¶ Out of Office (OOO) & Vacation Coverage
Reference Document: time_off_coverage_best_pratices.pdf
¶ Objective
To ensure business continuity, maintain service standards, and prevent project bottlenecks when an employee is out of office/on vacation. This practice establishes clear expectations for identifying and prepping backup personnel before any planned or unplanned absence.
¶ Identifying The Backup Personnel
Whenever an employee is scheduled to be out of the office for multiple days, they are required to designate one primary backup personnel to manage their responsibilities during their absence.
¶ Standard Coverage Procedure
¶ 1. Confirm Availability
- Select the agreed-upon colleague to handle your core tasks.
- Reach out to them directly to confirm their availability to cover for you.
- Do not list someone as a backup without their awareness and confirmation.
¶ 2. Conduct a Knowledge Handover
- Timeline: 2–3 days before your leave, provide your backup with a brief written or verbal overview of your active projects/tasks.
- Details to Include: Highlight critical deadlines, recurring daily tasks, key contacts/vendors/clients, and any expected urgent issues that might arise.
- Access: Ensure your backup has the necessary permissions, software access, or shared folder paths required to fulfill your duties.
¶ 3. Calendar & Email Auto-Response Setup
- Mark your calendar as "Out of Office."
- Setup your email and internal messaging (e.g., Slack) autoresponders.
- Your message must state the dates of your absence as well as your confirmed backup colleague by their name and email address.
¶ Current Backup Contacts
Last Updated: June, 2026
| Employee Away | Backup Colleague |
|---|---|
| Michael Lepage | Devon primary, INSERT NAME for urgent matters |
| Devon Pickard | Michael |
| Evan Wakelin | Michael B2B, Dina for customer service |
| Rama Al Jaber | Ryan primary, Evan/Dina as needed |
| Dina Mrzljak | Evan primary, INSERT NAME for community |
| Keila Sternberg | Evan |
| Ryan Hadwen | Rama |