How to configure employee vacation requests?

Vacation management needs to balance business predictability with employee flexibility.

Day.io provides a dedicated tool to configure vacation rules: predefined vacation periods, minimum notice, and the total number of available vacation days for each employee.

These settings guide vacation request behavior and help avoid errors. 

Key actions or configuration

1. Access vacation settings
   • Sign in with an Owner or Administrator account.
   • In the side menu, click Absence & Vacation.
   • Click the Settings gear icon.
   • Select the Vacation tab.
     
     
2. Configure predefined vacation periods
   • In Predefined vacation periods, define how many days each period may have (i.e: 30 days, 20 days, or 10 days.).
   • These periods appear as options when employees create vacation requests.
   • Add as many periods as needed.
     
     
3. Define minimum notice
   • Use Warning of minimum advance notice prior to the request.
   • Enter how many days before the start date the request must be sent.
   • The system does not block requests outside this notice period.
   • It displays a warning so the supervisor can evaluate the request carefully.
     
     
4. Set the total available days
   • In Total days available for vacation, enter the annual number of vacation days.
   • The system automatically calculates the remaining balance after approved requests.
   • Enable extra options according to company policy:
     • Reset every first day of the year.
     • Adjust proportionally to hire date.
       
       
5. Save the settings
   • Review all rules.
   • Click Save.
   • The new settings apply immediately to future vacation requests.
     
     

Tips or Troubleshooting

• Combine period rules and total balance carefully.
• Communicate minimum notice and available periods to employees.
• Update total days and extra rules according to legal or internal policy changes.

Best Practices

• Define vacation periods that match company policy.
• Inform employees before applying new rules.
• Review vacation balance rules at least once per year.
• Use proportional adjustment for recently hired employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I define split vacation periods?
   Yes. Add multiple periods, such as 15 days and 10 days.

2. What happens if the employee requests vacation outside the minimum notice?
   The system accepts the request but shows a warning to the supervisor.

3. Do I need to update vacation balance manually?
   No. After configuring total days, the platform deducts approved days automatically.

4. How do I handle recently hired employees?
   Use Adjust proportionally to hire date to calculate vacation balance based on the time worked during the year.