How does an HR department use Task Manager?
In most companies, an absence notification arrives too late. The task has already been assigned and a due date set when an out-of-office reply finally comes in: “I’m on leave until Friday.” In Task Manager, you’re notified of an absence when someone tries to assign work.
HR can make sure statuses are kept up to date. Each employee sets their own status in their settings, under the Profile tab, in the Availability status section. They can choose from four options: Available, Holiday, Sick and Absent. An administrator can set someone else’s status in the “Account status” section when editing a user. They can also see a list of people who are absent.
When adding a new person, the global administrator assigns them to selected Workspaces and sets their permissions. The new user receives an invitation by email and sets their own password when activating their account.
How do absence statuses and account access work?
When the status is anything other than “Available”, a “From” date is required. The software won’t save the absence without it. The “Until” date and message are optional. If an employee doesn’t provide an end date, the absence continues until the status is changed to “Available” manually. If they do provide one, the absence expires after that date: the person is treated as available again and automatic replies stop. You can also enter a future absence - it will take effect from the start date.
When you try to assign a task to someone who is absent, the AI Assistant lets you know. If you write in a task thread or a chat with someone whose status is “Holiday” or “Sick”, they’ll send an automatic reply. It includes your mention and the message set in their profile, or the default text. It appears once a day in each thread. Another message in the same thread that day won’t trigger it, but a message in a different thread will.
Turning off the “Active” switch prevents the person from logging in, preserves their data and tasks, and frees up a licence seat. The licence only counts active users. The “Blocked” status clears sessions and remembered devices. The person loses access the next time they click, and sees a message when logging in saying that an administrator has blocked their account. Blocking does not free up a licence seat. An administrator can’t block themselves or another global administrator - this option isn’t shown for those accounts.
What changes in the way your department works
You can plan work knowing who is absent. You won’t find out about someone’s leave only after an assigned task goes unanswered.
You don’t need to tell everyone who contacts an absent employee that they’re on leave or off sick. They’ll get a reply in the conversation, and you won’t have to interrupt your work to pass on the same information.
You also don’t need to remind anyone to change their status after an absence when they’ve specified an end date in advance. When someone leaves, you keep their task history, and deactivating their account frees up a licence seat for someone else.
An everyday example
On Wednesday, the coordinator assigns an urgent order to Marta. Marta has been marked as “Holiday” since Tuesday, and her profile includes a return date. The Assistant alerts the coordinator to her absence while they’re assigning the task. They can assign it to someone else that same day.
A week later, someone writes in an old thread that Marta is part of. They receive an automatic reply with the message Marta set in her profile. They write three more times that day, but no further automatic reply is sent. It will appear in that thread again the following day.
Three months later, another employee leaves. The administrator turns off their “Active” switch: their task history stays, and their licence seat goes back into the pool.
Frequently asked questions
Does Task Manager calculate annual leave entitlement or keep employee records?
No. Task Manager shows who's absent and the date range, but it doesn't replace an HR system or calculate annual leave entitlement.
Who sets an absence - the employee or an administrator?
Each employee sets their own status in their profile settings, in the Availability status section. An administrator can also set someone else's status while editing their account.
Do you need to change your status back to “Available” manually after returning from leave?
No, if an end date has been set. The absence ends after that date. Without an “Until” date, it continues until the status is changed manually.
What is the difference between deactivating an account and blocking it?
Deactivating an account prevents the person from logging in, preserves their data and frees up a licence seat. When they try to log in, they see the usual message about an incorrect email address or password. Blocking an account clears sessions and remembered devices. The person loses access the next time they click and sees a message explaining the administrator’s decision when they try to log in. Blocking does not free up a licence seat.
Does the AI Assistant notify you of an absence when you assign a task?
Yes. When you try to assign a task to someone who is absent, the AI Assistant lets you know.