Slack out of office status
An out of office status that answers "when are you back?"
Vacation, a public holiday, a sick day or leave. Add the day you're back and who covers, and copy a status your team can't misread, set to clear itself.
The details
How your team sees it
Jordan Lee
Away · 9:41 AM local time
Set it like this
Set a status
Also pick Pause notifications from the same menu, so nothing pings you.
Status set. Here's the rest of the away kit.
Your out-of-office email
The auto-reply for Outlook or Gmail, with your dates and backup filled in.
Write itEvery office's holidays
Working across countries? See each office's public holidays side by side, and the days everyone is off.
Compare holidaysA status that sets itself
Forgot keeps your team's time off and holidays on one calendar. Next on the roadmap: setting everyone's Slack status from it.
Try it freeOut of office statuses for every kind of time off.
The back day and backup here are samples. Open one in the generator to use yours.
Vacation statuses
- On vacation, back Monday. Ask Sam for anything urgentPlain · Clear the day you're back
- Out of office, back Monday. Sam is covering for mePlain · Clear the day you're back
- PTO, back Monday. Urgent? Sam has itPlain · Clear the day you're back
- Off on vacation and actually offline! Back MondayFriendly · Clear the day you're back
- Recharging until Monday. Sam has you covered while I'm outFriendly · Clear the day you're back
- Away for a bit, back Monday with stories. Sam covers until thenFriendly · Clear the day you're back
- Currently a person on a beach. Human again MondayFunny · Clear the day you're back
- On vacation. My laptop is too. We're both back MondayFunny · Clear the day you're back
- Moving at vacation speed until Monday. Sam is moving at work speedFunny · Clear the day you're back
Public holiday statuses
Shown for Diwali in India. Pick your country in the generator and it fills in your own next holiday and back day.
- Public holiday in India (Diwali), back Mon, Oct 26Plain · Clear the day you're back
- Off for Diwali in India. Back Mon, Oct 26Plain · Clear the day you're back
- Diwali: our office in India is closed. Back Mon, Oct 26Plain · Clear the day you're back
- Happy Diwali! Off for the holiday in India, back Mon, Oct 26Friendly · Clear the day you're back
- It's Diwali here in India, so I'm offline. Back Mon, Oct 26Friendly · Clear the day you're back
- Holiday in India (Diwali). Working elsewhere? I'm back Mon, Oct 26Friendly · Clear the day you're back
- Diwali in India, so I'm officially required to relax. Back Mon, Oct 26Funny · Clear the day you're back
- Holiday here, workday where you are. I win this round. Back Mon, Oct 26Funny · Clear the day you're back
- Public holiday in India. My laptop and I are on a break until Mon, Oct 26Funny · Clear the day you're back
Sick day statuses
- Out sick, back MondayPlain · Clear the day you're back
- Sick day. Replies will be slowPlain · Clear at the end of today
- Out on sick leave, back MondayPlain · Clear the day you're back
- Out sick and resting. Back Monday, hopefully!Friendly · Clear the day you're back
- Under a blanket with soup today. Back MondayFriendly · Clear the day you're back
- Out sick. Please send memes, not meeting invitesFunny · Clear at the end of today
- Fighting a cold and currently losing. Rematch MondayFunny · Clear the day you're back
Parental leave statuses
- On parental leave, back Monday. Please contact SamPlain · Clear the day you're back
- Parental leave until Monday. Not checking messagesPlain · Clear the day you're back
- On parental leave with our new little one. Back MondayFriendly · Clear the day you're back
- Out on family leave, back Monday. Sam has my workFriendly · Clear the day you're back
- On parental leave, reporting to a very demanding new stakeholder. Back MondayFunny · Clear the day you're back
- Parental leave. Sleep is now a legacy system. Back MondayFunny · Clear the day you're back
Slack can't start a status later. It can end one on time.
Slack's status has a Clear after setting but no start time, so the trick is to set it as you leave with an end date that matches your back day. Teams goes further: Schedule out of office starts and stops on its own.
Plan a status that ends on time
- 1Write the status now, with the day you're back in it.
- 2Set it as you leave: profile picture, Update your status.
- 3Under Clear after, choose Choose date and time, and pick the morning you're back.
- 4Pause notifications until the same day, and set your email auto-reply to match.
Set it in Slack on desktop
- 1Click your profile picture, then Update your status.
- 2Click the smiley to pick an emoji, then type or paste your status.
- 3Under Clear after, pick when it goes away. For time off, choose Choose date and time and pick the morning you're back.
- 4Click Save. For time off, also pick Pause notifications from the same menu.
Teams can schedule it for you
- 1Click your profile picture, then Set status message, then Schedule out of office.
- 2Turn on the automatic reply and write your message.
- 3Turn on Send replies only during a time period and pick your dates.
- 4Click Save. Teams shows you as out of office for exactly those days.
On the Forgot roadmap
Your team's time off is already on the calendar. Soon it sets their Slack status too.
Forgot puts everyone's vacations, sick days and public holidays in every country on one calendar, with a morning Slack post of who's out. Next, each person connects their Slack once and their status follows their time off: set when they leave, cleared the day they're back.
Free for 14 days, no card. Then $9 once, no subscription.
Questions
What should my Slack status say when I'm on vacation?
That you're away, the day you're back, and who to ask meanwhile: "🌴 On vacation, back Mon, Nov 30. Ask Sam for anything urgent". Then set it to clear the morning you're back.
Does Slack have an out of office auto-reply?
Not built in. Your status and paused notifications are what people see: your status shows next to your name and when they open a message to you. For an automatic reply to emails, set one in Outlook or Gmail too.
What status should I set on a public holiday?
Say it's a public holiday where you are and when you're back: "🇮🇳 Public holiday in India (Diwali), back Monday". Coworkers in other countries often don't know your holidays, so naming the place saves them from wondering why you're quiet. Pick your country in the generator and it lists your next holidays with the back day worked out.
Can I set a Slack status in advance?
Slack has no built-in way to start a status later; you set it when you leave. What it does do is clear it for you: pick the date you're back under Clear after. Some third-party apps and calendar tools can set statuses ahead of time.
Is anything I type saved or sent?
No. The statuses are written by hand and filled in in your browser. Picking a country loads its public holidays, the same list for everyone, and nothing about you is sent or stored.