Configure Time-Off Requests

Time-off requests Request subtypes that employees use to request time off for vacation, illness or recovery, appointments, personal time, or other absences. Time-off requests can be configured to support many different employment scenarios. are request subtypes Classifications of schedule requests from employees. that employees use to request time off for vacation, illness or recovery, appointments, personal time, or other absences. Time-off requests can be configured to support many different employment scenarios.

Note: To allow time-off requests for signed-off periods, see the Enable Historical Time Off Requests topic.

  1. Click Tap Main Menu  > Administration > Application Setup > Employee Self Service > Request Subtypes.
  2. Do one of the following: 

    Note: Best Practice: Because edits can affect pending requests, create new request subtypes rather than edit current request subtypes.

    • Click Tap New. Enter a Name .
    • Select one subtype. Click Tap Edit or Duplicate.
    • Select subtypes. You cannot delete subtypes that are being used. Click Tap Delete. Click Tap Yes to confirm.
  3. (Optional) Enter a Description. 
  4. (Optional) Enter a Symbol. A symbol is an abbreviation to be displayed in the workspace; it does not have to be unique and can be up to five characters long.
  5. In Request Type, select Time-Off.

    Note: You cannot change the request type after you save it.

  6. (Optional) Enter a Priority Order in which to list the subtypes.
    • Highest priority = 1.
    • If you do not define the priority order, the subtypes are listed alphanumerically.
  7. Select Display Accruals to display the employee’s projected accrual totals.
  8. (Optional) Select Display "Add Another" Button for Additional Dates to allow single, time-off requests to include non-consecutive days or multiple paycodes A category of time or money that employees earn, for example, Regular Hours, Bonus, or Sick..
    • Best Practice: Because different paycodes can require different levels of approval, Managers and employees should not mix certain paycodes within a single request. Example: For paid time-off requests that require approval only by the direct manager, employees can mix the Vacation and Personal Day paycodes for different date ranges in the request. However, if Vacation requires approval by the manager, and Maternity Leave requires approval by the manager and human resources, submit separate requests for each of these paycodes so that the system can follow the correct approval settings.
    • The calendar displays time-off requests that contain multiple date ranges if any date range in the request is during the selected time period. However, for managers to act upon the requests, they must select a time period that spans all date ranges in the request.

      • Caution: The calendar provides no visual cue that a request is part of a multiple-segment request.

  10. Select Display Request Summary to display a summary of the request.
  11. Select Panel Order: Duration before Paycode to display the duration before the paycode
  12. Select Enter Hours as "Start Time + Duration" to require that hours be entered in start time and duration format The colon divides hours and minutes. Examples: For 40 minutes, enter 0:40. For 8 hours and 15 minutes, enter 8:15. Minutes need not be entered. For 3 hours, enter 3..
  13. Select Show Duration Field in My Time Off Tile A container that provides navigation or action from its summary view. if you want the Duration field displayed in the My Time Off tile. This field allows employees to select time-off periods associated with the symbolic amounts Instead of entering a specific amount for a paycode, a symbolic amount lets users enter a value such as full day, which translates to the number of hours in your shift. Other default symbolic amounts include half day, 1st half day, and 2nd half day. you configure for the request subtype. If displayed, the Duration field is required.
    Note:

    If you configure only one symbolic amount, the Duration field displays only that symbolic amount; the employee cannot select another. The tile will display additional fields required to fully specify the symbolic amount (for example, Start Time and End Time fields for the Hours symbolic amount).

  14. In Custom "Duration" Label, enter a different label for duration. This label is displayed on the Request Time Off slider and on the My Time Off tile if the Show Duration Menu in My Time Off Tile field is selected.
  15. In Custom "Paycode" Label, enter a different label for the default paycode.
  16. (Required) In Default Paycode, select a default, time-based paycode to replace the shift when the employee requests time off. This paycode is displayed by default in the Reason list of the My Time Off tile. The behavior of the default paycode (duration, symbolic source) is defined by the configuration of the request subtype.
    Note:

    Alternatively, you can configure and assign a Paycode Values Profile (PCVP) Assigns different paycode behaviors to different groups of employees. (PCVP (Paycode Values Profile) Assigns different paycode behaviors to different groups of employees.) to override the behavior of the default request paycode. Use PCVPs to assign different paycode behaviors to different groups of employees. Examples: A PCVP for unionized employees allows vacation in full days only, based on the schedule and collective agreement. Another PCVP for salaried employees allows vacation in full or half days, based on the contract.

    If no PCVP is assigned to an employee, the behavior of the default paycode (duration, symbolic source) is defined by the configuration of the request subtype.

    See Paycode Values Profiles.

  17. To allow employees to select paycodes other than the default, select Display Additional Paycodes. These paycodes are displayed in the Reason list of the My Time Off tile.
    Note:

    The paycodes that are displayed in the Reason list are defined by the Paycode Values Profile (PCVP) or the Paycode Data Access Profile (DAP) that are assigned to the employee, and the Paycode Filter Set that is configured for the request subtype as follows:

    • If neither a PCVP nor a paycode filter set is configured, the available paycodes come from the paycode DAP.
    • If a PCVP is assigned to the employee, but a paycode filter set is not configured, the available paycodes are defined by the PCVP. The PCVP can include paycodes that are not in the paycode DAP.
    • If a PCVP is assigned to the employee and a paycode filter set has been configured in the request subtype, the available paycodes are only those that are in both the PCVP and paycode filter set, as well as the default paycode.
    • If a PCVP is not assigned to the employee, but a paycode filter set is configured, the available paycodes are only those that are in both the paycode filter set and paycode DAP, as well as the default paycode.

