--- title: "Presence Scheduling for Remote Workers | Idle Pilot" description: "Schedule your personal Slack or Teams availability around reachable remote work hours, breaks, and travel. See desktop setup, mobile controls, and limits." canonical: "https://idlepilot.com/for/remote-workers/" updated: "2026-10-28" generated_by: "scripts/build-markdown-twins.mjs" --- > Markdown representation of https://idlepilot.com/for/remote-workers/ — the HTML page at that URL is canonical and carries the same content. # Presence scheduling for remote workers Idle Pilot lets remote workers schedule availability for one Slack workspace or Microsoft Teams account, even with the laptop closed. It is an individual presence scheduler: choose hours when you intend to be reachable, then let the cloud follow that schedule. It does not answer messages or establish that you are working, reading chat, or ready to reply immediately. Illustrative situation ## Illustrative scenario: a remote day with time away from the desk Imagine a remote operations specialist reading a printed report and discussing a decision by phone. They remain reachable, although the laptop is not continuously in use. This is an illustrative workflow, not a customer story or a finding from customer research. They schedule Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 5:00pm, an earlier Friday finish, and a lunch break. Idle Pilot maintains availability during enabled hours. The specialist still checks messages and responds personally; the indicator cannot communicate how long an answer will take. For an unavailable appointment, they turn Work Hours off. Before travel, they choose whether to follow their usual work zone or the destination. The outcome is an intentional availability window independent of keeping the laptop awake. ## Where a saved availability schedule helps - ### Keep availability aligned with your reachable hours Choose different start and finish times per day. Include periods when coworkers can reasonably reach you and disable days you do not work. Disabling a weekday changes the repeating schedule until you enable it again. - ### Make lunch an actual pause Add the optional Lunch break. Idle Pilot pauses availability maintenance, then resumes while the work window remains open and the account is ready. Your own Slack or Teams activity may still show you as active during lunch. - ### Keep control when your location changes The saved time zone defines your hours. A phone changing its clock does not change the schedule. Review the zone and next resume time before travel, especially when coworkers remain elsewhere. ## Set it up for your own account 1. **Complete the first connection on desktop Chrome** Open Idle Pilot in desktop Google Chrome, choose Slack or Microsoft Teams, and follow the extension steps. Wait for the connected confirmation; installing the extension alone does not complete linking. You can remove it after successful linking. 2. **Set the days and hours you intend to cover** On Dashboard, open Work Hours → Edit. Select the relevant days, choose From and To, then Apply to N days. Review every saved row and the main Work Hours switch. The editor offers half-hour times from 6:00am to 11:00pm and one same-day work window. 3. **Check the break and time zone** In the same editor, enable Lunch break and set Break start and Break end within the work window. Apply the changes. Reopen Dashboard → Work Hours → Edit and choose the current time-zone button to select the intended zone, then review the dashboard status and next resume time. 4. **Manage changes from your phone afterward** Once connected, manage hours from your phone. Turn Dashboard → Work Hours off for an unexpected absence; saved hours remain. Closing the browser or signing out does not pause it. Follow any Re-link warning before relying on the schedule. [Full setup instructions and mobile handoff](https://idlepilot.com/help/getting-started/) ## What it does not do - It does not read your conversations, write replies, or tell coworkers when you will answer. - It does not measure productivity, prove attendance, or show that a message has been read. - It does not provide shared administration or maintain several people's workplace accounts. ## It fits when - You want one personal chat account's availability to follow a repeatable remote work routine. - You remain reachable during the hours you enable, including work away from the keyboard. - Your routine fits one daily window with one optional break, and you can complete desktop linking. ## Choose something else when - You need overnight windows, several separate work periods, or multiple independent breaks each day. - You need a shared schedule that assigns coverage or confirms that colleagues are responding. - You have only a phone and cannot complete the initial workplace connection on a computer. ## FAQ Can I close the laptop during my remote work hours? Yes, after linking succeeds. Cloud scheduling continues with the laptop closed, asleep, offline, or off. Check Work Hours and connection warnings first. You remain responsible for being reachable. Will travelling automatically move my availability hours? No. The schedule follows its saved time zone. Open Dashboard → Work Hours → Edit and choose the current time-zone button to select the intended location, then review hours and the next resume time. Can I finish the first connection from my phone? No. A phone can begin the desktop handoff, but workplace linking finishes on a computer. Use desktop Chrome for extension setup, then manage the connected schedule from your phone. How should I pause for time off? Turn Work Hours off before leaving and on when returning. Slack-only Vacation Mode checks selected status presets at session start, not continuously. Teams has no Vacation Mode. Pausing does not cancel billing. Does availability mean I have read a coworker's message? No. Idle Pilot does not read messages or send answers. Communicate response expectations normally. Availability is not evidence of message reading or completed work. What does the individual plan cost? Freedom Pass costs $9 per month or $60 per year. Both billing choices cover one Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account at a time. Switching replaces the active connection. ## Related guides - [Help with setup and schedule controls](https://idlepilot.com/help/) - [Compare work-hour overlap across time zones](https://idlepilot.com/tools/work-hours-time-zones/) - [How Slack availability works with Idle Pilot](https://idlepilot.com/keep-slack-active/) - [How Teams availability works with Idle Pilot](https://idlepilot.com/keep-teams-active/) - [Availability for individual contractors](https://idlepilot.com/for/contractors/) - [Idle Pilot Help Center](https://idlepilot.com/help/) ## Other work situations - [Presence scheduling for contractors](https://idlepilot.com/for/contractors/) - [Presence scheduling for customer support agents](https://idlepilot.com/for/customer-support/) - [Presence scheduling for developers](https://idlepilot.com/for/developers/) - [Presence scheduling for sales professionals](https://idlepilot.com/for/sales-teams/) Last updated: October 28, 2026 ## Let saved work hours handle your Slack or Teams availability. [Try Idle Pilot free](https://app.idlepilot.com) 3-day free trial · No credit card ## Idle Pilot facts Idle Pilot maintains Slack or Microsoft Teams availability from the cloud during saved Work Hours. Who it is for For people who want availability to follow work hours when the laptop is closed, asleep, or off. Connected account One Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account at a time. You can switch platforms. Price Freedom Pass costs $9 per month or $60 per year. Trial 3-day free trial · No credit card. The trial starts at the first Slack or Teams connection. 7 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up. First setup Connect once in desktop Google Chrome with the Idle Pilot extension. You can remove the extension after linking. Mobile-only linking is not supported. [View the extension](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/idle-pilot/nadppgjnachfgclfcgdbekniiiemepdp). Limits Presence only: it does not write custom status messages or read chats and files. It is not a mouse jiggler. Your employer’s rules still apply; availability is not proof of work.