order not to overload your colleagues during your absence, you can also write:
- In urgent cases, please contact my colleague XX on telephone number XXX.
- My deputy XX under XXX is available for emergencies.
Diploma
Don’t forget a friendly closing formula, such as:
- Many / best / kind regards
your name
English translation
If you have many international contacts, customers or colleagues, you should include an English translation in your absence notice or, depending on the industry, write your absence notice entirely in English.
What should you avoid in an out-of-office message?
In an out-of-office reply, avoid expressing negative feelings about your work or employer, or expressing glee about a long vacation or sabbatical, such as:
- Finally the best time of the year begins. I’m on vacation until XX.
- Finally away from the desk. During my vacation until XX I do not read e-mails.
Also avoid overly sloppy formulations, such as:
- I’ll be gone and not read your e-mail.
Excessive explanations, poems about hikes or nature experiences – such texts also do not belong in a neutral and short absence notice. Caution is also required with jokes and language games, emoticons (if so, please use very sparingly) or supposedly funny GIFs, like this one.
Out of office templates
To make things easier for you, we have created these templates for an out-of-office notice for special occasions:
out-of-office notice vacation
Subject: out of office notice
Thank you for your message. I am on vacation up to and including XX.XX.XXXX. Your email will not be forwarded for privacy reasons and I will not be able to reply to you until I return. In urgent cases, my colleague XX will help you further. You can reach her by e-mail at [email protected].
Best regards
Name
Absence notice for parental leave
Good day,
I am expected to be on parental leave until XX.XX.XXXX. Your email will not be forwarded or read. Please contact my representative XX, which you can reach by email at [email protected] or by phone at XXXX.
Best regards
Name
Notice of absence Sabbatical
Thank you for your message, which reached me on my sabbatical. I can only reply to your email after my return on XX.XX.XXXX. My deputy takes over XX, who you can reach by email at [email protected] or by phone at XXXX.
All the best
Name
Notice of absence after termination or end of employment
Thank you for your message. Since XX.XX.XXXX I am no longer for [Unternehmen] active and cannot answer your email. Please contact my successor XX, who you can reach by email at [email protected]. Please note that your email will not be forwarded automatically.
Best regards
Name
English out-of-office notice
Subject: Out of Office
Thank you for your email. I’m currently on annual leave until XX/XX/XXXX and can’t read or answer your email. Please get in touch with my colleague XX (email: [email protected], phone: XXX-XXX XX XX) who will be able to help you.
Kind regards,
Name