"Set out-of-office message." It might as well be right under "Pack socks and underwear" on the vacation prep list. Those short auto replies are necessary to let everyone know you've gone offline ...

Let’s face it: The out-of-office message is simply an excuse for not responding promptly to emails. Maybe we should leave our out-of-office message response on permanently.

By following these best practices, you can create an effective out-of-office message that informs senders of your absence and provides them with essential information to manage their expectations.

Some workers use their vacation out-of-office message to make a big statement about their relationship to their job. But it’s okay to simply say you’ll be away.