In order to assist with a better work-life balance, many collaboration tools and apps offer options for setting active or available working hours. These options can help turn off or postpone notifications, and prevent meetings from being proposed outside of your work schedule. Below are examples of how to configure these types of options in tools that are widely used at U-M: Gmail Chat, Google Calendar, and Slack.
Note that some roles require employees to be available to respond to emergencies during off hours. If this is the case for your role, be sure to have a discussion with your manager and develop a communication plan before configuring these options.
Gmail Chat
There is currently no option to update your Gmail Chat status based on your working hours, so it is recommended to sign out or manually change your status to Do not disturb. Using a web browser, log into U-M Gmail, and select the desired status in the upper-right corner of the window:
For additional instructions, including how to update your status via Android or Apple device, refer to Google’s Change your Gmail availability & status page.
Google Calendar
- Using a web browser, log into U-M Google Calendar.
- Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the window, and select Settings:
- In the left menu under General, select Working hours & location:
- Check the box for Enable working hours. You can then select the days and corresponding times for your available hours each day:
- To add more than one time period to a day, click the plus icon to the right of the current period. This can be useful for separating work time from a regular lunch period.
Google Working Location
As an additional option, you can set your work location to be viewable on your Google calendar, letting others know where you might be when scheduling a meeting:
- Check the box for Enable working location, as shown above.
- You will then see an additional drop-down menu appear to the right of the time period(s) for each day. Built-in options include Office, Home, or Unspecified; choosing Somewhere else will allow you to enter a custom location name:
For additional instructions, including how to update your status via Android or Apple device, refer to Google’s Set your working hours & location page.
Slack
When setting a notification schedule in Slack, you will only receive notifications on the days you choose during certain hours. Outside of those times, notifications will be paused:
- Using a web browser, log into the Slack workspace where you wish to update your settings.
- Click your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the window.
- In the resulting drop-down, hover over Pause notifications, then select Set a notification schedule:
- Below Allow notifications, open the drop-down menu and select an option: Every day, Weekdays, or Custom.
- You can then choose a Start to End time to receive notifications based on your selection. For example, selecting Weekdays will set the Start to End times for allowing notifications Monday to Friday only:
- Your settings will automatically save, so you can close the Preferences window when you are done.
For additional instructions, refer to the Set up Slack for work hours page.