---
title: "Approval Requirements for Leave- and Separation-Related Email Actions"
canonical: "https://kb.uconn.edu/space/IKB/28685729793/Approval%20Requirements%20for%20Leave-%20and%20Separation-Related%20Email%20Actions"
format: markdown
---
## Purpose

This article documents what approval is required before ITS can take action on an employee’s mailbox, out-of-office message, mailbox copy/export, or related access request.

## Scope

Applies to requests involving:

- Access to another employee’s mailbox or OneDrive
- Adding or changing an out-of-office message when the employee cannot do it themselves
- Exporting/providing a copy of a mailbox or OneDrive
- Requests involving administrative leave, suspension, or Labor Relations handling
- Requests to remove previously granted access when the employee returns

## Policy Summary

1. **Ordinary operational coverage requests**  
For example: employee on medical/extended leave, or separated employee where the department needs business continuity.  
In these cases, ITS generally requires **written approval from the Dean, Director, or Department Head** before proceeding with mailbox access or mailbox export.
2. **Labor Relations-controlled cases**  
For example: administrative leave, suspension, locked NetID per LR, or cases where LR has initiated account restrictions.  
In these cases, ITS does **not** proceed based on department approval alone. The request must come **from Labor Relations directly**, and ITS works through the established LR process.

## Approval Matrix

| Requested action | Required approval | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add or change an out-of-office for an employee on leave | **Dean, Director, Department Head, or other supervisor** approval in writing | OOO text must be written in third person. |
| Grant one employee access to another employee’s mailbox and/or OneDrive due to ordinary leave/business continuity | **Dean, Director, or Department Head** approval in writing | Approval can be forwarded by email into the ticket or written directly on the ticket. |
| Provide access to a mailbox and/or expedited access to OneDrive for a separated employee’s supervisor | **Dean, Director, or Department Head** approval in writing | Instructions on how to create a copy can be provided. |
| Provide access to make a copy of mailbox/OneDrive after account already deleted | **Depends on separation circumstances, ITS will determine needed approval(s)** | May not be available more than 30 days after the account has been deleted. |
| Grant mailbox and/or OneDrive access when the case involves administrative leave, suspension, or other LR-controlled action | **Labor Relations permission required** | Department should contact LR; ITS does not act on direct departmental request. |
| Unlock a NetID previously locked at Labor Relations’ request | **Labor Relations permission required** | ITS cannot unlock without LR permission, even if identity is verified. |
| Remove mailbox delegate access / remove OOO when employee returns from LR-managed leave | **Labor Relations permission required** | ITS removed access and OOO only after LR confirmed return from leave. |
| Provide access to make a .pst/mailbox copy or OneDrive copy when account stays active because of other affiliation | **Labor Relations permission required** | If the account remains active due to another affiliation, direct access is not provided, and LR must initiate copy/emptying requests. |

## General Rules

### 1) What counts as acceptable approval

- Approval written directly in the ticket
- Approval forwarded into the ticket by email
- Approval explicitly naming the target mailbox, the person receiving access, and the reason for access

### 2) Out-of-office wording requirements

When ITS adds the out-of-office message:

- It must be in **third person**
- It should direct senders to a replacement contact or shared mailbox
- The department should provide the exact wording

### 3) When the employee returns

If delegate access or OOO was added during a leave, ITS should be notified so access can be removed and mailbox state returned to normal. This is explicit in both ordinary leave and LR-managed return cases.