First off – congratulations on your baby! However, people won’t stop contacting you even when you’re finally on maternity leave.
The best way to cope with all the pressure is to use auto-reply email templates. We’ve assembled a list of 10 unique out of office replies for your maternity leave.
Classic Maternity Leave out of office email templates
01A polite way to announce maternity leave out of office
Thank you for your email.
Currently, I am out of office until further notice/ [date you will be returning from maternity leave]. If you need any assistance or if you have any questions, please contact [name of colleague covering for you]. I won’t be returning further emails unless it’s an urgent matter.
Regards
This is a great template, letting people know that you don’t want to be bothered. You’re giving all the necessary information while staying polite and professional. Perfect.
Photo by Josh Willink – Under Pexels license
02Short and clear
I appreciate you contacting me. I am on maternity leave and therefore out of office. I am not monitoring my emails; this is an automatic reply. Contact [name of person] for any matters. Thank you
03I will be out of office, starting [the date which you officially begin your maternity leave out of office], due to personal/medical reasons.
If you have any important questions or matters to discuss, please contact my colleague [name of colleague] at [colleague’s email].
For urgent matters, I can be contacted. Otherwise, I am not available.
There is extra politeness involved if you announce your departure early. A good idea would be to activate this automatic message a few weeks before you go on maternity leave. Announcing early is always desirable.
Photo by Bruce Mars under Pexels license
04In advance
From [date of departure] until [date of return], I will be absent and therefore unable to respond to any, if all emails. If you have any need of my assistance, please contact [name of colleague], and they will redirect priority matters to me.
Thank you.
With this email template, you assume a more direct approach, stating that you will be absent even before you leave. It’s a good way to prevent any disturbances during your time away.
A more eloquent template for Maternity Leave auto-replies
05[Greeting],
Thank you for contacting me. Unfortunately, medical/personal reasons are preventing me from having constant access to my email.
Therefore, I am currently not fit to respond to your inquiry. For immediate assistance, I advise you contact me on [cell phone number/personal email].
Best regards,
[name]
Unfortunately, there are matters that you must attend to and projects you might need to oversee.
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For more sensitive and urgent matters
06I am sorry for not responding to your email earlier. I am currently on maternity leave and I am unable to monitor my inbox. [Name of colleague that will cover for you] will answer all your questions until my return.
Kind regards.
In case of an urgent matter, it’s important to say you’re sorry.
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07A shorter version
Due to personal reasons, I will be absent from the office until further notice. For any inquiries or assistance, please contact [colleague name]. Thank you.
When dealing with people not acquainted with you, there is a need for short and swift emails. This one takes care of everything in just three sentences. It’s ideal for copy-pasting into many different conversations. In case of a specific project or task, you can add an additional paragraph to explain your lack of involvement on the said project.
Funny Maternity Leave out of office email templates
08Thank you for your message. Unfortunately, I’m currently on maternity leave and have no intention of opening my inbox. Therefore, your email has been deleted.
A nice way to frighten someone, especially if it’s an important business contact. Obviously, they will understand the joke after a few seconds and proceed to contact one of your colleagues.
Photo by JESHOOTS – under pexels license
09I just recently created new life. She is healthy, thank you. Also, if you’re interested in contacting me, please contact [colleague name], and he will forward the message to me, in case it’s important.
Funny and to the point – there is no better way to say that you’re on maternity leave out of office. Creating new life is an important moment and everyone contacting you should realize that.
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10Due to previously expected circumstances, I will be out of office because I’ve applied for a new job. The term lasts about two decades, and the training for the position is approximately nine months.
That new role is being a mom. I appreciate you contacting me and [colleague name] is at your service to answer any inquiry.
Nothing better than a funny email template for maternity leave out of office. The person reading it will first believe you’re serious and then – a smile will appear on their surprised faces. Get creative with a more complex template like this one.
Maternity leave out of office might present professional problems in the form of people emailing you incessantly. A good way to combat this is to set up automated email responses or to send messages beforehand. They can be personalized or as brief as possible.
We’ve provided a list of 10 email templates. Most of them are versatile, but you might need to modify them a bit. This depends on the type of relationship with the person who is messaging you and the urgency of the matter.
Additionally, you have to be sure about who is covering for you to avoid confusion. Enjoy your maternity leave!
Now that you have these email templates at your disposal, you can spend your maternity leave out of office in peace. People will be notified of your absence.
