What you'll learn
How to set notifications and delegate tasks before you leave the office. Also, how to quickly catch up when you return to work. |
What you'll need
10 minutes
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In this tutorial
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1 Notify your co-workers |
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Choose your communication tool depending on who you're corresponding with (for example, send an email to your boss or a quick message to teammates).
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- At the top left, click Compose.
- In the "To" field, add recipients. You can also add recipients:
- In the "Cc" and "Bcc" fields.
- When you compose a message, with a "+ sign" or "@mention" and the contact's name in the text field.
- Add a subject.
- Write your message.
- At the bottom of the page, click Send.
Tip: To add individual recipients and groups of contacts you created with labels, click To:.
Send a direct message to someone:
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- If the name isn’t already under "Chat," click Start a chat .
- Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
- To send a 1:1 message to someone outside of your organization, enter their email address.
- Click the person you want to message.
- Enter a message, then click Send .
Start a group conversation:
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- Under "Chat," click on an existing group conversation, enter a message click Send .
- If the group conversation isn’t under "Chat,” click Start a chat Start group conversation.
- Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
- Click Done .
- Enter a message, then click Send .
If you’re out of the office, update your Google Calendar so co-workers know you’re away from work.
When you indicate that you’re out of office, your calendar will automatically decline all meetings during that time.
- On your computer, open Google Calendar.
- At the top of your calendar, click the first date you’ll be out of the office.
- Click Out of office.
- Select the dates that you’ll be out of the office. You can also specify a time.
- Optional: To schedule out-of-office events that repeat, below the day and time you select, click the drop down menu next to “Does not repeat” choose a frequency.
- Optional: Change your decline settings and edit your decline message.
- Click Save.
You also need to make sure you decline or reschedule any meetings. You can send a note to your guests to explain your absence or reschedule a meeting.
Send a note to guests:
- Click the event on your calendar.
- Next to "Maybe," click the Down arrow Add note.
- Enter your note.
Tip: Next to “Going,” you can also choose your RSVP. - Click Save.
Note: All guests can propose a new time, except for events with more than 200 guests or all-day events.
Reschedule a meeting:
Note: If the event organizer has given you access to modify an event, you can reschedule it directly without proposing a new time.
- On your calendar, click the event.
- Next to "Maybe," click the Down arrow Propose a new time.
- Select a different time or day.
Tip: You can also add a message to your proposed time. - Click Send Proposal.
In Gmail, set up an automated reply to incoming messages so co-workers know you’re unavailable.
Turn your vacation responder on or off:
Note: To use Vacation responder, your account must be at least 24 hours old.
- Open Gmail .
- At the top right, click Settings See all settings.
- Scroll down to Vacation responder and select Vacation responder on or Vacation responder off.
- If you turned on the vacation responder, enter the dates you're away and add a message. Then, select who should get a response.
- At the bottom, click Save Changes.
2 Prepare and assign work |
Create a transition document in Google Docs or Google Drive—explain you’re out of the office, list the contacts who are taking over your work, and any relevant project files.
You can also:
If your organization has Gemini for Google Workspace, Docs can create a first draft of your transition document for you or refine the text you've already written. For details, see Collaborate with Gemini in Google Docs.
If you’re handing over a project and you need to find other people in your organization, such as reviewers or managers, you can search for people in Google Cloud Search.
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Sign in to Cloud Search at cloudsearch.google.com.
If you can't sign in, your account doesn't have Cloud Search. Learn more
- Search for a person by name.
- In the result card, click the icons to the right of the person's name to send an email, schedule a meeting, or start a video call.
- To get other contact options or more reporting information, click the person's name to open their profile information page.
- In the profile information page, click how you want to contact the person:
- To send an email, click Email or the person's email address.
- To set up a meeting, click Schedule .
- To chat, click Chat .
- To start a video call, click Video call .
- To contact the person's manager or direct reports, click the name of the manager or report to open their profile information page.
Assign tasks in the project plan:
- In Docs, Sheets, or Slides, select the text you'd like to comment on.
- Click Add comment .
- Enter your comment in the box.
- (Optional) To direct your task or comment to a specific person, enter a plus sign (+) followed by their email address. You can add as many people as you want. Each person will get an email with your comment and a link to the file.
- (Optional) To assign the comment to a specific person, check the Assign to box.
- Click Comment or Assign.
Note: If a file reaches the maximum number of comments, you can make a copy of the file without copying over any comments.
Share a file or folder with specific people:
- Select the file you want to share.
- Click Share or Share .
- Under Share with people and groups, enter the email address you want to share with.
Note: If visitor sharing is on for your organization, you can invite someone who doesn't have a Google Account to collaborate on your Google Drive files and folders. See Share documents with visitors.
- To change what people can do to your file, on the right, click the Down arrow Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
- Choose to notify people:
- If you want to notify people that you shared a file with them, check the Notify people box. If you notify people, each email address you enter will be included in the email.
- If you don't want to notify people, uncheck the Notify people box.
- Click Share or Send.
Share a link to a file or folder:
- In Drive, right-click the file or folder you want to share and select Share .
In Docs, Sheets, or Slides, at the top, click Share.
Note: You can only share files that you own or have edit access to.
- (Optional) To specify what people can do with your file when you share it, under your organization name, click Change:
- To change the permission, at right, click the Down arrow and select Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
- To allow sharing the link outside of your organization, next to your organization name, click the Down arrow Public.
Note: If you don't see this option, contact your administrator.
- Click Copy link.
- Click Done.
- Paste the link in an email, on a website, or wherever you need to share it.
After you establish who you need to contact, compose an email or send a message to stakeholders.
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- At the top left, click Compose.
- In the "To" field, add recipients. You can also add recipients:
- In the "Cc" and "Bcc" fields.
- When you compose a message, with a "+ sign" or "@mention" and the contact's name in the text field.
- Add a subject.
- Write your message.
- At the bottom of the page, click Send.
Tip: To add individual recipients and groups of contacts you created with labels, click To:.
3 Keep track of work |
While you’re away, you might need to check in occasionally by email or a direct message (DM) to see how projects are progressing.
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- At the top left, click Compose.
- In the "To" field, add recipients. You can also add recipients:
- In the "Cc" and "Bcc" fields.
- When you compose a message, with a "+ sign" or "@mention" and the contact's name in the text field.
- Add a subject.
- Write your message.
- At the bottom of the page, click Send.
Tip: To add individual recipients and groups of contacts you created with labels, click To:.
Send a direct message to someone:
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- If the name isn’t already under "Chat," click Start a chat .
- Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
- To send a 1:1 message to someone outside of your organization, enter their email address.
- Click the person you want to message.
- Enter a message, then click Send .
Start a group conversation:
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- Under "Chat," click on an existing group conversation, enter a message click Send .
- If the group conversation isn’t under "Chat,” click Start a chat Start group conversation.
- Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
- Click Done .
- Enter a message, then click Send .
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