The Absence & Vacation Requests tool lets companies define absence categories (Vacation, Medical, Time‑off, etc) and sub‑categories so employees can make standardised requests.
Each category has configurable preferences: which fields appear on the form, whether they’re mandatory, who can create requests, whether the hours are paid or deducted and what the approval flow looks like.
Properly configuring these preferences ensures requests are complete, comply with company policies and follow the correct approval chain.
Key actions and configuration
Open the preferences window
From the side menu, select Absence & Vacation.
At the top of the list, click Settings to open the preferences window.
A window displays all absence categories with a switch to enable or disable each.
Create or adjust categories and sub‑categories
Click a category (for example Health) to view existing sub‑categories.
Use Add sub‑category to create new options such as “Medical appointment”.
To temporarily deactivate a category, toggle the switch; sub‑categories remain saved for later reactivation.
Customise mandatory fields
Select a sub‑category (e.g., Medical appointment) to open its preferences.
Enable or disable fields like Attachments, Comments or custom fields; tick “Mandatory” when the field must be filled.
Click Add new field to create custom fields (such as a license number). Remove fields with the trash icon.
Set permissions and hour calculation
In the same panel, choose who can create the request via the Permissions section by selecting specific permission groups.
Under Hours calculation, decide whether the absence is paid or deducted. There is also the option to Paid - Include in overtime calculation, in case a request that goes beyond scheduled hours should count those excess hours as overtime.
Configure the approval flow
In the Approval trail section, define approval levels: the First level could be “All supervisors in hierarchy”.
Use the Auto approve switch to allow simple requests to be approved without manual intervention.
Add additional levels as needed, such as an HR review at a second level.
Special Cases
- For Other or customized category requests (created categories), the DSR Discount option will appear, which is applied to penalize the DSR if this request is approved (for the entire day) for this employee.
- Overtime Request: In this type of request, you can create a customized request so that the employee can request an extra period from their manager in relation to their planned work schedule, without making this a pending request.
- Banked hours conversion request: In this category, you can configure Banked hours conversion requests to Overtime.
Tips and troubleshooting
Click Save to apply changes; closing the window without saving discards all edits.
Use the “Mandatory” flag sparingly; too many required fields can deter employees from submitting requests.
Name sub‑categories clearly (e.g., “Medical appointment”) so employees know exactly which to choose.
Review approval flows regularly to ensure they match current organisational structures.
Best practices
Review preferences periodically, especially after internal policy changes.
Only enable categories that are in use to avoid confusion.
Use custom fields to collect specific data instead of asking employees to write long comments.
Inform employees which categories are available and what documents are required.
Frequently asked questions
Can I deactivate a category without deleting its sub‑categories? Yes. Deactivating hides the category from employees but keeps the sub‑categories saved for later reactivation.
How do I know a sub‑category requires attachments? The Attachments field turns blue and the “Required” box is checked when a document is mandatory.
What does “Paid” mean? It indicates the hours are paid, so no deduction is applied to the employee’s balance.
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