Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17

Experts Urge 7-Point Out-of-Office Rules to Prevent Client Confusion and Deal Risks

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17

Experts Urge 7-Point Out-of-Office Rules to Prevent Client Confusion and Deal Risks

Q: Are you unknowingly alienating your overworked colleagues by bragging in your vacation auto-reply?

Yes. Experts say an out-of-office message that dwells on a luxury trip, second home or “quality family time” can sound smug to colleagues who are still working and may alienate them without you realising it. The safest approach is to treat the auto-reply like any other professional email: polite, brief and useful. Debrett’s advises thanking the sender, giving a specific return date and, where needed, naming an alternative contact for urgent matters. LinkedIn’s Charlotte Davies says this kind of clarity reduces uncertainty and prevents repeated follow-ups from people who do not know when they will hear back or who else can help. What tends to backfire is oversharing, boasting or trying to make a point about work-life balance. Debrett’s Rupert Wesson warned that this can look like “virtue signalling” and feel tone-deaf to overworked colleagues. Humour is also risky. Workplace and legal experts say jokes about deleting emails unread or telling people to contact “someone who cares” can annoy clients and coworkers; one sales executive said a joking OOO once helped cost a deal. The practical fix is simple: say when you are away, when you return, who covers urgent matters, and whether you will check email at all. If you want a real break, say plainly that you will not be checking messages. If you will check occasionally, say that clearly instead of using vague phrases like “limited access.” A good out-of-office reply should help the sender, not advertise your holiday.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17

A strong out-of-office reply should do two things: give a specific return date and direct senders to a backup contact, experts said, warning that vague messages trigger unnecessary follow-ups.
Debretts and LinkedIn advisers said the note should stay polite and concise, avoid holiday details or self-congratulatory explanations, and clearly state whether you will check email at all.
Humor can backfire more seriously than many workers expect. A senior sales executive said a former colleague lost a deal after a joking auto-reply angered a client.
Experts also advised against saying you have “limited access to email,” because it encourages more messages; if you want a real break, say you will not be checking emails.
Their broader checklist includes greeting the sender, not promising instant replies after returning, setting separate internal and external messages, and switching the auto-reply off promptly.