My Out of Office Template

One of the things that I’m not shy about in my life and work is time off. I love travel, culture, and believe it or not: not using my brain. It’s been 6 months since I’ve taken a week off work (blasphemy to my European soul), and I have some making up for it to do this summer 😉 So it’s time to pull out my trusty out of office template.

Also: this week, make sure you scroll all the way down to see how Southern Lights Electric totally one-upped me on this. You don’t want to miss it.

Many people assume that when you own your own business, you always have to be on and connected. They believe that your computer must follow your travels.

I respectfully disagree.

To break from this trap requires a lot of organization, planning, and frankly: confidence. If you’ve structured your business sustainably and approach your time off proactively, it’s entirely possible to vacation and leave your work behind. In fact, I’d go so far to say that you’re doing your team, your clients, and the future of your business a disservice if it truly can’t survive without you.

So I’m happy to share my out of office template and behind-the-scenes process, if you’d like to see…

Vacation T-2 Weeks…

First, be excited!

Second, share your excitement with colleagues and clients. Not in a gloaty way, of course – but in an “I’m so lucky that I get to go to ___________ way.” If you’re a good boss, teammate, and business person, the people around you will be excited for you and want to help while you’re away.

You’re enrolling them in your joy, and you’re also planting awareness: you’re giving them a heads up that you’ll be away.

Vacation T-1 Week…

Proactively communicate, in writing to those affected, the dates that you’ll be away.

Here’s the exact email that I save in my Outlook templates and send:

Dear Wonderful Colleagues and Clients,

I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be out of the office next week, <beginning date> through <end date.>

   
I like to make sure that you know ahead of time, in case there’s anything you need (that I don’t already know about).  Please let me know in the next 24 hours so that I can make it a priority to support you this week.

Because I’m a planner, I usually know what I need to do to tie up loose client ends in the coming days. However, this email does usually create a 2-3 requests to complete before I leave, which is no problem. I asked for it!

If you’re part of a team, send a similar reminder / request. Then, ask one of your colleagues or employees (with the appropriate authority) if they’ll be your back up. Leaving no holes in your absence will make you a shining star.

Vacation Eve!

The afternoon of my last day in the office (usually around 3PM), I take my out of office template live. The timing of this is important. If last minute, non-critical emails come in, I don’t want to feel obligated to respond while I’m supposed to be riding into the sunset. Here’s what that template looks like:

Hello there,

Thank you for your email.  I’m currently away from the office and will return on <date.> If you’re a client who needs urgent assistance, _________ is generously backing me up this week, and she’d be delighted to help. You can reach her at _________. Otherwise, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible, upon my return. 

Thank you, as always for your support of Ellevated Outcomes and your support of living a full, dynamic life, including taking rest and vacations.

Warmly,

Julie

Here’s the not-so-secret trick: once you post your template as a live response, you can’t reply! The precedent that you set here is really important. If you reply, people are going to expect you to continue replying while you’re away.

Over the past 6+ years of sharing this practice, I’ve observed clients and members of the Ellevated Outcomes ecosystem use it, 1 by 1. Nothing makes my heart happier. And believe it or not, you know what I’ve found? When you take you time off properly and give people a tiny window into your personal life this way, they’re thrilled to support your fun, rest, and the wholeness of your life.

And speaking of which, here’s the bonus I promised you. Check out this out of office template from Adam Gatchel, co-founder of Southern Lights Electric. I laughed and squeeled with glee when I recently received it. These creatives keep me on my toes🤣…

image from coco kelley