Set an out-of-office reply

I will be out next week for surgery. Set an automatic reply from Monday 10 a.m. to Friday 6 p.m. that says: I am out of the office for medical leave and will return on Monday the 28th. For urgent matters contact Priya in Procurement at priya@acme.com. Send replies only to people in my organization and schedule the rule to turn off at the end time.

Before I set my out-of-office, make it clear and low-friction for vendors and clients. Draft a short reply that states my dates, provides a single alternate contact (Priya at priya@acme.com), and tells external senders whether to expect any delay. Highlight if anything in my calendar during that week should change the wording.

My manager wants an out-of-office that says I’m available intermittently without mentioning medical leave. I don’t know how transparent to be with key clients like Global Procurement. Recommend a phrase that signals limited access, whom to list as alternate, and whether to tailor the message for external clients versus internal staff.

I frequently travel and forget to set an out-of-office until someone complains. That creates bounced requests and missed handoffs. Propose a simple checklist or calendar habit for before travel that ensures an appropriate automatic reply is set, alternate contacts are named, and the message matches the audience.