Ask HN: Pull-based work location/schedule status

[fr11]

Anybody know a good product or hack for tracking a team's work-from-home, start-time, and out-of-office statuses?

Right now we send emails or update the messaging system or you look at the individual's calendar.

What I want is for it to be a pull workflow - I can go see if Joe is going to be late or working from home because I care specifically about Joe's status, rather than Joe sending an email to everyone because he doesn't know who cares about his status.

Anybody know a good tool for this?

[mkal_tsr]

I usually just used something like Lync or another instant messenger that allows statuses. That way you can set online/busy/away/out-to-lunch and so on as well as custom statuses. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.