Three out-of-office templates for new dads. Sets clear boundaries (you're actually off, not "checking occasionally"), routes urgent matters away from new-parent brain, copy-and-paste ready.
Quick answer
A paternity leave OOO message states an approximate return date, names a coverage contact, clearly says you're fully offline (not "checking periodically"), and avoids apologizing for taking leave. Pair the message with a routing URL like yourname.outofofficepro.com so urgent matters reach the right person without burdening your covering colleague.
→ Pro tip
Two weeks of paternity? You'll be back in inbox triage hell.
Even short paternity leaves create an inbox backlog. OutOfOfficePro at $9.99/month routes urgent matters to the right person while you're holding a newborn — so you come back to a digest, not a backlog. Free for one page; cancel anytime.
Hello,
Thank you for your email. I'm on paternity leave from [start date] through approximately [return date]. I will not be checking email during this time.
For all matters, please reach [colleague name] at [colleague email]. They have full coverage.
For urgent matters by issue type, please use [yourname].outofofficepro.com — you'll be routed to the right person automatically.
I'll respond when I return.
Best,
[Your name]
Template 2 — Warm
Warm
Hi,
Thanks so much for reaching out! I'm on paternity leave through [return date] — fully offline, just dad-mode for a couple of weeks.
For anything that can't wait, [colleague name] at [colleague email] is the right contact, and they're great. For urgent things by category, [yourname].outofofficepro.com routes you to the right person automatically.
Catch up when I'm back.
[Your name]
State you're fully offline. "I'll check email occasionally" defeats the point.
Don't apologize. Paternity is leave, not an inconvenience.
Approximate the return. Stuff happens with newborns. Don't lock in a date you can't honor.
Two contacts is better than one. Coverage colleague handles relationships; routing URL handles urgent dispatch by category.
// Two weeks of paternity = 600 emails when you return
Cut that in half with active routing.
Senders self-route to the right person while you're gone. You come back to a digest of what was handled, not a backlog of what needs handling. $9.99/month, cancel anytime, free tier for 5 dispatches a month.