bookings page

In Microsoft Bookings, staff time off affects availability only if staff working hours and the booking are configured correctly. Use these checks to ensure the booking page reflects time off:

1. Confirm time off is created on the correct Bookings calendar
   • In Microsoft 365, open Bookings and select the same calendar that is used for the public booking page.
   • Use Add time off in the top navigation and make sure the affected staff member(s) are selected.
2. Use the Time Off feature rather than only changing working hours
   • Time off must be added via Add time off so Bookings treats it as unavailable time and shows the “time off” message to customers.
   • For a full-day or multi-day absence, select All day event and then the specific staff member(s).
3. Verify staff working hours and “Use business hours”
   • Go to Staff → select the staff member.
   • Under Working hours, check whether Use business hours is enabled.
     • If enabled, ensure the business hours themselves do not overlap the intended time off.
     • If disabled, confirm the custom working hours do not include the time that should be blocked.
   • If a whole day should never be bookable (e.g., weekly day off), remove that day from working hours by selecting the x next to that day.
4. Check that the service can be assigned to other staff
   • If a service allows “any available staff” and only one staff member has time off, the booking page may still show availability by assigning another staff member.
   • To test, try booking that staff member directly (if the service supports selecting staff) or temporarily remove other staff from the service.
5. Confirm that time off is applied to all relevant staff for business closures
   • For holidays or office-wide closures, create a time-off entry and select All day event and all staff members.
   • Customers should then see a message on the booking page when trying to book on that day.

If, after these checks, time off still does not affect availability, remove and re-create the time-off entry on the correct calendar and staff member, then test again from the booking page.

References:

• Schedule Bookings business closures, time off, and vacation time
• Employee working hours in Microsoft Bookings
• Adding staff availability in Microsoft Bookings
• Add team members to Bookings
• Create your staff list
• Shared Bookings Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)