How should IT handle repeated out-of-office requests for employees?

Treat it as a client policy and billing issue. If they want IT to provide this as an exception service, charge the normal minimum rate and report how many requests are coming from each department. Once managers see the recurring cost, they can decide whether to improve their process or keep paying for it.

For a larger client, this could be automated with a SharePoint or Microsoft Form and an approved Power Automate workflow. Requests could be limited to a manager’s direct reports and trigger scheduled mailbox automatic replies without giving managers broad administrative access. That said, the workflow should be introduced only if the business chooses to own and support the process; otherwise, a policy and training guide are simpler.

If the organization insists on allowing managers to submit requests for other people, use a controlled form rather than individual tickets. Require the employee, start and end times, time zone, approved internal and external wording, and a cover contact. Keep automatic replies separate from mailbox forwarding or access permissions, which should require their own approval.

We generally don’t configure out-of-office replies for active employees. We point them to instructions for Outlook on the web or mobile, and make it clear that forgetting is not an IT incident. We might make an exception for a genuine emergency, but routine forgetfulness should remain with the employee or their manager.