In any given month, an average of 273,000 women will go on maternity leave in the U.S. Yet when it’s time to prepare for maternity leave, it’s common to feel alone and overwhelmed. You may feel concerned about how others will view your absence and unsure about how to share the news. In particular, you may not know how to approach your maternity leave out of office message, which might be the first way some of your contacts learn about your upcoming leave.
“Many parents — mothers in particular — worry about how they will be perceived by clients, customers or colleagues when they put up an out of office re: parental leave,” says Lauren A. Tetenbaum, a licensed therapist, former lawyer and mom of two. This is partly due to the fact that caregiving is often undervalued in our culture, notes Tetenbaum. Additionally, many women are still dealing with the “motherhood penalty,” where they’re falsely seen as less committed to their careers after becoming moms.
Tetenbaum urges parents-to-be to reclaim the narrative and proudly announce their leave. “You are doing nothing wrong by taking leave, and it’s always good to communicate with the people you work with about your availability (to the extent that they need to know),” she says.
So, how exactly should you go about doing that? Here, Tetenbaum and other experts answer common questions about how to finesse maternity leave out of office messages, including when to write them, what to say and a few examples to get you started.
When should you set up a maternity leave out of office message?
In an ideal world, moms-to-be would know exactly when their babies are going to arrive and could draft their maternity leave messages right before that date. But, babies often have their own plans, and due dates are only estimates — estimates that can be wildly incorrect. That’s why experts agree that you should prepare your out of office (OOO) message well in advance.
“Prepare any colleagues, employees or those you correspond with regularly by reminding them at each interaction that leave begins on a certain day and who is covering for you.”
— Abbey Sangmeister, licensed professional counselor
“I suggest drafting a maternity leave message prior to your baby’s due date, so if the baby comes earlier than expected or you deal with any kind of medical emergency, you have the message ready to go and can easily click a button to activate it,” Tetenbaum says.
In addition to writing an out of office email, Abbey Sangmeister, a licensed professional counselor at Evolving Whole, suggests sending coworkers or clients a separate email or office memo about your upcoming leave several weeks before your due date.
“Prepare any colleagues, employees or those you correspond with regularly by reminding them at each interaction that leave begins on a certain day and who is covering for you,” says Sangmeister. “Remind them that there is potential that your leave will start sooner, and inform them how they will be alerted to this.”
What to include in a maternity leave email message
Your maternity leave out of office message will be short, but you will likely be scrutinizing every detail. Don’t worry — we’ve all been there. Here are expert tips to draft your maternity leave email message:
Be direct and to the point
Start with a brief, simple statement, such as, “I’m out of the office on parental leave.” How you word your message is up to you, but Tetenbaum recommends using the phrase “parental leave” rather than “maternal leave.” Why is that? “This leave should be extended to fathers and all caregivers, and [using] the term helps normalize it,” she explains.
Provide an alternative contact person
You’ll want to tell the email recipient who to contact while you’re gone. “It’s extremely important to include a ‘Please contact X for ABC’ phrase so that whomever is contacting you is not left in the dark,” Tetenbaum says.
Decide how to share information about your return
You can include information about when you’ll be back from parental leave, and most people do this. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this date may change, and that’s why some people choose not to include specifics.
If you feel that you must provide a return date, Tetenbaum says it might make sense to keep it a little vague, such as including the time of year you’ll be back, rather than a specific date. For example, you might say, “I look forward to talking in the new year,” or “I expect to resume working on this project in the fall and look forward to it!”
Consider pointing recipients to further resources
If your job involves acting as a resource to others, it can be helpful to point your recipients to alternative care. This is what Sangmeister did for her counseling clients.
“My out of office reply included stating that I was out on leave, my full-time return date, a link to join my newsletter and a statement with specific links for how to get support if it was an emergency,” she says. This can give you peace of mind if your job involves the health, safety or wellbeing of your clients.
What to leave out of your maternity leave email message: an apology
It may be tempting to apologize for your absence, but the experts say to avoid it. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Tetenbaum says. Her advice? Leave anything that sounds like an apology or defense out of the email completely.
Should you include personal details in your maternity leave email message?
“The tone of this message should be professional and informational, but it does not have to go into any specific details,” says Sangmeister. This includes details about your upcoming birth, family or anything else. In other words, you are under no obligation to share candid, personal information.
Tetenbaum agrees. In fact, she adds that you don’t even have to say that your leave involves having a baby. Your message can be as simple as: “I’m on leave, please contact X in my absence.”
However, as Tetenbaum mentioned earlier, “I do believe in normalizing parental leave, and people are generally kind about baby news.” She adds that you will probably get nice messages of support if you mention that your absence is due to parental leave.
Maternity leave out of office email examples
OK, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. What exactly do you say in a maternity leave out of office message, and in what order? Tetenbaum shared some example emails to get you started. You can tweak these to fit your personality and needs.
Simple and warm maternity leave message
I am on parental leave and unavailable by email. Please contact John (John@company.com) if your email is related to a current project or Anna (Anna@company.com) for other matters. I look forward to reconnecting in January. Thank you so much.
Short and concise maternity leave message
I am currently on leave and not checking this email account. Please contact John (John@company.com) if your email is related to a current project or Anna (Anna@company.com) for other matters. I look forward to reconnecting soon.
Detailed and personal maternity leave message
I am OOO enjoying caring for my new baby, Lila! Please contact John (John@company.com) if your email is related to a current project or Anna (Anna@company.com) for other matters. If you’d like a cute baby photo to brighten your day, please ask my assistant Mark (Mark@company.com). I will be in touch upon my return from parental leave and look forward to working with you then.
The bottom line
Aside from including the pertinent information — that you are taking leave, who to contact in your absence and (in some cases) your estimated time of return — how you word a maternity leave out of office email is entirely up to you. You can feel free to make the message your own!
“I believe the message should be simple, unapologetic, direct and informative to help the person emailing know where to go in your absence,” Tetenbaum says. “You can be warm and bubbly if that’s your personality and you feel it’s appropriate, or just straightforward.”
Ultimately, your maternity leave out of office message isn’t something you need to overthink, and it’s something to be proud of. You can do this!
