Create an out-of-office brief that answers the next question
Prepare useful holiday coverage with current work, decision boundaries, key contacts and clear rules for what should wait.
An out-of-office message says who is away. A coverage brief says how work can continue while they are away.
Write it around the decisions the covering teammate may face, rather than a diary of everything you have been doing.
Start with what is live
For each active item, include the current state, next expected event, owner during your absence and the source of truth. Add deadlines only where they are real. A speculative date should not become a commitment just because it appears in the brief.
Link to the working record instead of copying long sections that will become stale.
Define the decision boundary
State what the covering person can decide, what needs another approver and what should wait. Include practical examples where judgment is likely to be difficult.
For an AI assistant helping with coverage, apply the same boundary through the actual tools and permissions. Access to a brief does not grant authority to send messages, make promises or change account settings.
Explain exceptions
List the few situations that need escalation, who can resolve them and what information that person will need. Avoid making yourself the only escalation route if the purpose is to disconnect.
Before leaving, ask the covering teammate to walk through one likely scenario using only the brief. Fill the gaps they encounter.
When you return, review decisions and open items rather than reading every conversation in order. The covering person can record a short change log with links to the evidence. A good coverage process leaves both people with a clearer current picture, instead of moving an information backlog from one person to the other.