Three out-of-office templates for summer hours — half-day Fridays, reduced-schedule weeks, seasonal slowdowns. Sets expectations for slower replies without taking the whole day off.
Quick answer
A summer hours OOO message states the reduced-hour period (e.g., "Summer Fridays through Labor Day"), what hours you're available, and how to reach you for genuine emergencies. Pair with a routing URL so urgent matters reach the right person during your offline hours.
→ Pro tip
Half-day Fridays only work if the urgent stuff routes itself.
OutOfOfficePro at $9.99/month handles your offline hours automatically. Free tier covers 5 dispatches/month.
Hello,
Thanks for your email. I'm out of office Friday afternoons through Labor Day as part of our summer hours schedule. I'll be back at my desk Monday morning.
For urgent matters, please contact [colleague name] at [colleague email] or use [yourname].outofofficepro.com for category-specific routing.
I'll respond when I'm back.
Best,
[Your name]
Template 2 — Reduced summer schedule
Reduced
Hi,
We're on summer hours through [end date] — I'm working Mon–Thu, off Fridays. Replies on Friday emails arrive Monday.
For anything urgent on Fridays, please reach [colleague name] at [colleague email] or [yourname].outofofficepro.com.
Thanks for your patience,
[Your name]
Template 3 — Brief
Brief
Summer hours through [end date]. Out Fridays at noon, back Mondays.
Urgent: [colleague], [email] or [yourname].outofofficepro.com.
— [Your name]
Summer hours OOO best practices
Be specific about what hours you're off. "Summer Fridays" means different things to different companies.
Set the end date. "Through Labor Day" or "until September" — so you don't have to update later.
Don't apologize. Summer hours are a benefit you've earned. Don't undersell them.
Coverage contact for genuine emergencies. If you're routinely needed Friday afternoons, summer hours don't really apply to your role.
// Stop being on call Fridays
Active routing makes summer hours actually summer hours.
OutOfOfficePro at $9.99/month routes urgent matters automatically while you're off. Free tier (5 dispatches/month) is enough to start.