Slack leave management - approvals and clock-in
Request PTO with /timeoff, approve leave from a Slack DM, see who's out, clock in with /clock, and post a daily digest. Opt-in. Never reads messages.
SquadBear's Slack leave management integration is the leave bot teams actually search for: request PTO with /timeoff, approve time off from a DM, see who's out, and clock in with /clock. Slack is a remote control. SquadBear stays the system of record.
It does not read your messages, your channel list, or your member directory.
Approve in a DM
Managers get Approve and Reject on the request. Same permission check as the app.
Request with /timeoff
A Slack modal for type, dates and cover. /timeoff balance is your remaining days.
Who's out
/whos-out today or this week, plus an optional daily channel digest of names and dates.
Clock in from Slack
/clock in, out, break, resume or status. Same punch as Clock in the app.
Slack · Direct message
Approve time off in Slack
When a request is waiting on you, SquadBear sends a DM. Approve and Reject sit on the message, with a Review request link for anything that needs the calendar.
The click is not a shortcut around policy. SquadBear verifies the Slack signature, matches the Slack account, then re-checks the decision against that person's permissions. If the request was already decided, the message tells you the current status instead of deciding twice.
The requester gets their own DM when the leave is approved, rejected, cancelled or partially cancelled. The decision finds them; they do not have to go looking.
For why this beats email, see Slack leave approvals.
Request PTO with /timeoff
/timeoff opens a Slack modal: leave type, first day, last day, full days / half day / hours, optional cover, optional notes. Submit writes the same request the web form would. /timeoff balance replies with your own balances.
Cover has to have connected Slack too, otherwise you pick them in the app. If Slack already owns /timeoff for another app, the same grammar works as /pto.
Who's out today
/whos-out (or /timeoff whos-out) answers who is away today. /whos-out week is the next seven days. Names and dates. Not the type of leave.
Clock in from Slack
Attendance is its own module. When it is on, /clock is the punch:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/clock in | Start the shift |
/clock out | End the shift |
/clock break | Start a break |
/clock resume | Come back from a break |
/clock or /clock status | Where the shift stands |
The reply is one line: what changed, plus worked / break / expected minutes for today. If you have approved leave today, Slack either asks I am working anyway or blocks the punch, matching the attendance policy.
Daily absence digest
An admin runs /timeoff digest here in one channel. One message a morning, workspace time: who is away, on which dates. Weekends stay quiet unless somebody is off. Never the leave type: a public channel is not the place for sick leave.
There is no channel picker. SquadBear never reads a list of your channels. Pause the digest or change the hour on the Slack app card, without forgetting the channel.
Slack status when someone is off
If a person granted the extra status permission when they connected Slack, SquadBear sets their custom status to Out of office on approved leave days and clears it when they are back. It does not change presence or Do Not Disturb, and it never writes the leave type into the status.
How to connect Slack
- An admin opens Workspace settings → Apps and installs Slack. The bot can send DMs, answer commands, and post the digest to a channel an admin names. It still cannot read your messages or your channel list.
- Each person opens Preferences → Notifications, clicks Connect Slack, and signs in. That proves they own the account. Commands and DMs need that link.
- They can disconnect whenever they want. Email and Inbox keep working.
Anyone who skips Slack keeps the same notifications as before.
What SquadBear does not do in Slack
- Read messages, files, huddles, or canvas content.
- List channels or members so it can show a picker.
- Guess identity from email addresses.
- Replace the leave policy, coverage view, or reports. Those stay in SquadBear.
- Clock in from Discord. Discord has balances, who's-out and approval DMs;
/clockis Slack-only today.
Slack vs Discord
| In chat | Slack | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Request leave | /timeoff modal | /squadbear request opens SquadBear |
| Approve / reject | DM buttons | DM buttons |
| Who's out | /whos-out | /squadbear whos-out |
| Balances | /timeoff balance | /squadbear balance |
| Daily digest | /timeoff digest here | /squadbear digest-here |
| Clock in | /clock | Not in Discord |
| Status while off | Out of office | No Discord equivalent |
Approvals also work from an assistant
Slack is one way to reach the same leave. A connected assistant can do it in plain language too:
Related
- Discord leave management
- How leave approvals work
- How leave works
- Slack leave approvals
- Run SquadBear from Claude · Grok · Gemini · ChatGPT
Frequently asked questions
Does SquadBear read our Slack messages or list our channels?
No. It does not read messages, does not list members, and does not read your channel list. It can send DMs to people who linked Slack, answer /timeoff, /whos-out and /clock, and, only after an admin names a channel with /timeoff digest here, post one daily absence digest. That digest is names and dates. Never the type of leave.
Can I request time off from Slack?
Yes. /timeoff opens a modal for leave type, dates, duration and optional cover. /timeoff balance replies with your own remaining time off. The request is stored in SquadBear, not in Slack.
Can managers approve PTO in Slack?
Yes. When a request is waiting on you, SquadBear DMs you with Approve and Reject. The click is signature-verified, matched to the Slack account, then re-checked against that person's permissions. It does exactly what they could do in the app, and nothing they could not.
Can I clock in from Slack?
Yes, if Attendance is on. /clock in, /clock out, /clock break, /clock resume, or /clock status. A bare /clock is status. The punch is the same record as Clock in the app. If you have approved leave today, Slack asks you to confirm before clocking in, or blocks it, depending on the attendance policy.
Who gets a Slack DM?
Only people who connected their own Slack account. Approvers get a DM when a request is waiting on them. Requesters get a DM when their leave is approved, rejected, cancelled or partially cancelled. Anyone who has not connected Slack still gets email and in-app. Nothing is lost.
How does someone connect their Slack account?
An admin installs Slack once at Workspace settings → Apps. Each person then opens Preferences → Notifications, clicks Connect Slack, and signs in. SquadBear never guesses the link from email. Disconnect whenever you want.
Does the daily digest show sick leave?
It never shows the type of leave. The digest is names and dates only, so a public channel cannot leak health data. Weekends stay quiet unless somebody is off.
Does Slack status change when someone is off?
If that person granted the extra status permission when they connected Slack, SquadBear sets their custom status to "Out of office" on approved leave days and clears it when they are back. It does not set Slack presence or Do Not Disturb, and it never writes the leave type into the status.
Is this a Slack leave bot or a second HR system?
A remote control. The request, the decision and the balance live in SquadBear. Slack is where the five-second actions happen. Policy, reports and coverage review stay in the app.
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