What to write in a maternity leave out-of-office email

The last thing you want is for messages to you to end up in a void, with your contacts wondering where you are.

Taking a few weeks or months off from work to care for a new addition is an exciting time, and can be seamless if you plan and prepare. One of the things you’ll want to do is create a maternity leave out-of-office email to let your clients, contacts, and colleagues know where you are and who can help them with their inquiry.

The last thing you want is for messages to you to end up in a void, with your contacts wondering where you are. A well-structured out-ofoffice email will automatically respond to message senders to let them know some basic information:

• That you’re on maternity leave

• Approximately when you expect to return

• Your current availability to respond

• Who they can contact for immediate assistance

As long as you include those elements in your email, you should be covered. It’s up to you to decide how detailed you wish to be, and what the tone of your message will be. This will depend on the type of industry you work in, and who you typically correspond with.

Here are some considerations and examples to help you craft the perfect maternity leave away message so you can shut off notifications and focus on your new bundle of joy.

Share your news

The first part of your message—as well as in your subject line— should announce that you are on leave. It’s up to you if you want to say it’s maternity leave, or if you wish to be more vague, but most people will feel relieved to know that you’re not working for a happy reason.

Give an idea of your return date

The people emailing you won’t necessarily know how far into the maternity leave you are, so instead of saying you’ll be returning in six weeks, try to give an approximate date. You can say something like, “I expect to return in early spring or mid-September.”

That will help the sender decide if they will wait for you to return, or seek another person to help them.

Discuss your availability

Many new parents choose to go completely off the grid for a week or two, but then gradually begin to check in with work from home periodically. If that’s something that you’re doing, let your senders know about the frequency with which you’re checking email, whether it’s once a week, infrequently, or in the evenings. You can also ask them to put a certain word in the subject line so you can easily filter out important messages.

If you plan to take a true leave with no work contact at all, then you can just say something like, “I’m looking forward to reconnecting upon my return.”

Be specific about who can help

If you’re not up to fielding email messages in between your new parent duties, then be sure your maternity leave out-of-office email lists out who else can attend to the sender’s needs.

It may be just one person who is filling in for you, or you might include the names of people in various departments. Include the names, titles, emails, and phone numbers of your contacts, as well as a quick explanation of the types of inquiries each will handle.

It might look something like: “For more information about placing an order, reach out to Sally Gordon at [contact info here]. If you need to schedule an appointment, Sam Jenkins [contact info here] can assist you. For all other inquiries, contact Jo Perkins at [contact info here].”

A note about tone

Depending on how casual your industry or role is, you might want to share a couple of details about your new baby, a link to an online photo album, or a humorous quip or two. However, if you work in a more traditional industry (for instance, banking or law), it may be more appropriate to stick with a completely professional, all-business tone.

A maternity leave out-of-office template

Hello,

Sorry I missed you! I’m home on maternity leave until the middle of November. While I plan to check email periodically, if you have an urgent need, please reach out to one of the following people who will gladly help you:

For general questions about XYZ, please email Martha Brown at martha@CompanyZ.com.

For immediate assistance regarding a current project, call or text Matt Johnson at 555-123-4567.

I’m looking forward to reconnecting with you upon my return. Until then, be well!

Nurture your career next

Writing a maternity leave out-of-office email is likely among the last things on your mind when you’re getting ready to welcome a new member of the family into your world. Now you can check that off your list. Need some more help navigating the workplace? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you’ll get career advice and job search tips sent directly to your inbox. We provide practical guidance so you can spend more time and energy focused on what matters most.