Colleagues see at a glance in Microsoft Teams whether you are available. But what if Teams sets you to "Away" while you are at your desk? Or if clients and colleagues do not know you are off for a week? This article explains how absence works in Teams and how to stay in control.

Two kinds of absence in Teams

  • Your presence status: the colored dot next to your name, such as Available, Busy, Do not disturb or Away.
  • Your out-of-office message: an automatic reply that people see when they email you or start a chat.

Why does Teams set me to Away?

  • You have been inactive on your computer for a few minutes or your screen is locked.
  • The Teams app on your phone is running in the background.
  • Your Outlook calendar shows you as unavailable or you have set an out-of-office message.

Set your status manually

  1. Select your profile picture at the top right of Teams.
  2. Select your current status and choose the one you want, for example Available or Do not disturb.
  3. Under Duration, choose how long the status should stay, so Teams does not change it again.

Set an out-of-office message

  1. Open your profile menu in Teams and choose Schedule out of office.
  2. Turn on automatic replies.
  3. Enter the period and your message, and mention who covers for you.

The message is shared with Outlook, so colleagues see it in Teams and email senders receive your automatic reply.

Add a status message

A status message gives extra context, for example "Back on Monday, for urgent matters call Jan". Set it from your profile menu under Set status message.

Tips for organizations

  • Agree that employees always set an out-of-office message for longer absences.
  • Use a shared queue or group mailbox for questions that cannot wait.
  • Let telephony follow your status so calls are forwarded to a colleague when you are away.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Teams status Away while I am working?

Teams only sees activity in Teams or on your device. If you work in another program for a long time or your screen is locked, your status changes to Away automatically.

Is the Teams out-of-office message the same as in Outlook?

Yes, they are linked. A message set in Teams also applies to your email and vice versa.