Out-of-office emails are getting a refresh and helping employees set work-life boundaries [Video]

An out-of-office email used to only need a few things — the fact that you’re away from work, what day you’ll return and who to contact in the meantime. 

Not anymore. 

Rather than a copy-and-paste message, employees have given the humble out-of-office reply a revamp. 

“Until Thursday, just pretend I don’t exist,” reads one shared by Canadian content creator Laura Whaley. She gathered examples submitted by her millions of followers.

Another says, “For any urgent matters, please take a deep breath because only a few are.”

The aim is to have some fun with the otherwise short, routine automatic replies. 

Whaley says the sometimes bold or sarcastic comments are more than a means for employees to add a little personality at work — they’re a way for people to assert balance between their work and personal lives.

She says it’s not uncommon to receive an out-of-office response only to get an actual …