30+ templates for vacation, sick days, maternity leave, holidays, and more. Just fill in the blanks.
Every OOO needs 4 things: (1) You're out. (2) When you're back. (3) Who to contact. (4) Whether you're checking email. Keep it under 5 sentences. Copy a template below, fill in the blanks, paste into Gmail or Outlook.
Standard Vacation Hi there, Thanks for your email. I'm currently out of the office on vacation from [start date] to [end date] with limited access to email. I'll respond to your message when I return on [return date]. For urgent matters, please reach out to [Name] at [email]. Thanks for your patience! [Your name]
Beach Vacation Hi, I'm currently trading emails for ocean waves 🌊 and will be out of the office from [start date] to [end date]. I won't be checking email during this time. If you need immediate assistance, please contact [Name] at [email]. I'll get back to you when I return on [return date]. Best, [Your name]
International Vacation (No Access) Thank you for your email. I'm currently traveling internationally and will be out of the office from [start date] through [end date] with no email access. For urgent business matters, please contact [Name] at [email/phone]. For non-urgent items, I'll respond when I return on [return date]. Thank you, [Your name]
Extended Vacation (2+ Weeks) Hi, Thank you for reaching out. I'm on an extended vacation from [start date] to [end date] and will not be available during this time. All requests should be directed to [Name] at [email], who has full context on my projects. I will follow up on any remaining items when I return on [return date]. Thanks for your understanding, [Your name]
Partially Available Vacation Hi, I'm out of the office from [start date] to [end date] but checking email once daily in the evenings. If your matter is urgent, please reach out to [Name] at [email]. Otherwise, I'll respond within 24 hours. Best, [Your name]
Standard Professional Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office from [start date] to [end date]. During my absence, please direct all inquiries to [Name] at [email]. I will review and respond to your message upon my return on [return date]. Regards, [Your name] [Title]
Conference / Business Trip Thank you for your message. I am attending [conference/event name] from [start date] to [end date] and will have limited email access. For time-sensitive matters, please contact [Name] at [email]. I will respond to all other emails upon my return on [return date]. Best regards, [Your name]
Training / Professional Development Thank you for your email. I am currently participating in [training/course name] from [start date] to [end date] and will have limited availability. For urgent matters, please contact [Name] at [email]. I will respond to your message after [return date]. Thank you, [Your name]
Client-Facing Professional Thank you for reaching out. I am currently out of the office from [start date] through [end date]. Your inquiry is important to me. In my absence, [Name] ([email]) will be happy to assist you. I will personally follow up when I return on [return date]. Warm regards, [Your name] [Title] | [Company]
Executive / Senior Leadership Thank you for your email. I am out of the office from [start date] to [end date]. For immediate business needs, please contact my assistant [Name] at [email/phone]. For [department]-related matters, please reach out to [Name] at [email]. I appreciate your patience and will respond upon my return. [Your name] [Title]
The Beach One I'm currently out of the office and probably somewhere with better Wi-Fi — except I'm choosing not to use it. 🏖️ I'll be back on [return date]. Until then, [Name] at [email] can help. If it's not urgent, I'll catch up when I'm back. See you soon, [Your name]
The Honest One I'm out of the office. I may have seen your email come in. I chose to keep lounging. No regrets. I'll be back on [return date]. If your building is on fire, call [Name] at [email]. If not, it can wait. Cheers, [Your name]
The Adventure One I'm on an adventure. It involves zero spreadsheets and zero meetings. 🏔️ Back on [return date]. For anything urgent, [Name] at [email] has my back. For everything else — I'll return with stories and a full inbox. [Your name]
The Movie Quote "I'll be back." — The Terminator, and also me, on [return date]. Until then, please contact [Name] at [email] for assistance. [Your name]
The Minimalist Funny Out. Back [return date]. Contact [Name] ([email]) if urgent. If not urgent, let's all agree that this can wait. ✌️ [Your name]
Standard Sick Day Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office due to illness and will return on [return date]. For urgent matters, please contact [Name] at [email]. I will respond to your email as soon as possible upon my return. Thank you, [Your name]
Extended Medical Leave Thank you for your email. I am currently on medical leave and will not be available until [return date]. During my absence, please direct all inquiries to [Name] at [email/phone], who has been briefed on my active projects. I appreciate your understanding, [Your name]
Unknown Return Date Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office for medical reasons. My return date has not yet been determined. Please contact [Name] at [email] for all inquiries. They will be handling my responsibilities during this time. Thank you, [Your name]
Surgery / Recovery Thank you for your email. I am currently recovering from a medical procedure and will be out of the office until approximately [return date]. I will not have access to email during this time. Please direct all inquiries to [Name] at [email]. Thank you for your patience, [Your name]
Maternity Leave Thank you for your email. I am currently on maternity leave and will be out of the office until [return date]. I will not be checking email during this time. For all inquiries, please contact [Name] at [email], who is covering my responsibilities. Thank you for your understanding, [Your name]
Paternity Leave Thank you for your email. I'm on paternity leave from [start date] to [end date] welcoming our new addition to the family. I won't be available during this time. Please reach out to [Name] at [email] for any needs. Best, [Your name]
Parental Leave (Gender-Neutral) Thank you for your message. I am currently on parental leave and will return on [return date]. All inquiries should be directed to [Name] at [email]. I will not be monitoring email during this time. Thank you, [Your name]
Holiday Season Happy holidays! 🎄 I'm out of the office from [start date] to [end date] for the holiday season. I'll respond to your email when I return on [return date]. For urgent matters, please contact [Name] at [email]. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, [Your name]
Thanksgiving Thank you for your email. I'm out of the office for the Thanksgiving holiday from [start date] to [end date]. I'll be back on [return date] and will respond to your message then. For urgent needs, contact [Name] at [email]. Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 [Your name]
Year-End Closing Thank you for your email. Our office is closed from [start date] through [end date] for the year-end holiday period. We will reopen on [return date]. For urgent matters, please email [Name] at [email]. Happy New Year! 🎉 [Your name]
Company-Wide Holiday Thank you for your email. Our team is observing [holiday name] on [date] and will not be available. We will resume normal operations on [return date]. For urgent inquiries, please contact [emergency contact info]. Best regards, [Your name]
One-Day Absence Thanks for your email. I'm out of the office today, [date], and will respond tomorrow. For urgent matters, reach out to [Name] at [email]. [Your name]
Half-Day I'm out of the office this [morning/afternoon]. I'll respond to emails after [time]. For urgent matters, contact [Name] at [email]. [Your name]
Back Tomorrow Out today. Back tomorrow. Will reply then. For urgent: [Name] at [email]. [Your name]
Minimal OOO until [date]. Contact [Name] ([email]) for urgent matters. [Your name]
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Four things: you're out, return date, who to contact, whether you'll have email access. Keep under 5 sentences.
Gmail: Settings → Vacation responder. Outlook: File → Automatic Replies. Set dates, paste template, save.
Set it up the day before, scheduled to start on your first day out. That way you don't forget.
Yes — Outlook supports separate internal/external messages natively. Gmail sends the same to all.
3–5 sentences max. When back, who to contact, email access status. That's it.
Depends on culture. Tech/creative/startups = fine. Law/finance/government = stick to formal.
Only if you want calls. For true vacations, no. For business trips where you're partially available, yes for urgent only.
State you won't be available, direct ALL inquiries to backup, don't promise email access. Brief your backup in detail.
Gmail: Settings → Vacation responder Off. Outlook: File → Automatic Replies → Don't send. Check first thing on return day.
Usually not necessary. If expecting important emails, set a brief one. Otherwise just respond when back.