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Now It’s Your Turn to Make Them Jealous

We’re already well into August and the end of summer is upon us. But not so fast! We still have a few weeks left to enjoy the sunshine. If you saved your summer vacation until the end of the summer, we’re proud of you for making it this far. You probably sent out countless emails this summer with an automatic reply saying, “I am out of the office. I am not here. And you are working.” (Okay, maybe it didn’t say that exactly, but it may have sounded that way to you.) Well, now it’s your turn! We have all the tips and tricks on how to set up a great OOO (out of office) email that will make all your coworkers jealous.

Let’s Talk About the Bare Bones

Before we get to the fun part, we have to talk about the essential information you need to put in your OOO email. It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people miss the mark. There are really 3 key pieces of information you need to put in your message. First, you need to include the dates you’re going to be out of the office, as well as back in the office. When you include the dates, it can give whoever is trying to reach out to you a timeline to hear back from you and make it clear if they need to reach out to someone else for faster assistance. Speaking of someone else, the second thing to include in your OOO message is a back-up contact. In the event of an urgent request, there should be someone who can be reached while you’re gone. Make sure to include the back-up person’s phone number and email address. Lastly, the third key piece of information to include in your OOO email is to specify whether or not you will have limited email/phone access. A sad reality is that people still feel the need to constantly check their emails while on vacation. If you really want to enjoy your vacation, unplug yourself and just let people know that you will not be able to answer their emails until you come back. Trust me, they will understand!

 
Example of a basic OOO email:
 

Now, on to the Fun Part!

Now that you’ve got the bare bones essentials in your OOO email, you can jazz it up by including a little more detail. One way to get your coworkers jealous is to include what you’re going to be doing, but in a humble way.

Include some visuals so that they can live vicariously!
 
There’s the simple emoji option for people to use their imagination:
 

 
There’s the meme option to add a little humor:
 

 
And finally, the go big or go home option:
 

 
You can’t get more specific and detailed than including a picture of yourself actually on vacation. If your office has a sense of humor, I say why not—go for it.

Savor Every Moment

Make your OOO e-mail personalized to you. Whatever you end up writing, make sure that you set it up in the correct time and enjoy your vacation! You have been working hard all year and you deserve this break.

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