11 Creative Out-of-Office Responses from Remote Teams

Whether you’re out of the office for a long weekend, the rest of the day, or (woohoo!) a much-needed vacation, you’ll probably use out-of-office responses. But who says they should be plain and boring, void of personality? Remote teams and companies, after all, don’t follow traditional norms with much else, so we don’t need to be boring when it comes to auto responders, either!

We’ve been keeping track of some of the best out-of-office responses we’ve received, as well as our own attempts at auto responder creativity, and the best of the Interwebs to compile these 11 creative (and mostly hilarious) out-of-office responses for remote teams.

Please note: Employee and company names have been omitted—but these funny remote workers get our thanks for their creativity. After all, injecting humor into otherwise boring situations like these can help workers stay healthy while working remotely.

1. Dreaming Big

Hey, you never know when an A-list singer will want to share her life and offer tips on work-life balance for your blog, right?

Date: Thu, Nov 5, 2015 at 10:22 AM

Subject: Out Of The Office

I’ll be out of the office until November 9th, trying to figure out how one becomes a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

If something is urgent (i.e., if Beyoncé wants to blog for our site), I will be checking email minimally and will get back to you as soon as possible.

2. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Who doesn’t love PowerPoint? Oh yeah, a lot of people.

Date: Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 8:22 PM

Subject: Out of Office Sept 28 – Oct 2

Hello!

The team will be out of the office from Monday, September 28 to Friday, October 2, for our annual All Hands retreat.

If your message is urgent, please call me. Otherwise, I will respond to your email upon our return on Monday, October 5.

3. Subtle Hints

This out-of-office auto responder is casually letting you know that the person is on vaycay—and your email can wait.

Subject: Out of Office

Hi there! You caught me out of the office! I’ll be back August 10. If it’s urgent, one of my coworkers will help you. Ciao!

4. A Perfect Pause

When you (and your email) are on hiatus, this is the type of subject headline you write.

Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2015 at 3:51 PM

Subject: My inbox is paused.

Hi there,

I paused my inbox, and will be looking at emails again later today. If this is urgent, please call me on my mobile or email my coworker and she’ll let me know.

5. Putting a Positive Spin on It

Sometimes surgery can be a funny thing. Kramer!

Date: Tue, Jan 5, 2016 at 10:43 AM

Subject: Out for surgery

I will be out of the “office” on Tuesday, January 5th. I will not be checking emails.

Have a great day and I look forward to chatting soon.

Fingers crossed there are no Junior Mints…

6. Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

If he’s not checking email, he’s not checking Twitter, FYI.

I’m not in the office right now, but if it’s important, tweet me using #YOUAREINTERRUPTINGMYVACATION.

7. Coding Humor

It’s funny when you get it.

404: marketing manager not found.

8. Honesty: Always the Best Policy? Maybe Not

Unless you’re sure you’re getting the position, we don’t suggest having this as your out-of-office auto responder.

I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position.

9. Back to the Future

For fans of the 1985 flick…

If you’re reading this, Doc Brown was unable to make lightning strike the clock tower, and I’m stuck in 1985. I won’t be able to respond to emails or voicemail until 9ish on mm/dd, or until email is invented—whatever comes first.

10. Short and Sweet

No one wants to read an email soliloquy, especially when they’re out of the office.

Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.

11. Email Overload

When you just can’t deal with the onslaught of emails that are accumulating in your inbox while you’re away, this might be the approach to take.

I cannot handle your emails until I return on mm/dd/yyyy. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

So the next time you’re going to be out of the office, channel your inner Hawthorne (or Jimmy Kimmel) and pen a few funny and fabulous out-of-office responses. The recipient will get a good laugh while he waits for your response!

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By Jennifer Parris | Categories: Why Go Remote

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