Calendar Delegation

What's Changing

If you're an executive assistant or manage someone else's calendar, the delegation features in Outlook replace the calendar sharing you used in Google Calendar. The concept is the same, but Outlook offers more granular control over what a delegate can do.

What Stays the Same

• The concept - one person manages another person's calendar
• Viewing permissions - you can see free/busy times or full event details
• Scheduling on behalf - send meeting invites as the other person
• Notifications - get alerts for meetings you manage

Permission Levels

Outlook offers several levels of calendar access:

Setting Up Delegation (For the Executive/Manager)

1. Open Outlook and go to Calendar
2. Click Share Calendar (in the ribbon at the top)
3. Type the name of the person you want to delegate to
4. Choose the permission level (usually Delegate for assistants)
5. Click Share

Using Delegated Access (For the Assistant)

Opening Their Calendar

1. In Outlook Calendar, click Add Calendar > From Directory
2. Search for the person's name
3. Their calendar appears alongside yours

Scheduling a Meeting on Their Behalf

1. Click New Meeting
2. Click the From field
3. Select the other person's name
4. The meeting invite will be sent as if it came from them
5. Attendees will see their name as the organizer

Managing Their Inbox (If Permissions Allow)

1. In Outlook, click File > Open & Export > Other User's Folder
2. Enter their name
3. Select Inbox (or Calendar)
4. You can now manage their email and meetings

Google Calendar Sharing to Outlook Delegation - Quick Comparison

Common Scenario

Director + Assistant: The Director of Content (Mike) delegates full calendar access to his assistant (Sarah). Sarah can:

• Book partner meetings on Mike's calendar
• Schedule follow-up calls for Mike with producers
• Accept meeting invites on Mike's behalf when he's in production meetings
• Send meeting invites that show "Sarah Johnson on behalf of Mike Chen"

Partners and colleagues see this is coming from Mike's office, with Sarah handling the coordination.

Viewing Multiple Calendars

When managing multiple calendars:

1. Add each person's calendar (Add Calendar > From Directory)
2. Use Overlay mode - click the arrow next to a calendar name to stack them on one view
3. Each person gets a different colour so events don't blend together
4. This is great for coordinating between departments (e.g., Content Director + Production Manager availability)

Revoking Access

If a delegate changes roles or leaves Blue Ant Media:

1. Go to Calendar > right-click My Calendar > Properties
2. Click the Permissions tab
3. Select the person and click Remove or change their permission level
4. Changes take effect immediately

IT can also revoke delegate access centrally if needed.

Accountability

Outlook logs who created, modified, or deleted calendar events. Even with delegate access:

• Meeting invites sent "on behalf of" clearly show both names
• Calendar changes are tracked and visible in event details
• There's a full audit trail if questions arise about who booked or cancelled something

Tips for Staff

• Delegates get a copy of meeting requests sent to the person they manage, so you can accept or decline on their behalf
• Colour-code calendars when managing multiple people to tell them apart at a glance
• Use Scheduling Assistant when booking meetings involving your executive and multiple other people - it finds open times automatically
• Set up delegate access from the start - don't wait until you need it urgently
• Delegate ≠ full inbox access by default - calendar delegation and inbox delegation are separate permissions

Need Help?

1. Contact IT Support to set up delegation permissions
2. Email the Blue Ant Media IT team at it@blueantmedia.com