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Prompt repository Email, meetings & presentations

Write a handover note and out-of-office reply before leave

You need colleagues covering for you to know what is in flight, who to contact and what can wait.

Registry no.
OFF-023
Collection
Email, meetings & presentations
Laid out for
Any chat model
Score
10 out of 10
Blanks to fill
5
Added

Email, meetings & presentationsAny chat

The prompt

Score 10 of 10, Excellent

Use it when You need colleagues covering for you to know what is in flight, who to contact and what can wait.

  • {{leave_dates}}
  • {{contact_rule}}
  • {{cover}}
  • {{work_in_flight}}
  • {{recurring_tasks}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
Write two things I need before I go on leave: a handover note for the colleagues covering for me, and an out-of-office reply.

My leave: {{leave_dates}}
Whether and how I can be contacted while away: {{contact_rule}}
Who is covering what: {{cover}}

Work in flight (projects, status, deadlines, contacts, where the files are):
"""
{{work_in_flight}}
"""

Recurring tasks that will come up while I am away: {{recurring_tasks}}

Part 1: Handover note, for colleagues who know the team but not the detail of my work. It should be enough for someone to pick up any item without calling me.
- Dates, and how to reach me, exactly as I said, including "do not contact" if that is what I said.
- Who covers what: a table with the columns Area, Covered by, and Can decide without me, for example "Yes, within the agreed budget".
- In flight: a table with the columns Item, Status, Next step, Deadline, Key contact, and Where the files are.
- Recurring tasks, each with its date and who does it.
- Can wait until I am back: a short list.
- Risks: anything that could go wrong, and what to do if it does.
Keep it under 500 words, most urgent items first.

Part 2: Out-of-office reply, under 80 words and safe to send to people outside the company. Give the return date and who to contact for what, by name or role as I listed them. Do not explain why I am away, mention travel plans, or name internal projects or clients.

Rules for both: Use only the information I gave. Never include passwords, access codes or other credentials, even if they appear in my notes; write "see the password manager" instead. If an item has no status, owner or deadline in my notes, write "[to confirm]"; do not guess. List those items at the end so I can fill them in before I leave.

Variables

{{leave_dates}}
Your first day away and the day you are back.
{{contact_rule}}
For example "do not contact" or "text me only if a client deadline is at risk".
{{cover}}
Who covers which area, one per line, and any limits on what they can decide.
{{work_in_flight}}
Each project or task: where it stands, what is next, deadlines, contacts and where the files live.
{{recurring_tasks}}
For example "monthly report due on the 3rd", or "none".

Why it works

  • Format. Tables for who covers what and what is in flight, with a column for what each person can decide alone, answer the questions that otherwise turn into calls during your leave.
  • What to avoid. Credentials stay out of the note, and the out-of-office reply says nothing about why you are away or where you are.
  • If unsure. Anything missing is marked "[to confirm]" and listed at the end, so you can close the gaps before you go.

How to use it

  1. Press Fill in variables and type your details into each blank. What you type stays in this browser.
  2. Copy the filled prompt into the AI tool you already use, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, or open it in the Grader or the Prompt Tester here.
  3. Before you rely on it, try it on three or four real examples. The Prompt Tester runs them all at once and shows which ones go wrong.