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:

  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 > Manage Apps.
    • Under All Apps, search for “absentify”. Select the app.
    • Under Users and Groups, edit the desired availability for your users.
    • Ensure the app is not blocked under Actions (if applicable).

  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.

Policy changes may take up to 24 hours to propagate and take effect for users. Employees may need to restart Microsoft Teams for changes to be applied.

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Steps to Enable absentify in Outlook

  1. Access the Exchange Admin Center:

  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. Employees may need to restart Outlook or log out and back in to see the absentify add-in after deployment.

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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.

Employees without Teams or Outlook licenses will not receive notifications in those platforms. They will need to log in to absentify manually to stay updated on absences.

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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.

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Customization within Teams

Further your company’s use of absentify in the Microsoft environment with the following Tips and Tricks.

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1. Sync absentify with a Teams channel

You can add absentify as a register card to a Teams channel, allowing team members to view absences directly within Teams.

1

Open the Teams channel

Navigate to the desired Microsoft Teams channel where you want to sync absences.

2

Click the plus button

In the channel’s top menu, click the + (plus) button to add a new tab.

3

Search for and select absentify

In the app selection window, use the search bar to find absentify, then click on it.

4

Select the department or company-wide leave sync

Choose one of the following options:

  • Sync a department – Select a specific department to display its absences in this channel.
  • Sync all departments – Show absences for the entire company.
5

Confirm your selection

Click Save to finalize the setup. Now, the Teams channel will display absence information for the selected department or the entire organization.

Once set up, all Teams channel members can quickly access their colleagues’ absences within their department with just one click. If further troubleshooting is needed, contact us at support@absentify.com.

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2. Pinning absentify for easier access

To ensure employees can quickly access absentify in Microsoft Teams, you can pin the app using setup policies.

1

Open the Teams Admin Center

Go to the Microsoft Teams admin center and sign in as a Teams administrator.

2

Navigate to setup policies

Click Teams apps > Setup policies.

3

Add a new setup policy

Click Add and fill out the required fields according to your organization’s needs.

4

Add absentify as a pinned app

Click Add apps, search for absentify, and select it.

5

Save and rearrange (optional)

Click Save to confirm. You can also rearrange the order of pinned apps if desired.

6

Apply and finalize

Save all changes to apply the policy to users.

Now, absentify will be visible in the Teams sidebar for all assigned users, providing quick and easy access.