Do you sometimes find yourself wondering where your teammates are hiding these days? Are they at home, sipping coffee in their PJs, or trekking through the NYC concrete jungle on a business trip? With more people working remotely, hybrid work can make it feel like you need psychic powers to know where everyone is each day.
Well, fear not—we're here to show you how to create an "out of office" (OOO) event in Google Calendar so your coworkers never have to wonder what you're up to. Plus, we'll show you how Scoop can automatically sync your Calendar OOO events to Scoop and Slack.
Why use the Google Calendar Out of Office feature, anyway?
If you've ever felt in the dark about whether your teammates were working in the office or not, it's a good bet they've felt the same way about your schedule. In response to customer demand, Google Calendar rolled out its Out of Office functionality in 2018 (along with a setting to customize your working hours). This OOO feature makes it a lot easier for your coworkers to keep track of your whereabouts by receiving your out-of-office notifications. At the same time, it makes automating these notifications a breeze for you. It's a win-win!
Creating an Out of Office event in Google Calendar
To use this feature, you'll first need to know how to set Out of Office in Google Calendar. Simply follow these steps:
- Open Google Calendar and sign in
- Click on the date when your out-of-office begins
- In the pop-up window, click "Out of Office."
- Enter a title (ex:"Out of Office" or 🌴 Vacation)
- Pick the start and end dates
- Optionally, customize the decline message for any event invitations
- Click "Save" to add your OOO events
When setting up your out-of-office event, remember that Google Calendar automatically declines any incoming invites during your OOO period. Plus, you can set up an informative, effective auto-reply message to let people know when you'll be back in action, who to contact for immediate assistance, and even why you're out of the office in the first place (how much you share depends on your office culture, of course).
The mystery of hybrid team visibility
So, you've got your out-of-office event set up, but the hybrid work maze isn't conquered yet. It's still a game of hide-and-seek when it comes to finding out where your colleagues are. Enter Scoop.
Why is visibility so important for hybrid teams? Because knowing when and where your teammates are working helps you collaborate effectively, schedule meetings, and make sure your time in the office is always well spent (AKA no commuting in to sit by yourself).
That's why we created Scoop, which turbo-charges Slack and automatically syncs with your Google Calendar to make hybrid schedules work for you, not against you.
A little bit of automation goes a long way
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Let's break down how Scoop automatically syncs your OOO events from Google Calendar and turns them into a beacon of clarity for your team:
- Scoop susses out that Google Calendar Out of Office
- It sets your work location in Scoop as "Out of Office" (no more guesswork!)
- Your Slack status gets an automatic update to OOO on the big day
- Scoop shares your work location with your closest teammates
When is Scoop's Calendar Sync useful?
Take a look at a few use cases in which Scoop's auto sync with Google Calendar and Slack might be helpful.
- Making getting together at the office less work
- Always knowing where your teammates are working
- Putting your weekly planning on the fast track
- Making navigating your in-office days effortless
- Staying up to date when plans change
Better visibility and more enjoyable time off
With the power of Google Calendar's out-of-office events and Scoop's syncing abilities, you can turn a big part of the hybrid work mystery into a piece of cake. Or pie, if you prefer.
Give Scoop a whirl and watch it revolutionize how your hybrid team plans office days and stays connected, regardless of whether they're in the office or working from well, anywhere. Scoop's got your back, making sure your office days are productive and enjoyable. So, go ahead and embrace the hybrid work adventure (and your time off) with confidence 👏
