Out of office? Happy for you.But spare us the details, eh?

For the holidaying employee, there are, in fact, few more delightful moments. You’ve hurried and harried to get as much done as you can before you start your annual leave.

- WILL GORE

You’ve emailed a couple of close colleagues with a brief note about things that might arise in your absence. And finally, you can change your Outlook or Gmail settings so that anyone who contacts you in the coming days will know firmly that you are away. The holiday has begun.

There are also few more irritating things for anyone not on holiday than receiving an OOO from someone who is, particularly if they are away for a month, or if their message is a particularly jaunty one. Christmas auto-replies can be particularly galling.

Have you had your first one yet? I have – and it gave me a suitably painful pang of resentment. A three-week Christmas break? Maybe one day…

There are lots of ways to craft an out-of-office message. Indeed, there are even online guides about how to do it. The primary tips seem to be: be precise about when you’ll be back; don’t go into detail about what you’re doing on your hols; and provide information on who to contact in your absence.