The day before Thanksgiving kicked off the holiday travel season, and it also marked the start of your annual inbox deluge of automated “out of office” (aka “OOO”) email replies from clients and co-workers. Chances are, you’re setting up one for yourself soon, but just how much thought are you putting into what your OOO conveys?

The InHerSight’s editorial team explored what most of us consider to be a fairly rote business “to do” item before leaving the office for more than a few days. (FYI: InHerSight suggests absences longer than two business days require an OOO, unless you’re in a fast-paced position where answers or customer service are necessary ASAP).

In this blog post, InHerSight breaks out basic expectations surrounding the OOO email in today’s current business environment, and gives guidance on which details to include – and, importantly, which NOT to include. It also provides a good template of cut-and-paste OOO responses that are easily customized for any one of ten common reasons to be away from work.

So give yourself the gift of being your own best workplace absence concierge this holiday season, and spend an extra few minutes into crafting your OOO reply to be the most concise, responsive, and professional it can be.