Live, laugh, leave me alone.
Gen-Zers have found a way to spice up their out-of-the-office emails — even if it comes off as rude.
“I wish this was a joke but he’s not even here to make this a video,” the caption read.
In a 33-second clip, posted on July 16, Joshua Kessel, who goes by @joshfrommarketing on TikTok, uploaded footage of a video email attachment he sent coworkers relaying that he’s out of office.
If coworkers message the “Gen-Z marketing” employee, they are met with a response notifying them to “refer to attached video” for any questions or concerns while he’s away.
That clip, which has more than 3.2 million views, begins with Kessel seated at a table, stating, “If you’re watching this, I’m probably on a plane to Europe right now. Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.”
The content creator remained stoic throughout the explainer, purposely avoiding one of the most asked questions: “When will you be back?”
He continues with a list of FAQs, giving snarky responses that many people would love to say out loud but are afraid to.
“For all urgent inquiries, send me an email; I’ll look at it when I get back,” he confessed.
However, Kessel did provide his personal email when job recruiters reached out to offer him a new career opportunity.
The marketing employee incorporated animations, sound effects, graphics and scenery changes into the video, making it hard to take him seriously.
Fellow Gen-Zers admired Kessel’s creative and honest out-of-office email. Some watchers admitted they, too, are considering attaching a video to their OOO messages.
“Gen Z is so unserious I love it,” commented one person.
“God how much I love Gen-Z in corporate,” quipped a watcher.
“It’s embarrassing how quickly I googled “how to put a video in your Outlook Out of Office message,” confessed another.
“The guts these Gen Z kids have,” praised a millennial. “Me crying in millennial anxiety just asking to use my annual leave.”
“This is so Michael Scott coded,” laughed a TikToker.
According to Nadya Movchan, a personal brand expert and founder of the communications and growth firm Movchan Agency, 86% of people continue receiving unsolicited emails during vacation.
“Adding a bit of creativity and humor here and there is no harm; emails, which leave many workers stressed, are a perfect platform for that,” Movchan said in a press release.
She revealed a list of out-of-office messages that Gen-Zers boldly use to protect their peace when away.
Gen-Z out-of-office messages
- I’m on vacation — will be back when I run out of money.
- I am in my self-care era. If you have any questions — please don’t.
- Miss girl is tired of delivering shareholder value and needs a couple of cocktails to recover.
- The vibes are off and so is my email! See ya in a week!
- Sorry babes, I am traveling now. Here’s my Instagram to see my daily vlogs.
- 2 truths 1 lie: I am out-of-office. I won’t be answering any messages in the meantime. I’ll never be back.
So, it turns out that Kessel isn’t the only Gen-Zer to leave a blunt and humorous OOO message for coworkers while on vacation.
“I’ll definitely be sending a video for my two-week notice, haha!” laughed one watcher.
“I wanna do this so bad but I don’t think it’d go over well with my workplace,” admitted a woman.
Meanwhile, companies like Spotify, Burga, Los Angeles Chargers, Kiehl’s Since 1851 and MCM all applaud Kessel’s quirky approach underneath the viral video, calling him a “genius” and possessing “main character” energy.
Perhaps it’s a good thing Kessel dropped his personal email because — depending on who you ask — some big recruiters could be reaching out to him before his PTO is over.
Movchan also revealed some of the “best” email sign-offs she’s seen, including:
- Slay, serve, survive
- Please do hesitate to reach out
- Horrors persist, but so do I
- 1 slay a day keeps the doctor away
- Stress less, God bless
- Live, Laugh, Leave me alone
