An admin goes to Settings › Connected apps, finds the Slack card and clicks Connect Slack workspace (a one-time approval in Slack). Then pick a Daily digest channel and tick Post the daily digest automatically. Each person can also click Connect your Slack so their status shows “On leave” while they’re off.
Find it under
If your team lives in Slack, leave can live there too. One workspace connection covers everyone: holiday requests arrive as a DM with Approve and Decline buttons, anyone can book time off from a form inside Slack, a who’s-off summary posts each morning into a channel you choose, and approved leave sets a “On leave” Slack status automatically. Nothing replaces the app or the email approvals; Slack is simply another place the same requests show up.
What you get
- Request and decision DMs. When someone requests leave, their approver gets a Slack DM with one-click Approve and Decline buttons, the same buttons as the email. The requester gets a DM when the decision is made in the app, and if a booking is cancelled.
- Book leave from Slack. A Book time off button in the bot’s Home tab and DMs opens a short form (leave type, dates, half days, an optional note). It runs the same checks as the app, including blocked dates and your department’s max-absent limit, then sends the request for approval as normal.
- The app’s Home tab. Open the Book Time Off app inside Slack to see your days remaining, your upcoming leave and who’s off in the next seven days.
- A daily who’s-off post. A short summary of who is off today posts each morning into one channel you pick. Quiet days post nothing.
- /whosoff anywhere. Type /whosoff in any channel for a private summary of who’s off and your own remaining balance. Only you see the reply.
- Automatic statuses. While someone is on approved leave, their Slack status shows “On leave” with the date they’re back, and clears itself when they return.
- Sign in with Slack. Once connected, the sign-in screen offers Sign in with Slack as well as email and Microsoft.
Slack DMs and statuses find each person by email, so someone’s Slack account must use the same email address as their Book Time Off login. If a DM doesn’t arrive, that mismatch is the first thing to check.
Book Time Off only sends messages and sets leave statuses; it never reads your conversations. Personal request DMs stay between you, the bot and your approver. The only thing that posts to a channel is the who’s-off summary, in the one channel an admin picks.
Frequently asked
Do approvers have to use Slack?
No. The one-click email approvals and the app’s Inbox carry on exactly as before. Slack is an extra place the same request appears, not a replacement, so a manager who lives in email and a manager who lives in Slack can both approve in one click.
Can I see the full calendar in Slack?
Slack can’t show a real calendar grid, so the Home tab, the digest and /whosoff give you summaries: your balance, upcoming leave and who’s off in the next seven days. For the full picture, open the app, or subscribe a calendar to the iCal feed.
Why didn’t the requester get a Slack DM after I approved from the email?
Decisions made inside the app send the requester a Slack DM. Decisions made from the email’s Approve or Decline buttons currently confirm by email only; the booking, calendar and status sync all update either way.
Does the digest post when nobody is off?
No. Days with nothing to report post nothing, and by default it stays quiet on bank holidays too, so the channel never fills with empty updates.
What does my status actually show?
While you’re on approved leave your Slack status shows “On leave” with the date you’re back, and it clears automatically when you return. You need to have clicked Connect your Slack once for this to work.
Can I sign in with Slack?
Yes. Once your company’s workspace is connected and your Slack email matches your Book Time Off email, the sign-in screen offers Sign in with Slack alongside email and Microsoft.