What is the out of office feature?

The out of office (OOO) feature in Cal.com is designed for periods when you’re genuinely unavailable for work. Think of holidays, sick leave, parental leave, company retreats, or professional appointments outside the office.

Instead of manually blocking individual time slots, OOO allows you to mark entire days or stretches of time as unavailable. Once applied, your calendar is automatically updated, ensuring that nobody can book a meeting with you during your absence.

This feature works for individuals managing their own time, as well as for teams and enterprises that need visibility into who is away and when. It brings structure and transparency to absence management, helping everyone stay aligned.

How does out of office work in Cal.com?

When you set an OOO entry in Cal.com, the platform automatically updates your availability so that colleagues, clients, or external partners can’t book time with you. This prevents the all-too-common scenario of returning from holiday to discover meetings scheduled while you were gone.

You can not only view your own Out of Office entries, but also see your team’s OOO schedules. This ensures everyone knows who is away and when, making planning and collaboration much easier.

Recent improvements make Out of Office even more powerful for teams:

• Read-only visibility for non-admins: Team members can see when others are away, without being able to edit entries. This helps everyone plan better while protecting the accuracy of the data.

• Smarter search: Locating OOO entries is now faster and more accurate, making it simple to check who’s out and when.

• Enhanced admin controls: Admins can create, manage, and update OOO entries across a team, ensuring consistency for large organizations with dynamic schedules.

These updates make Out of Office not just a personal productivity tool but also a company-wide resource for absence management.

How to set up out of office in Cal.com

Creating an Out of Office entry in Cal.com is straightforward:

1. Log in to Cal.com
   Sign into your Cal.com account. If you don’t have one yet, creating an account only takes a few minutes.

2. Open the out of office settings
   In the bottom-left corner of the app, click on Settings. From there, select out of office to open your OOO settings.

3. Add a new OOO entry
   Click on + Add and fill in the details:

   • Select yourself or a team member

   • Choose the date range

   • Pick a reason (unspecified, vacation, travel, sick leave, public holiday)

   • Add optional notes for context

4. Redirect bookings to a teammate
   You can provide a link to another team member when you’re OOO. This way, anyone booking through your link will be redirected to your chosen colleague.

5. Save and done
   Once saved, your OOO entry is active. You can see your own schedule and get a full overview of your team’s Out of Office entries.

This process ensures your schedule is accurate and that clients and colleagues know not to expect you while you’re away.

Why use out of office in your scheduling app?

Out of Office is more than a scheduling feature. It’s a way to maintain trust, prevent confusion, and support healthy work-life balance. Here’s why it matters:

• Clear communication for teams: Everyone knows who is on leave, which makes planning easier.

• Reduced scheduling conflicts: OOO entries automatically block unavailable periods, so double bookings are avoided.

• Simplified admin management: Admins can manage OOO across an entire organization, keeping operations smooth.

• Professional client experience: Clients won’t attempt to book with you while you’re away, maintaining professionalism and setting clear boundaries.

• Work-life balance support: By clearly marking when you’re out, you can actually disconnect, knowing your calendar won’t betray you.

Whether it’s a family vacation, a sick day, or a week-long business retreat, OOO ensures your absence is respected across every booking channel.

Wrap-up: how Cal.com out of office simplifies leave and availability in your scheduling app

Time off is an essential part of professional life, but it should never cause scheduling confusion. Cal.com’s Out of Office feature makes absence management simple, transparent, and reliable for individuals, teams, and enterprises. By clearly marking when you’re unavailable, you prevent conflicts, keep colleagues informed, and ensure clients always interact with an accurate calendar.

Explore Cal.com’s Out of Office feature today and take control of your availability, whether you’re in the office or truly out of it!