Enable absentify for employees in Microsoft Teams and Outlook

In organizations where Microsoft Teams and Outlook apps are restricted by default, administrators need to manually allow and configure access to absentify. This guide provides a step-by-step process for Microsoft 365 Tenant and Teams Admins to enable absentify for employees.

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Why enable absentify?

absentify integrates deeply into Microsoft 365, allowing employees to manage absences directly within Microsoft Teams and Outlook. By enabling absentify, you provide:

• Convenient absence management: Employees can manage absences without leaving their primary collaboration tools.
• Improved efficiency: IT administrators can centrally manage permissions and deployments, reducing manual interventions.

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Steps to Allow absentify in Microsoft Teams

1. Sign in to the Teams Admin Center:

   • Go to the Microsoft Teams admin center.
   • Sign in using your administrator credentials.

2. Enable App Permissions:

   • Navigate to Teams apps > Manage apps.
   • Use the search bar to locate “absentify”.
   • If absentify is Blocked, select the app and click Allow.

3. Update App Permission Policies:

   • Go to Teams apps > Permission policies.
   • Select the policy assigned to your users or create a new one.
   • Under Microsoft apps, ensure Allow specific apps and block all others is selected (if applicable).
   • Click Manage apps, search for “absentify”, and click Allow.

4. Optional: Configure App Setup Policies:

   • If you want absentify pre-installed or pinned for employees:
     • Go to Teams apps > Setup policies.
     • Select or create a policy.
     • Under Installed apps, click Add apps, search for “absentify”, and click Add.
     • To pin the app, add it to Pinned apps and arrange the order as needed.

5. Apply the Policy to Users:

   • Navigate to Users > Manage users.
   • Select the user(s) or group(s) to apply the updated setup or permission policy.
   • Edit their settings to assign the appropriate policies.

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Steps to Enable absentify in Outlook

1. Access the Exchange Admin Center:

   • Go to the Exchange admin center.
   • Sign in using your administrator credentials.

2. Allow the Add-In:

   • Navigate to Organization > Add-ins.
   • If absentify is not already available, click + Add a new add-in and choose From the Office Store.
   • Search for “absentify” and click Add.

3. Deploy absentify for Specific Users or Groups:

   • During the deployment process, specify whether to make the add-in available to all users, specific groups, or individual users.
   • Save your changes.

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Browser-based access without enabling Teams or Outlook apps

If Teams or Outlook access is restricted or not available to some employees, absentify can still be accessed via the browser at app.absentify.com. Accounts can be created in the Microsoft admin portal without assigning Teams or Outlook licenses.

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Best Practices for Admins

• Communicate changes to employees: Inform employees about the availability of absentify and how to access it.
• Test configurations: Before rolling out absentify, assign permissions to a test group to ensure smooth deployment.
• Monitor adoption: Use the Microsoft Admin Center to track usage and address potential issues proactively.

By following these steps, you can ensure absentify is accessible to your employees, even in environments where apps are restricted by default.