What to Write for Your Maternity Leave Out-of-Office Message and 5 Templates

What to Write for Your Maternity Leave Out-of-Office Message and 5 Templates When youre going on parental leave, you probably have a lot of items on your to-do list tying up loose ends, making sure the people who are taking on your responsibilities in your absence have all the resources they need, meeting with HRand oh having a baby.Your out-of-office message is probably pretty low down on your list of priorities (right after, oh, say, birthing a child). After all, youre just going to say something along the lines of, Im on maternity leave until X time. Right?You could do that...or you could have a little fun with it.Maternity Leave Out-of-Office Message IdeasTake Erin mausgrau. The VP of Operations at The New York Times praised her employers generous policy in her auto-reply message. I welcomed a new baby girl into the world and am on maternity leave until May 1 thanks to the generous parental leave policy offered by The Times in response to a proposal by the Womens Network, she wro te. If youre not familiar with the business case for paid family leave, it increases retention, earnings, and retirement security among workersespecially womenas well as the chance that women will keep working after kids.(Be sure to check out our interview with Grau and other members of the Womens Network to learn how they created the proposal that led to this terrific policy.)Looking for more ideas? Try The Rompers list of super clever maternity-leave automatic replies. (My personal favorite I just birthed a human being. What did you do today, Angela? Also, please contact Compliance with any questions.)How to Craft Your Maternity Leave AutoreplyWhether you go traditional with your out-of-office message or have a little fun with it, make sure you address all the key points. Your emaille should include How long youre planning on being out and when you expect to return Whether youll have limited access to email or will be completely offline The person or people to contact in your abse nce Any other pertinent information, such as general company contacts, phone numbers, or emailsIts a good idea to type out your auto-reply message ahead of time, because you dont want to have to urgently draft at the last minute...when youll certainly have other things on your mind5 Templates for Your Maternity Leave Out-of-Office Message1. The straightforward OOOI am on maternity leave until X date. I will not be checking email during this time. If this is urgent, please contact name at email address. Otherwise, I will respond to your message when I return.2. The OOO that commends your employerThanks to my employer Xs generous maternity leave policy, Ill be out of the office until date. For immediate assistance, please contact name at email address.3. The more intricate OOOThanks for your message. Im on maternity leave until date. For immediate assistance, contactX at email for matter/departmentY at email for matter/departmentZ at email for matter/department4. The OOO for the new m om whos responding to emailsIm on maternity leave but occasionally responding to emails. Ill get back to you as soon as possible. In case of emergency, please contact name at email.5. The funny OOOInstead of working, Im bonding with my new child at the moment. I expect to return on date and will likely have a pile of messages waiting, so I suggest you contact me again at that time. If this is urgent, please contact name at email.While youre waiting, please view photos of my baby at link. Theyre far more entertaining than any response I could send you by email.More Maternity Leave ResourcesFor more help navigating and preparing for your maternity leave, visit our database of maternity leave resources, where youll find articles, advice, company policies, laws, community discussions and support, and much more.