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Slack Status for Sick Days: Examples to Copy and How to Set Them

The simplest sick status is Slack's own Out sick with the thermometer emoji, set to clear Today. Copyable statuses for sick, sick but working, appointments, vacation, and leave, and the settings that go with each.

Slack Green Team
September 23, 2026
September 23, 2026
5 min read
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For a sick day, use Slack's built-in Out sick status with the thermometer emoji (:face_with_thermometer:) and set it to clear Today. If you are fully off, also tick Pause notifications, so work pings wait until you are back. If you are sick but still working, keep notifications on and say replies will be slow.

Below are 12 statuses you can copy for sick days, appointments, vacation, and leave, the four clicks to set one, and one thing a sick status does not change: your green dot.

Use Out sick with the thermometer emoji, clear it Today, and pause notifications if you are fully off

We build Slack Green, which manages the other half of what coworkers see, your green or grey presence dot. We also run a free Slack status ideas generator if none of the examples below fits.

Slack statuses for sick days

Sick and leave statuses with emoji codes, status text, and clear times

Type the emoji code into the emoji search in the status box. The status text has a 100-character limit.

Fully off sick

  • :face_with_thermometer: Out sick today, back tomorrow
  • :face_with_thermometer: Out sick. For anything urgent, ask Sam
  • :sneezing_face: Off sick, not checking Slack
  • Sick but working

  • :face_with_thermometer: Under the weather, replies will be slow
  • :tea: Working from bed today, async only
  • :mute: Sick, no calls today, messages OK
  • Appointments and half days

  • :hospital: At a doctor's appointment until 2 PM
  • :pill: Signing off at noon, not feeling well
  • Vacation, leave, and out of office

  • :palm_tree: On vacation until Monday the 14th
  • :baby: On parental leave until March, ask Sam
  • :no_entry: Out of office today, urgent: text me
  • :airplane: Travelling, back online Thursday
  • Name a backup person when you can. It is the line coworkers need most and the one most statuses skip. For longer absences, a Slack out of office message is covered in how to set up an out of office message on Slack.

    How to set a sick status on Slack

    Click your profile photo, Update your status, set Remove after to Today, tick Pause notifications, Save

    On desktop:

  • Click your profile photo in the sidebar.
  • Click Update your status.
  • Choose the suggested Out sick status, or type your own text and pick an emoji.
  • Under Remove status after, choose Today.
  • Tick Pause notifications if you are fully off, then click Save.
  • On the phone, tap your profile photo or the You tab, then Update your status. The options are the same.

    Setting the clear time matters. If you leave it at "Don't clear", you come back the next day still showing as sick. More on every status option is in how to change your status on Slack.

    Sick but working: what to set

Больше никогда не показывать "отошёл" в Slack

Облачное решение. Без загрузок. Работает 24/7 даже при выключенном ноутбуке.

If you are working while unwell, three settings tell people what to expect:

  • A status that sets the pace. "Replies will be slow" or "async only" tells people not to wait on you.
  • Notifications on. If you pause them, a snooze Z shows on your dot and some people will think you are off. That icon is explained in what the Z on a Slack dot means.
  • A clear end time. Today, or "until 3 PM" if you plan to log off early.
  • Your status text does not keep your dot green. Slack still turns you grey after 10 minutes with no input in Slack, even if your status says you are working. If people read the grey dot as "gone", how Slack active status works explains why it happens.

    Plan leave ahead with a scheduled status

    For vacation or a planned procedure, schedule the status in advance. Slack lets you set a start and end time, and you can queue up to five scheduled statuses:

  • Click your profile photo, then Update your status.
  • Enter the status and emoji.
  • Under Duration, choose Choose a start and end time.
  • Pick the dates and click Save.
  • The status turns on and off by itself. The full steps, plus ways to link it to your calendar, are in how to schedule a Slack status.

    What a sick status changes, and what it does not

    SettingWhat coworkers seeWhat it changes
    Status emoji and textThe emoji next to your name, the text on hover and in your profileNothing else
    Pause notificationsA snooze Z on your dotNo alerts until the pause ends
    Set yourself as awayA hollow grey dotOnly the dot, until you set yourself active
    NothingGreen while you use Slack, grey after 10 minutes without inputNothing

    If you want to look offline for the day while still reading messages, set yourself as away. The steps are in how to appear offline on Slack. If the opposite is the problem and you want to stay green on days you work from bed, Slack Green keeps your dot green on a schedule without you touching Slack. How to keep Slack active compares all the options.

    FAQ

    Больше никогда не показывать "отошёл" в Slack

    Облачное решение. Без загрузок. Работает 24/7 даже при выключенном ноутбуке.

    What is a good Slack status for being sick?

    :face_with_thermometer: Out sick today, back tomorrow. Set it to clear Today and tick Pause notifications.

    What should my Slack status say if I am sick but working?

    Say how you will work: "Under the weather, replies will be slow" or "Sick, no calls today, messages OK". Keep notifications on.

    Does a sick status stop Slack notifications?

    Only if you tick Pause notifications when you set it. Then notifications stay paused until the status clears.

    Can I set a sick status on my phone?

    Yes. Tap your profile photo or the You tab, then Update your status. The emoji, clear time, and Pause notifications options are the same as on desktop.

    Does a Slack status keep me active?

    No. The status text and the green dot are separate. Your dot follows your activity in Slack.

    Always Active

    Хватит Двигать Мышкой.

    Сотни удалённых работников больше не беспокоятся о статусе Slack. Настройте один раз, оставайтесь зелёными навсегда.

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      Slack Status for Sick Days: 12 Examples You Can Copy