What you may want to learn
The Boston School helps French and German speaking employees of Swiss company offices and others online to improve their internal communications, using tools such as these good out of office email replies in English.
It is important to remember just who will receive your out of office e-mail response and how will they react if it is poorly worded?
Listed below are some real examples of error messages and an explanation of why they are wrong.
Common out of office email mistakes (all real examples)
Date Confusion
I will be out of the office starting 09/08/2019 and will not return until 23/08/2019.
In Europe and many other places in the world, 09/08/2019 means August 9th, 2019. In the US, the month comes before the day so would be understood as the 8th of September, possibly causing some confusion.
Mixing Language
Thank you for your message. Sorry I’m not in the Office until 20th of Mai and I have no access to my Emails.
In urgent cases please contact XXXX. (Phone +41 …. Email: xxxx)
Freundliche Grüsse
Kind regards
XXX XXX
Use of Slang / Informal
*** BIZ trip until 12. Sept 2018 ***
*** please contact XX XXX ***
*** for urgent calls: +41 xx xxx xxx ***
The use of asterisks, biz instead of business project an informal relationship which may not be in line with your corporate standards.
Acceptable out of office email examples include:
Example 1 – Simple out of office email
Thank you for your e-mail.
I am out of the office till Thursday, 27th of April 2017 and your email will not be forwarded.
Should the matter be important, please contact XXXX XXX ( first name second name and their email address) in my absence.
Best regards
Your Name
Example 2 (refer to a colleague whilst you are away)
Dear Mail Sender,
Thank you for your mail. I will be out of office from today and will be back on Thursday, May 27th. I will have limited access to my e-mail during this period.
In my absence, please feel free to contact XX XX on +41 44 310 3038 or e-mail info@thebostonschool.com.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Your Name
Example 3 Date and colleague reference out of office email
I will be out of the office till October 24th 2018. I will respond to your e-mail as soon as possible on my return.
Please note, that your mail will not be forwarded. For any urgent matters, please contact XX XX at XX@thebostonschool.com.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Your Name
Example 4 (voted most popular !)
Thank you for your email. I am out of the office from [DAY, DATE] to [DAY, DATE] and unable to respond at this time.
I will review your message following my return on [DAY, DATE]. If you need immediate assistance, contact [Name, phone number and email address].
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Your Name
Out of office email best practice
German - French - English out of office email example
It is important to recognise your company standards and practices when creating an out of office email reply. Too often it is the last thing we do before we leave for our holidays, so mistakes are common.
It is important to provide a point of reference, a colleague as an alternative contact and that they know you have elected them to cover for you whilst you are away.
Swiss Style Out of Office Email Example From 2019
Guten Tag,
Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. Bin abwesend bis 13.08.2019 und kann Ihre E-Mail nicht beantworten. Ihre E-Mail wird jedoch weitergeleitet und bearbeitet.
Bonjour,
Je vous remercie pour votre e-mail. Je suis absent jusqu’ au 13.08.2019, et ne peux pas répondre à votre e-mail. Par contre, votre courriel est transmis et traité.
Hello
Thank you for your e-mail. I am out of office until 13.08.2019 and can’ t answer your e-mail. Your email will be forwarded and processed.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen
Meilleures salutations,
kind regards,
Urs wrote his in 3 languages and normally in Switzerland it is two:
German/English or French/English
for an out of office holiday or business email reply
Top Tip for out of office email replies
Da heutzutage praktisch jedes Unternehmen auch andere Formen der Information anbietet, also z. B. Facebook, eine Homepage, Instagram, Twitter etc., kann es unter Umständen sinnvoll sein, auch auf diese zu verweisen:
Für Informationen über unser aktuelles Produktangebot können Sie auch auf unserer Website www.a b c.com vorbeischauen.
For information on our latest product range, you can also check our website www.a b c d.ch / . a.b.c.d.com
This helps you to promote your new sales range even when you may be off work on the beach!
Share if you care
Simple English and German out of office email example
This is a simple reference example to help students to complete an exercise and to bookmark the page for their future holidays.
Checkliste: Was gehört in die Abwesenheits-E-Mail-Antwort?
Betreff: Wählen Sie ein kurzes und informatives Thema, damit der Empfänger sofort sieht, worum es geht.
Ich danke dir: In jeder E-Mail sollte ein Gruß enthalten sein, und Sie sollten keinen ohne Dankeschön machen.
Punkt: Von wann sind Sie im Urlaub oder geschäftlich unterwegs und bis wann sind Sie nicht erreichbar?
Abwesenheit: Was passiert mit den Mails in deiner Abwesenheit?
Repräsentation: Wer vertritt Sie während Ihrer Abwesenheit oder Urlaubszeit? Wie kann man ihn erreichen?
Zurückkehren: Was passiert mit der Post nach Ihrer Rückkehr?
Vorlage Abwesenheitsnotiz Deutsch
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
bis zum TT.MM.JJ befinde ich mich im Urlaub.
Meine E-Mails werden in dieser Zeit nicht weitergeleitet oder bearbeitet. In dringenden Fällen wenden Sie sich bitte an [vertretende/r Mitarbeiter/in] unter der Durchwahl XY, beispiel@unternehmen.com.
Vielen Dank für Ihr Verständnis!
Schöne Grüße
Signatur
Vorlage Abwesenheitsnotiz Englisch
Dear Sir or Madam,
Thank you for your message.
I am currently out of the office and will be back on the ( Datum) ,,, 14 February 2020.
Your email will not be forwarded. I will answer it upon my return.
For urgent matters please contact …vertretende/r Mitarbeiter/in … (#### @?? unternehmen.com; Tel: 044 – XXX XX XX).
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
[Signatur]
Need to keep updated or just passing by?
One field technician wrote “in China, back when it is fixed” – our boss was not happy with him and made him change it
A sales manager at a clients company had an out of office message that said:
“I am taking my wife & kids to Disney for a week and they will only allow me to check my email in the evening when I get back to the hotel”
I will be out of the office from July 15, through July 29, with no access to email or voicemail. I will respond to email when I return on Monday.
For Dog care questions, contact Mickey.
For IT call service desk ext 465.
For laptop case repair call ext 911
I am so excited about this post.