Best Practices - Setting Your Out of Office (OOO) Notifications

Best Practices - Setting Your Out of Office (OOO) Notifications

When planning to be out of the office, it’s important to communicate clearly across all platforms to maintain seamless support and prevent any disruption to internal or external communication.

✅ PREREQUISITE

Before setting any system-level OOO notifications:

📌 Submit your Time Off Request through Coastal Payroll and ensure it is fully approved by your reporting manager. To submit your time off, see Time Off Request Process. 

Only once your time off is officially approved should you move forward with setting your OOO status.

📧 1. Outlook — Auto-Reply Email Setup

Set an automatic reply for incoming emails during your time away.

🛠️ Steps:

1. Open the Outlook desktop app
2. Click on the File tab (top left)
3. Click “Automatic Replies (Out of Office)”
4. In the pop-up window:
   1. Select “Send automatic replies”
   2. Check the box: “Only send during this time range”
   3. Set your Start Time (e.g., July 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM if you're leaving EOD)
   4. Set your End Time (e.g., July 29, 2025 at 9:00 AM if you're returning that morning)

📝 Message Formatting:

Inside My Organization:

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.

Outside My Organization:

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 [email/phone].

Block Your Time on Your Outlook Calendar

1. Go to your Outlook Calendar and navigate to the dates you’ll be out.

2. Create Out-of-Office time blocks covering your full workday (e.g., 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

3. If your time off spans multiple days:

   • Click Recurrence in the top ribbon

   • Select your full date range

   • Click OK to confirm

4. ⚠️ Important: Do not use the “All Day” option. It may not sync correctly with Calendly and could allow clients to book time during your absence.

💬 2. Slack — Status + Notification Settings

Let your internal team know you’re away at a glance.

🛠️ Steps:

1. Open the Slack App
2. Click on your profile picture (bottom left corner)
3. In the pop-up, select “Update your status”
4. Choose an emoji like 🏖️ or 🚫 to indicate you're OOO
5. Write a status message like:

OOO until July 29 – please contact @BackupPerson for urgent needs

1. Check “Pause notifications”
2. Click “Adjust time” → “Custom” to select your OOO start and end date/time
3. Click “Save”

✅ Pro Tip:

Tag your backup person in your status so people know where to go without needing to message you.

Post in your team channel to let everyone know:

• The dates you’ll be out

• Who is covering for you while you’re away

🖥️ 3. Zoom Workplace — OOO Status Update

Let teammates know through Zoom that you're not available.

🛠️ Steps:

1. Open Zoom Workplace
2. Click your profile picture (top right corner)
3. Change your Status Indicator to: Out of Office
4. Click “Set Status Message”
5. In the pop-up window:
   1. Write a status like:

I’m currently OOO through July 29. Please reach out to [Backup Name] if you need assistance.

1. Set the status expiration date to match your return
2. Click Save

🌟 Final Checklist Before You Log Off

✔️ Coastal Payroll request submitted & approved 
✔️ Auto-replies set in Outlook 
✔️ Slack status + pause notifications active 
✔️ Zoom status updated