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Preparing your out-of-office message several days before leaving can be tempting. It’s like washing your mug or leaving a suitcase open a week in advance: It already feels like you're leaving. Last summer, anyone who emailed Denis Quinqueton, executive assistant at the Fédération des Mutuelles de France, received the following reply: "In accordance with the laws of June 20, 1936, March 27, 1956 (3rd week), May 17, 1969 (4th week), and the ordinance of January 13, 1982 (5th week), I am currently on leave." He is currently thinking about the message he will leave for his 2024 vacation.
This type of "OOO message" (out of office) is obviously very atypical. Not so much for the historical reminder, but for its use of the term "leave." Generally, these emails are as reluctant to use the word "vacation" as obituaries are to use the term "death." Just as a loved one "has left us" or "passed away," we are not "on vacation" but "without access to our email." To say that you'll have "limited access to your email" implies that you're not necessarily at the beach, but perhaps on a mission to the International Space Station or North Korea.
Leaving an automatic out-of-office message is the first bad idea of the vacation. For one thing, you don't need it. Nor should you exaggerate the number of urgent emails you'll receive. Besides, in July and August, most of your contacts will understand why they don't get an immediate response. As for the truly urgent requests that have been sent to you, none of the senders will be satisfied or relieved to receive an out-of-office reply. No one wants to know you're on vacation. No customer wants to know that you're washing your hands of their email. "I'll read your message as soon as I get back from vacation" reads like, "You’re not seriously going to ruin my summer, are you?"
This automatic reply also has the disadvantage of telling your contact that you weren't really responsible. Saying "In my absence, you can contact Roger Dugommier" is a bit like when you're given a medical appointment quickly but find out it's with the replacement doctor. You can take it, but it looks like a slight downgrade. Or, "In case of emergency, contact Jean-Marc Lambert" can also imply that you don't even deal with emergencies. It could be read as "I’m covering myself, if anyone asks, I wasn’t there."
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