Managing time off and sick days can be challenging, especially when relying on emails or checking multiple calendars. To simplify this process, we recommend using UVM leave calendars in Exchange Online.
With this solution, individuals add their leave times to their own calendars and invite the shared leave calendar to the appointments. The leave calendar will only show the individuals’ names, not the title or content of their meetings. Using meeting invites ensures that individuals can only change their own appointments.
This approach centralizes all leave requests in one place, making it easy for everyone in the department to see who is on leave and reducing the risk of missed communications.
This is offered as a way for departments and workgroups to see leave and coverage.
Booking the Leave Calendar
This ensures your event details won’t be visible to people with access to the leave calendar, but teams can still see who is on leave.
To book a leave calendar, simply invite the calendar as an attendee to your meeting.
- In Outlook for the Web, open the Calendar section: http://outlook.office.com/calendar
- Click Create Event in the top left corner
- Invite the Leave Calendar to the event, fill out the remaining event information, and click Save
- Shortly after, you should see your tentatively approved event on the leave calendar, pending full approval by the calendar’s resource delegate
Make sure to follow standard departmental practices and policies for time off requests or sick notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Resource Delegates?
Resource delegates are users with edit permissions on the leave calendar. They can add, edit, and delete events directly on the calendar. Typically, resource delegates will include team leads, a supervisor, or director.
Resource delegates are also charged with final approval of a time-off booking. By default, new events on a leave calendar will be tentatively approved. Resource delegates will receive an email about the booking to approve or deny.
It’s important to limit the number of people with this role, as too many delegates can lead to confusion and accidental changes.
Who are the Calendar Reviewers?
Calendar reviewers can view the calendar and see who is on leave, but cannot make any changes. This setup ensures everyone is informed about their colleagues’ availability without risking accidental modifications.
What happens if someone already has a date reserved?
By default, the leave calendar allows conflicts, meaning multiple users can book overlapping time off without any issues. This ensures everyone can record their leave without worrying about availability conflicts.
Can anyone at UVM see the leave calendar?
By default, no one but calendar reviewers and delegates have access to the leave calendar.
How do I open the leave calendar?
Please follow the instructions in this Knowledge Base article for opening your leave calendar: https://www.uvm.edu/it/kb/article/add-calendar/.