Slack Status Examples for Work: 50 Lines to Copy

A good Slack status tells coworkers two things: what you are doing and when you will reply. "In meetings until 4, replies after" works. "Busy" does not. Below are 50 work Slack status examples grouped by situation, each with an emoji code and the clear time to pick, so the status disappears when it stops being true.

To set one, click your profile picture, click Update your status, pick an emoji, paste the text, and choose Remove status after. A status can be up to 100 characters.

We build Slack Green, a cloud service that keeps your Slack presence dot green during your working hours. The status text next to your name is a separate thing. It does not keep you active, and the dot does not change it. For lighter lines, see funny Slack status ideas, and for a sortable list, the free Slack status ideas tool.

Status examples by situation

Focus and deep work

Clear after: a custom time, the end of your focus block.

• • :headphones: Heads-down until 2 PM. DMs answered after
• • :headphones: Focus block until 11. Urgent? Call me
• • :no_bell: Notifications off until 3. Checking Slack at 3
• • :pencil2: Writing the Q4 plan. Back on Slack at 4
• • :brain: Deep work mornings. Slack after 12
• • :hourglass_flowing_sand: Deploy in progress. Replies after 5 PM
• • :eyes: Reviewing PRs, replies within the hour
• • :mute: Quiet hours 9 to 11 on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Meetings and calls

Clear after: the end of the meeting, or 1 hour. A calendar app can set these for you.

• • :calendar: In meetings until 4. Replies slow
• • :spiral_calendar_pad: Back-to-back until 3:30, then free
• • :telephone_receiver: On a customer call until 2:15
• • :video_camera: In a workshop until 3 PM CET
• • :microphone: Presenting. Back at 11
• • :handshake: Interviewing until 1. Messages after
• • :busts_in_silhouette: Offsite today. Checking Slack at lunch and 5 PM

Breaks, lunch and errands

Clear after: 30 minutes or 1 hour.

• • :sandwich: Lunch, back at 1:30
• • :coffee: Coffee break, 15 minutes
• • :walking: Walking meeting, on my phone
• • :stethoscope: Doctor's appointment, back at 3
• • :school: School run, back online at 4
• • :shopping_trolley: Out for an hour, back at 2

Commuting and travel

• • :bus: Commuting, on my phone (30 minutes)
• • :train: On the train, patchy signal until 9:30
• • :airplane: Flying today. Offline until 6 PM ET
• • :luggage: Travelling this week. Slower replies
• • :car: Driving, can't reply for 40 minutes

Sick days and personal time

Clear after: Today. For more, see our guide to Slack status for sick days.

• • :face_with_thermometer: Out sick today. Urgent: @sam
• • :face_with_thermometer: Sick but online for urgent things only
• • :pill: Half day, back tomorrow morning
• • :house: Family matter, offline this afternoon
• • :baby: Parental leave until March. Ask @priya

Vacation and out of office

Clear after: a date and time, the morning you are back. You can also schedule these in advance, as shown in how to schedule a Slack status.

• • :palm_tree: Off until Monday. Ask #team-support
• • :palm_tree: On vacation, not checking Slack. Back on the 21st
• • :beach_with_umbrella: PTO this week. @jordan covers my accounts
• • :christmas_tree: Holiday break. Back on January 5
• • :no_entry: Out of office. Urgent: email ops@company.com

The auto-reply side of time off is in Slack out-of-office messages.

Time zones and working hours

Clear after: Don't clear.

• • :earth_africa: Based in Berlin, online 9 to 5 CET
• • :earth_americas: Pacific time. Online 8 to 4:30 PT
• • :sunrise: Early shift: online 6 AM to 2 PM
• • :crescent_moon: Evening hours this week, online after 6 PM
• • :alarm_clock: Working 4 days. Off on Fridays
• • :clock9: Replies within 4 working hours

On call and support

• • :rotating_light: On call this week. Page me for incidents
• • :fire_engine: Handling an incident. Updates in #incidents
• • :sos: Support rotation today, first reply within 15 min
• • :wrench: Maintenance window until 11 PM UTC

Remote and hybrid work

• • :house_with_garden: Working from home today
• • :office: In the office Tuesday and Thursday
• • :round_pushpin: At the London office this week
• • :computer: Remote, same hours as usual
• • :signal_strength: Bad internet today. Call me if a reply is urgent
• • :headphones: Working from a café, in calls by 10

What makes a status useful



People check your status to decide whether to wait, ping, or ask someone else. Three rules cover it:

• Give a time. "Back at 2" beats "Busy". "Replies after 4" beats "In meetings".
• Give a fallback when you are away for long. A name or a channel stops people from waiting on you.
• Set it to clear. A "Lunch" status that is still there at 5 PM makes people ignore your status altogether.

How to set a status that clears on time

Click your profile picture, then Update your status.

Pick an emoji and type or paste the text.

Open Remove status after and pick 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, Today, This week, a date and time, or Don't clear.

Optional: tick Pause notifications to mute alerts until the status clears.

Click Save.

The full menu, on desktop and mobile, is in how to change your status on Slack. If your status disappears sooner than you expect, see Slack keeps clearing my status.

A status does not keep you active

"Working" or "Available" as your status text does not change your presence dot. Slack still sets you away after 10 minutes without input in the Slack window. The dot and the text are separate, as Slack active status explained shows. If you want the dot green during your working hours, Slack Green keeps it active from a server on the schedule you set.

FAQ

What are the Slack statuses?

Slack has presence, which is active or away (the dot), and a custom status, which is an emoji plus up to 100 characters of text. Slack's suggested statuses are In a meeting, Commuting, Out sick, Vacationing, and Working remotely. Your admin can change that list.

What is a good professional Slack status?

One that says what you are doing and when you will reply, such as "In meetings until 4, replies after". Add a fallback contact when you are out for a day or more.

How long can a Slack status be?

Up to 100 characters. The emoji shows next to your name, and the full text shows when someone hovers over it or opens your profile.

Can my boss see my Slack status?

Yes. Everyone in your workspace sees your status emoji next to your name and the text on hover or in your profile.

What does 👀 mean in Slack?

As a reaction, it means "I am looking at this". As a status, it usually means you are reviewing something, such as code or a document.

Should my status say when I am online?

For time zones and part-time schedules, yes. A line like "Pacific time, online 8 to 4:30 PT" saves people from guessing why you do not answer at 9 AM their time.