Maternity Leave Out of Office Messages

Why Parental Leave OOO Messages Are Different

A standard out of office message covers a few days or weeks. Parental leave can span months. This fundamentally changes several things about how you write and set up your auto-reply:

• Multiple coverage contacts: Different people may cover different aspects of your work for the entire duration.
• Privacy considerations: You choose how much to share about the reason for your leave. You owe no one an explanation.
• Return date flexibility: Your return date may be approximate, especially for maternity leave where circumstances can change.
• Professional tone: The message should be warm but not overly personal. Not everyone needs to know the details of your leave.

Maternity Leave OOO Templates

Standard Maternity Leave Message

Thank you for your email. I am currently on maternity leave and will return on [approximate date]. During my absence, please contact [Name] at [email] for [area of work] or [Name] at [email] for [other area]. They will be happy to assist you. I look forward to reconnecting upon my return.

Privacy-Focused Version

Thank you for reaching out. I am on leave until [approximate date]. For assistance during this time, please contact [Name] at [email]. They are fully briefed on all ongoing projects and can help with any questions you may have. I will respond to your message when I return.

Warm and Personal Version

Hi there! I am on maternity leave welcoming a new addition to my family. I will be away until approximately [date]. During my leave, [Name] ([email]) is covering my responsibilities and will be your go-to contact for anything you need. Thank you for your understanding, and I look forward to catching up when I return!

Paternity Leave OOO Templates

Standard Paternity Leave

Thank you for your email. I am on paternity leave from [dates] and will return on [date]. For urgent matters, please reach out to [Name] at [email]. For non-urgent items, I will respond upon my return.

Short Paternity Leave (1-2 Weeks)

I am currently out of the office on paternity leave and will be back on [date]. For anything that needs immediate attention, please contact [Name] at [email]. I will follow up on all emails when I return.

Extended Leave Considerations

Setting Up Multiple Coverage Contacts

For a multi-month absence, one backup person is rarely enough. Assign different contacts for different areas of your work. In your out of office message, clearly state who handles what so senders go to the right person immediately.

Example structure: "For sales inquiries, contact [Name A]. For project management questions, contact [Name B]. For general questions, contact [Name C]." This prevents your backup from becoming overwhelmed with requests outside their expertise.

Setting Up the OOO on Your Platform

Set your OOO message in your email platform before your last day of work. For platform-specific step-by-step instructions, see our guides for Outlook desktop and web, Outlook mobile app, and Gmail vacation responder. If you use Microsoft Teams, also set your Teams OOO status so colleagues see you are on leave in chat.

Handling the Approximate Return Date

Parental leave return dates can shift based on personal circumstances. Use language like "I expect to return around [date]" or "I plan to return in [month]." This sets expectations without over-committing to a specific day. You can always update the message remotely if your plans change.

Pre-Leave Communication Is Essential

Before activating your OOO, send a personal email to key contacts — your main clients, project stakeholders, and close colleagues. Introduce them to your coverage person and explain the transition. This personal touch prevents surprise and builds trust. It also reduces the load on your auto-reply since key people already know the situation.

What Not to Include in Parental Leave OOO

• Medical details: You do not need to explain your leave beyond "on leave" or "on parental leave." Your privacy matters.
• Apologies: Do not apologize for being on leave. It is your right and employee benefit. An apology undermines your boundaries.
• Checking in promises: Do not say you will check email occasionally unless you truly plan to. It sets unrealistic expectations and can harm your recovery time.
• Personal phone number: Unless your role absolutely requires it, do not provide a personal phone number. Boundaries during parental leave are critical for your wellbeing.

Preparing Your Inbox Before Leave

Create a Transition Document

Write a handover document for your coverage person listing all active projects, key contacts, upcoming deadlines, and recurring responsibilities. Share it before your last day so they can ask questions while you are still available.

Set Up Email Forwarding or Delegation

In addition to your auto-reply, consider setting up email forwarding for specific senders or delegating inbox access. Outlook supports delegate access, and Gmail supports account delegation. This ensures nothing urgent gets stuck in your inbox.

Clean Your Inbox

Process as many emails as possible before you leave. Reply to pending items, archive resolved threads, and forward anything that your coverage person will need. A clean inbox means fewer loose ends during your absence.

Managing Your Inbox During Extended Leave

A multi-month absence generates thousands of emails. Traditional OOO messages handle the auto-reply, but they do not organize the flood. When you return from parental leave, you face weeks of email triage just to find what matters.

AI email management tools like Monssot solve this problem. The AI agent continuously sorts your incoming email into prioritized boards throughout your entire leave. Urgent items, client emails, internal updates, and newsletters are all categorized automatically as they arrive.

When you return from parental leave, instead of 5,000 unread emails in a flat chronological list, you see organized boards with the most important items at the top. This can save days of post-leave email processing and make your transition back to work much smoother.

For more OOO templates for different scenarios, see our out of office message examples page. Learn more about email management, email overload solutions, and email management strategies.

For writing the perfect auto-reply from scratch, see our out of office email writing guide.

Explore all guides in this series: out of office guide, Outlook OOO setup, Outlook app OOO, Gmail OOO setup, OOO examples, OOO email writing, Teams OOO setup.