How to write an Out of Office in French.

How to write an Out of Office in French.

Are you going on holiday soon? Before you can head off to sunny places or take a few days off, there's one last thing to do: writing your Out of Office auto reply!

In your mother tongue you'll probably have no troubles writing an Out of Office auto reply? But are you sure that your message is perfect in French as well? It may seem like a simple task to write such a message. But if your out of office message is unclear or incomplete, it can cause problems while you are away or when you return.

We give you a few helpful tips for writing an Out of Office auto reply message in French.

1. Information to include in your Out of Office

Classic Out of Office messages often contain the same information. A good out-of-office email incorporates the following elements:

• The exact dates of your absence.
  Make sure there can be no confusion about the start or end of your holiday period by mentioning the exact dates. Remember to change the dates if you reuse an earlier message.

• The reason for your absence.
  You may not want to mention the reason for your absence, but it can help to ensure that people don't keep emailing (or calling) you. If they know you are taking a week's holiday, they will respect that.

• The people who follow up during your absence.
  Don't forget to mention the names, phone numers and email addressess of the colleagues who can help clients or colleagues during your absence so they know exactly where to go for assistance while you are away. 

• Expressing gratitude for their understanding
  You may think that this is unnecessary, but thanking people in advance for their understanding can help people grant you your time off and wait for a little while for a response to their email.

• State a clear subject line
  It is common to state as the title or subject line of your absence message such as 'absent du bureau' or in general 'out of office'. This way, everyone immediately notices that it is an automatic message they receive that you are unavailable.

2. Things to avoid when you write your Out of Office message in French

Of course you want to make a professional impression with your out of office message. So stick to the basics! Some things are best avoided:

• Don't give too much information.
  No need to give more details about where you are going or what you will be doing.
  
  
• Don't try to be funny.
  Don't try to make jokes in your out of office. They could easily be misinterpreted and give the wrong impression.
  
  
• Don't refer to colleagues who are absent themselves.
  Always check with your colleagues if they will have the time to follow up your emails. There is no greater frustration for customers to be referred to a colleague and then receive no response, or worse, a second out of office.
  
  
• Don't make promises you will have to break.
  After your return you'll probably have a lot of work to catch up on. Don't say you'll answer the day of your return if that will be impossible.

3. Useful key sentences for your Out of Office in French

When you write your message you can start with one of these sentences in French:

Key sentences to start your message

• Merci beaucoup pour votre message / Merci pour votre email / Merci pour votre courriel.
• Je serai absent(e) du bureau du [date de départ] au [date de retour] compris.
• Je suis actuellement en vacances. Vous pourrez me joindre de nouveau dès le xxx.
• Je suis actuellement en vacances, sans accès à mes mails pendant cette période.
• Je serai de nouveau joignable le lundi xxx.
• Je serai de nouveau à votre disposition à partir du lundi xxx.
• Je serai de nouveau à votre disposition le xxx : déterminé(e) et plein d’énergie !

Key sentences to explain you will (not/soon) answer the email

• Je n'ai pas accès à ma messagerie pendant cette période. Je prendrai  connaissance de votre message à mon retour.
• Votre email ne sera pas retransmis.
• Pour des raisons de confidentialité, votre email ne sera pas transmis.
• Vous pouvez vous adresser à monsieur ou madame X : nom@exemple.com
• En cas d’urgence, veuillez contacter monsieur ou madame X : nom@exemple.com
• En cas d’urgence, veuillez utiliser le numéro de téléphone suivant : xxx 
• En cas d'urgence, vous pouvez contacter [prénom nom] à cette adresse : (nom@exemple.com).
• Je serai heureux/heureuse de vous répondre à mon retour le xxx. D’ici là, mon/ma collègue (Nom) me représentera. Vous pouvez le/la contacter par email (nom@exemple.com) ou par téléphone (xxx). Il/Elle se fera un plaisir de vous aider. 

4. Examples of good Out of Office messages in French

So how to combine those key sentences in one good Out of Office auto reply? We give you some examples you can use:

Example 1

Madame, Monsieur,

Merci beaucoup pour votre message.

Je suis actuellement en vacances et je serai de nouveau à votre disposition le xxx.

Votre courriel ne sera pas transmis. En cas d’urgence, veuillez contacter mon/ma collègue, M/Mme (nam) à cette adresse : nom@exemple.com.

Merci de votre compréhension.

Cordialement,

Example 2

Madame, Monsieur,

Merci pour votre courriel.

Je suis actuellement en vacances. Je serai de nouveau à votre disposition à partir du lundi xxx.

Je n'ai pas accès à ma messagerie pendant cette période. Je prendrai  connaissance de votre message à mon retour. En cas d’urgence, veuillez contacter monsieur ou madame x : nom@exemple.com

Merci de votre compréhension.

Bien à vous,

Example 3

Madame, Monsieur,

Merci beaucoup pour votre message.

Je suis actuellement en vacances et je serai de nouveau à votre disposition le xxx.

Je serai heureux/heureuse de vous répondre à mon retour le xxx. D’ici là, mon/ma collègue (nom) me représentera. Vous pouvez le/la contacter par email (nom@exemple.com) ou par téléphone (xxx). Il/Elle se fera un plaisir de vous aider. 

Merci de votre compréhension.

Bien à vous,

More tips on emailing in French? 
These articles might also interest you:

• How to write business emails in French
  

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