> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openiam.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openiam.com/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/approvals/out-of-office.md).

# Out of office

Nominate someone to handle your approvals while you are away, and hand over what is already waiting.

If requests wait for your approval, they keep arriving while you are on leave — and your colleagues stay blocked behind them. The **out-of-office assistant** solves that: you nominate a delegate and a date range, and your approvals go to them instead.

You set it up on your profile, under **Out-of-Office Delegate** (also labelled **Alternate Contact**).

## Setting it up

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Choose your delegate.**

Pick the person who will handle your approvals. They should have the standing and the knowledge to decide — this is your authority you are handing over, not just your inbox.

You cannot nominate yourself: *"You cannot assign yourself as your own out-of-office assistant."*
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Set the start and end dates.**

The period you will be away. Two rules the page enforces:

* the start date cannot be in the past — *"Start date cannot be in the past"*
* the end date must be on or after the start date, and cannot be in the past
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Confirm.**

You are asked to confirm plainly:

> *"During the selected out-of-office period, all incoming requests will be routed to your designated delegate. Do you confirm?"*

On success you see *"Out of office assistant was assigned."*
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Decide what happens to requests already waiting.**

If your out-of-office period starts immediately, you are asked:

> *"Your out-of-office period starts now. Would you like to reassign pending approval requests to the selected user?"*

You can pick individual items, or hand over everything — *"Select requests to delegate, or leave blank to delegate all pending requests."*
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## What it does and doesn't cover

* **Incoming requests** during the period go to your delegate automatically.
* **Requests already waiting** are only handed over if you choose to reassign them at step 4. Otherwise they sit in your queue until you return.
* **Your other access is unaffected.** This routes approvals; it does not give your delegate your access or let them act as you elsewhere.

## Ending it

Remove the delegate when you are back, or let the end date pass. Removing asks *"Are you sure you want to remove your out-of-office assistant?"*, and confirms with *"Out-of-office delegate dismissed successfully."*

{% hint style="info" %}
Set this **before** you leave, not on your first morning back. The whole value is that nobody is blocked while you are away — and the one thing you will not be doing on holiday is noticing that an approval has been waiting four days.
{% endhint %}

## The alternative, for one item

If you are not going away but a single request needs someone else's judgement, delegate that item on its own instead — see [Approving, rejecting, and delegating](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/approvals/approve-reject-delegate.md).


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