Google Gmail Now Warns Coworkers Before They Email You On Vacation
Google is rolling out a new feature for G Suite users that displays a yellow warning banner above the send button if the intended recipient is out of the office. This alert prevents unnecessary messages by letting coworkers know exactly when the person returns to work.
Google introduces a helpful new feature for G Suite users that prevents the awkward experience of emailing a coworker who is on vacation. When a user marks themselves as out of the office on Google Calendar, colleagues see a yellow banner above the send button in Gmail warning them that the recipient is away. A similar notification appears in Hangouts if someone tries to message the absent coworker.
This new functionality builds directly on the out-of-office features Google adds to Calendar last year, which automatically declines meeting invitations during a user's scheduled absence. The alert system only works for G Suite users who already have access to view the recipient's calendar, meaning strangers and spammers do not see the vacation warning. It simply brings existing calendar information directly into the email composition window to save everyone time.
G Suite administrators and users retain full control over this feature, as anyone can disable the banner if it disrupts their workflow. To turn off the alert, users navigate to the "Access permissions" section in their Google Calendar settings and uncheck the option to show calendar info in other Google apps. Google expects to finish rolling out this convenient update to all G Suite users by September 16th.