THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT APPLY TO THE COACHES 

Company Systems User Guide - Out-of-Office Setup

Overview

This guide walks you through every step required to set up your out-of-office (OOO) notifications across three systems: Outlook, Slack, and Zoom. When you plan to be away, it's important to communicate clearly across all three platforms so your team and clients are not left without support and internal communication is not disrupted. Follow all steps carefully and in order.

Who This Is For: All employees, excluding Coaches.

Before You Begin

Important: Before setting up any out-of-office notifications in any system, you must first submit your Time Off Request through Rippling.

Your request must be fully approved by your reporting manager before you continue. For step-by-step instructions on submitting your request, see the Time Off Request Process guide.

Do not move on to Step 1 below until your time off has been officially approved. Setting up OOO notifications before approval can create confusion if your time off changes or is denied.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up Your Outlook Auto-Reply

This step sets an automatic email reply that will go out to anyone who emails you while you are away.

Part A: Turn On Automatic Replies

• Open the Outlook desktop app on your PC.
• In the top-left corner of the screen, click File. This will open your menu options.

• On this menu, look for the option called Automatic Replies. It should be one of the first options you see, right below the File tab. Click on it.

• A pop-up window will open. This is where you will set up your automatic reply.
• Select the option that says "Send automatic replies."
• Directly below that, you will see another option called "Only send during this time range." Check this box. This ensures your reply only goes out during the exact dates and times you are away, rather than indefinitely.

Part B: Set Your Start and End Times

Best practice is to set your start time to line up with the moment you leave the office, and your end time to line up with the moment you are back and working again.

• Start Time: Select the date you are leaving. It is best to set the time to the exact hour you will be leaving the office. For example, if your last day is Friday and your workday ends at 5:00 PM, set your start time to Friday at 5:00 PM.
• End Time: Select the date and time you expect to return and be back at your desk. For example, if you are returning the following Wednesday and starting work at 8:00 AM, set your end time to Wednesday at 8:00 AM. This means your auto-reply will turn off automatically right when you are back online.

Part C: Write Your Message (Inside the Organization)

Outlook lets you set up two separate messages: one for people inside your organization, and one for people outside your organization. You must fill out both tabs.

For the internal message (seen by coworkers), use wording similar to this:

"Hi team, I will be out of office from Thursday, July 24 at 5:00 PM through Tuesday, July 29 at 9:00 AM. During this time, please contact [Colleague's Name] at [email] or on Slack for assistance. Have a spectacular day!"

• Be explicit: always state the exact date and time you are leaving and the exact date and time you will return.
• Always name the specific coworker who is covering your desk while you're away, and include their email address so people know exactly who to contact and how.

Part D: Write Your Message (Outside the Organization)

Click over to the second tab, labeled for people outside your organization (this is the message clients will see). Use wording similar to this:

"Thank you for reaching out. I am currently out of the office and will return on Tuesday, July 29. For immediate assistance, please contact our Client Services Team at https://support.tonyrobbins.com/hc/en-us."

• Include the date you will return so external contacts know when to expect a response from you directly.
• If the urgent request requires a person (not just Customer Support) to help while you're out, name that covering person directly along with their email and phone number, for example: "please contact Lisa Simpson at lisa.simpson@tonyrobbins.com or by phone."
• If there is not a specific covering person for external requests, direct clients to Customer Support and include the support website link so they can submit a ticket directly.
• Once both messages (inside and outside the organization) are filled in, click OK to save and close the window.

Part E: Block Your Time on the Outlook Calendar

After setting your auto-reply, you also need to block off your calendar so that no one can book time with you while you are out.

• Go to your Outlook Calendar and navigate to the first date you will be out.
• Think about which days actually need to be blocked. For example, if you are leaving at the end of the day on Friday, you do not need to block Friday, since you were working that whole day. You would start blocking from Saturday (or your next non-working day) through the day before you return.
• Double-click on a time slot on the first day you need to block. This will open a new calendar entry.
• In the title of the event, clearly write that this is an out-of-office block, and include your return date, for example: "Out of Office, back Wednesday 9/2."

• Instead of using the "All Day" option, set specific start and end times that match your normal workday. For example, if you normally work 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, set the block from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

• Important: Do not use the "All Day" checkbox. Using "All Day" may not sync correctly with scheduling tools like Calendly and could still allow clients to book time with you during your absence.
• If you will be out for more than one day, click Recurrence (sometimes shown as a small icon in the ribbon at the top of the event window).

• In the recurrence settings, select which specific days of the week you need blocked (for example, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, if those are working days you'll miss).
• Set the end date for the recurrence to the day before you return, so the blocks stop appearing once you are back. For example, if you return Wednesday, set the recurrence to end that Wednesday, or the Thursday prior at the latest.

• Click Save and Close. Your calendar will now show blocked time for every day you selected, and it will be clear again starting the day you return.

Step 2: Set Up Your Slack Status

This step is not just for out-of-office use — you can use this same process any time you want to set up a status for yourself. The instructions below use an out-of-office example.

Part A: Set Your Status

• Open the Slack app.
• In the bottom-left corner, click your profile picture. This is also where you can access your preferences.

