To jest or not to jest, that is the question about witty out-of-office messages. Could a workplace’s acceptance or approval of them say more about their company culture than we realise?
The humble out-of-office reply: once a simple notification of absence, now a potential window into a colleague’s soul – or at least their sense of humour. I first came across a humorous OOO message from a client. I envied their courage and liberty in crafting witty and whimsical out-of-office holiday messages despite their corporate environment.
The topic of funny out-of-office replies has received a mixed bag of responses from co-workers, clients and bosses, according to the comments in a LinkedIn article and poll that has gone viral in the past week and which was inspired by a Guardian article.
The responses could elicit a fascinating study of workplace personalities (the fun people v. the stiff upper lippers). On one end, we have the kindred spirits, the ones who appreciate a good chuckle and perhaps even send back a playful response of their own. These are the folks who likely inject a bit of levity into the daily grind, the ones you wouldn’t mind grabbing a post-work pint with.
On the other end, we have the stiff upper lippers, the ones who reply with a terse acknowledgement. Perhaps these folks take themselves (and most other things) a bit too seriously, the ones who view any deviation from the professional norm as a threat to productivity. You might want to think twice before enabling a witty OOO to enter their Inbox.
One response to the LinkedIn article and poll, said in a comment: “I just need to know who to contact if you are away or out, I don’t have time to read an essay. I don’t need jokes, humour, I don’t even need to know where you are. The danger is the “humour” will start to become competitive. Just the facts for boring old-fashioned me, please.”
Another person who commented suggested anyone writing humorous out-of-office messages was leaving towards “narcissist” tendencies.
Of course, there’s also the vast middle ground, those who offer a polite “Thanks for letting me know” or a simple “Enjoy your time off!” These are the folks who are likely pleasant enough to work with, but perhaps not the life of the office party.
Workplace barometer
As a freelancer, you may cherish the freedom to express your personality through your OOO messages. But I’ve also learned that these messages can be a surprisingly accurate barometer of workplace or client culture. So the next time you’re considering writing that carefully thought message before you go off on holiday or to the dentist, remember: it’s not just about letting people know you’re away, it’s about informing them who to contact in your absence and perhaps revealing a little bit about yourself – and potentially gauging the fun factor of your clients and collaborators. If it’s on-brand it could even be a topic of conversation in your favour.
Andrew Hammon, a prolific portfolio career specialist who circumvents publishing with being an entrepreneur and Spa Consultant doesn’t see the hurt in sharing humour. “Sometimes brands need personality and this is one way they can demonstrate this by injecting some humour,” he suggests in his LinkedIn comment
He continues, “I am a big fan of humour in promotional communications (as long as it’s relevant and appropriate) and I am always surprised that so few brands use this on a regular basis. When discussing this with a copywriter friend of mine, who incidentally is very witty, they commented that “there must be a reason why not” which struck me as a bit conventional.
“Why should everyone use the same media in the same way? How will this help you stand out from the crowd? Of course, I recognise that not everyone has a good sense of humour (or any sense of humour!) but if you do, then maybe those people aren’t your core target audience. A simplified view perhaps, but I thought I’d share it.”
Stephen Woodward, an Executive Search Specialist for the Global (Re)Insurance Markets, is of the opinion that only the office clown has a chance at pulling a humorous OOO off:
“If you‘re a humorous person by nature, why not let your personality show through a little, as long as you keep things relatively appropriate for your audience. If you are not known for your humour, people might wonder what you are trying to prove, especially if others don‘t share what you perceive to be funny.
“And, as another poster has pointed out, don‘t turn it into some kind of competition to win the Funny OOOM of the week award. While people might appreciate a little chuckle from time to time, they don‘t want to be dragged into a running battle over who can be the funniest absentee in the company.”
Graham Kirkpatrick(He/Him) out of network3rd+
Open-minded Manager and 🏆 Award Winning AV Professional 🏆 supporting Technology Sales, Design, Consultancy & Strategies. Happy to be a disruptor, love being an influencer! An #AVBrits original! Let’s connect 🤝
I have two (2) OoO versions; an internal and an external version.
My colleagues now expect something witty out of me, but my customers need to know that we’re still delivering products and services, even when I need a little me time, so they simply need to know who to contact and how. I use this for day-to-day tasks only though while I am away, because if it is anything more important or long-standing, I have already prepared my team, my customers and my Manager for the who, how’s, whys, what’s and when’s.
FYI – my favourite internal OoO so far is ERROR 404 – EMPLOYEE NOT FOUND (I work in a technology environment). Even my CEO thought this was funny, after he realised that I was actually away on paid leave and hadn’t left the business…
Should you keep your OOO short and sweet? Absolutely. But a touch of wit never really hurt anyone.
