Set a temporary absence

When you are unavailable to receive notifications for a period of time (for example, when you are on vacation, ill, or at an appointment), you may want to set an absence in your schedule, and possibly appoint one or more users to receive notifications on your behalf while you're away. You can configure temporary absences in advance so that if a user is replacing you, they'll start receiving your notifications on a specific date, and stop receiving them at a later date. You can create temporary absences and set up replacements for yourself, or your supervisor can do this for you.

When you or your supervisor adds a temporary absence to your schedule, xMatters sends a notification to your supervisor, the user who is replacing you (if you added a replacement), and the supervisors of any groups that will be affected to inform them when the absence will occur and for which groups the replacement applies. When your supervisor adds a temporary absence to your schedule, xMatters also sends you a notification about the absence. If temporary absences result in an empty shift, the shift supervisor is notified so adequate coverage can be maintained.

When the temporary absence period begins, xMatters automatically begins notifying your replacement. If you did not select a replacement, the notifications are discarded. xMatters then notifies the next person in a group escalation, skipping any delay that's set up after you but respecting a delay before you (even if that delay is the first thing in the escalation). When the temporary absence ends, xMatters automatically resumes sending notifications to you. If you want to start receiving your notifications before the temporary absence period ends, you can manually delete your temporary absences.

Replacements

Do I have to set a replacement?

That depends on your company; your company may have set up xMatters to require replacements. If this is the case, you're required to add a replacement when adding a temporary absence for yourself or someone you supervise.

Replacements for specific groups

When you configure a replacement to cover you for specific groups during your absence, any notifications targeting those groups will be sent to your replacement. This includes subscription notifications that target you based on your membership in a group. You will still receive any notifications that target you or your devices directly.

Replacement for all groups

When you configure a replacement to cover you for 'All Groups', any notifications that target you as part of a group will be sent to your replacement. This includes subscription notifications that target you based on your membership in a group. You will still receive any notifications that target your devices directly.

Include direct notifications

When your absence affects 'All Groups', you'll have the option to 'Include Direct Notifications'. When this option is selected, any notifications that target you as a user will be sent to your replacement, or discarded if a replacement is not set. This includes subscription notifications that target you as a user. You will still receive any notifications that target your devices directly.