• A menu will pop up. Directly underneath your name, you will see an option to update your status, along with an option to select an emoji. Click into this.

• Choose an emoji that fits your status. For out-of-office, most people use the built-in "OOO" option, which comes with its own emoji already attached.

• Type your status message, including your return date. For example: "Out of office. Will be returning on 9/3/2026 in the AM."

Part B: Pause Notifications and Set Timing

• Below the status message box, you'll see an option to pause your notifications until your status clears. Select this so you are not disturbed while you're away.

• Set the duration for how long this status should last before it automatically falls off.

• If you already know your out-of-office dates in advance, choose a specific start time and end time rather than starting the status immediately. This lets you set it up ahead of time, and it will automatically turn on and off on the correct dates.
• Once everything is filled in, select "Pause notifications until status is cleared," then click Save. Your status will automatically appear on the day and time you scheduled it to start.
• When you return to the office, click back into your profile and check your status to confirm it has cleared on its own.
• If your status has not automatically cleared, you must remove it manually by clicking back into your profile and clearing the status yourself.

Part C: Notify Your Team Channel

In addition to your personal status, you should also post in your team channel so your team knows you'll be away, especially if you collaborate with others in the organization.

• Go into Slack and open your team channel.
• Click into the text box at the bottom of the channel where you would normally type a message.
• Type a message letting the team know you'll be out. Be clear and specific about both your last working day and your return date. For example: "Hi team! I will be out of office starting end of day on 8/28/2026 and returning the morning of 9/3/2026."

• If someone needs to reach a person (not just wait for you) while you're out, name that covering person directly in the message. For example: "In case any of my team members or anyone I'm collaborating with needs help during this time, Lisa Simpson will be covering me."
• Close the message with a friendly sign-off, for example: "Have a great weekend!"
• If you are writing this message before the day you actually want it posted (for example, writing it a few days early), do not post it immediately. Instead, use Slack's schedule message feature.
• To schedule it: after typing your message, look for the option to schedule the message for a future date and time instead of sending right away.
• Choose a send time close to when you are actually leaving. For example, if you leave for the day at 5:00 PM, schedule the message for around 4:30 PM. This gives coworkers a chance to reach you with any last questions before you're gone.
• Click to schedule the event. Your message is now scheduled and will automatically post to the channel at the exact date and time you selected, so you don't have to remember to send it yourself.

Step 3: Set Up Your Zoom Status

Your Zoom status is required any time you are going out of office (you can also use this same process to set up a fun status any other time).

Part A: Open Your Status Settings

• Open the Zoom Workplace app.
• In the top-right corner, click your profile picture (this should be a picture of yourself).
• A drop-down menu will appear. Click the option called "Set Status Message."

Part B: Write Your Status Message

• Type your out-of-office message. Best practice is to always include both your start date and your end date so it is explicit and specific for anyone viewing it.
• Note: This message is internal only — external clients cannot see your Zoom status.
• Example message, if leaving at the end of day Friday, August 28th and returning Wednesday, September 2nd: "Out of office 8/28/2026 to 9/2/2026."

Part C: Set the Status to Clear Automatically

• Click the next option, labeled for clearing the status after a certain time. This allows you to set a specific date and time for the status to start and a specific date and time for it to end.
• When you select the option to set a date and time, it will bring up a field for your start date.
• It will also bring up a field for your end date. Both fields let you indicate the exact hour you want the status to begin and end, not just the day.
• Best practice: set the start time to the end of your workday on your last day (for example, 5:00 PM on the 28th).
• Set the end time to the morning you return and are back at work.
• Once you're done, click Save. Your status will now automatically apply starting on the date and time you set, and it will automatically drop off once the end time you indicated has passed.

Part D: Log Out at the End of the Day

• Important: At the end of your last working day, remember to also log out of Zoom entirely, in addition to setting your status. Go into your statuses and put yourself in out-of-office before logging out for the day.

Best Practices

Follow these guidelines every time you set up your out-of-office notifications:

• Always submit and confirm approval of your Rippling time off request before setting up any OOO notifications in Outlook, Slack, or Zoom.
• Always name a specific backup contact (with their email, and phone number if needed) in every message, so coworkers and clients know exactly who to reach and how — don't just say "someone will cover for me."
• Be explicit about both your exact start date/time and your exact return date/time in every message and every system, not just the day.
• Double-check that the dates and times you enter in Outlook, Slack, and Zoom all match each other exactly.
• Never use the "All Day" option when blocking your Outlook calendar, since it may not sync correctly with scheduling tools and could still let clients book time with you.
• Use the schedule/recurrence features in Outlook and Slack whenever possible so your notifications turn on and off automatically, instead of relying on yourself to remember.
• When you return, manually check that your Slack and Zoom statuses have actually cleared, and remove them yourself if they have not.
• Remember to log out of Zoom at the end of your last working day, in addition to setting your status.

Final Checklist Before You Log Off

• Rippling time off request submitted and approved.
• Outlook automatic replies set for both inside and outside the organization, and calendar blocked.
• Slack status set, notifications paused, and team channel notified.
• Zoom status updated with start and end dates.
• Logged out of Zoom for the day.

For questions or technical support, please submit a ticket through Zendesk and select Business Operations.