    See Paycode Filter Set.

  18. Symbolic values — Define a default symbolic value The sum of a symbolic source and at least one duration amount that employees can select when they request time off. for the paycode:
    1. In Default Symbolic Source, select one of the following:
      • Contract: Hours are based on contract terms.
      • Fixed: When you specify Fixed for the time-off request’s default symbolic source, paycode edits resulting from the time-off request will have the duration (Fixed Value) and start time (Default Start Time) specified here, regardless of whether the employee has a shift on their schedule, and regardless of the length and start time of the shift being replaced.

        Both of these fields are required when the Default Symbolic Source is Fixed:

        • In Fixed Value (hours), enter the duration of the paycode edit, from 0-24:00 hours.
        • In Default Start Time, enter the start time of the paycode edit, from 12:00 a.m.–11:59 p.m
      • Pattern: Hours are based on pattern templates A repeating pattern of shifts and paycodes that is saved with a name, but without dates or assigned employees..
      • Schedule: Hours are based on the schedule.
    2. Select at least one Default Symbolic Amount from Available that the employee can select. Click the right arrow.
      • Full — Entire shift that day.
      • Half — Half the total time of shifts that day.

        Note: The time off starts only when the first shift of the day starts. For other half-day amounts, click tap 1st Half, 2nd Half, or Hours.

      • 1st Half — Total time of the first half of the shift that day.
      • 2nd Half — Total time of the last half of the shift that day.
      • Hours: Employees can enter the number of hours.
  19. Select notifications — Always select notifications. Otherwise, the manager is not notified when an employee submits a request, or the employee is not notified when the request is approved or refused. Without notification, the manager must log in manually to review the request, and the employee must log in manually to see whether the request is approved. Alternatively, use Approval Settings to configure notification settings.

    Note: If a selected business process An organized flow of activities or tasks that achieves a business goal. An automated business process minimizes the amount of paperwork and manual tasks to complete that process by way of automatic actions, online forms, and automatically generated messages. or generic notification is deleted, the request subtype cannot be used. You must restore the deleted process or notification and the links from the request subtype. Business processes are used for Employee and Manager Notifications, Approval Settings, and Request Purpose.

    Select any of the following:

    • Employee Submission Notification: Select the type of notification to send to employees when their requests change status such as to confirm that their requests were submitted.
    • Employee Pending Notification: Select a notification to send to employees when a manager sets their schedule requests to pending status for approval or refusal later.
    • Employee Notification: Select a notification to send to employees when their requests change status.
    • Manager Notification: Select a notification to send to managers when requests change status, such as when employees submit or cancel a schedule request.

      Note: You can configure UKG Pro Workforce Management to send an employee’s Reports To manager an email with a calendar attachment (.ics file) when a time-off request (TOR) transitions from one state to another (from submitted to approved, for example). Contact your UKG Representative for more information.

    • Colleagues Notification: Select a notification to send to colleagues when submitting a request for time off. The employee selects the check box for Notify My Colleagues in the My Time Off tile. This notification works in conjunction with the colleagues who are identified in Team Definitions.
  20. Select approvals — Select any of the following:
    • Select Add Approved Request to Outlook Calendar to send approved requests to the employee's Microsoft Outlook calendar as a meeting request.

      Note: You must also select an Employee Notification.

      As an alternative, you can allow employees to configure subscriptions to their personal calendars on MS Outlook, Apple, and Google. See Configure Calendar Synchronization for more information.

      Caution: If paycodes are confidential for privacy or regulatory reasons, do not select this option.

    • Automatic Approval: Without manager intervention, automatically approve schedule requests when submitted, unless the request violates an employee rule.

      Note: Automatic Approval supersedes Approval Settings, including the Auto approval setting in Team Definitions. Only notifications configured in the request subtype Employee Notification and Manager Notification fields are sent; notifications configured in Approval Settings are not. See Define Teams for more information.

    • Automatic Approval for Cancellation: Select to automatically approve the cancellation of requests.
    • Allow Request Editing by Manager: Select to allow the manager to make changes to the request.
  21. (Optional) Configure cancellations — Configure the behavior of request cancellations.

    Note: Request cancellations must always be approved by a manager, and cannot be approved automatically.

    1. To allow employees and managers to submit requests to cancel approved requests, in Request Cancellation select one of the following:
      • Allow with Schedule Restoration (default): Select to allow the manager to approve or refuse requests to cancel time off. If approved, reassign the original shift to the employee, remove corresponding paycodes, and credit accruals. Over-coverage can result if the original shift is reassigned. If Automatically Create Open Shift A shift that is scheduled for a job, but no employee is assigned to work it. is selected, schedule restoration behaves as described for Restore Schedule Only if Open Shift is Available.
      • Allow with Option to Restore Schedule at Approval: Select to allow the manager to approve but not restore the original shift, approve and restore the shift, or refuse the cancellation request.
      • Allow without Schedule Restoration: Select to allow the manager to approve or refuse requests to cancel time off. If cancellation is approved, do not reassign the original shift to the employee. The schedule of the employee is not restored to the previous state as before the time-off request was approved. In addition to the shift not being restored, any paycode that replaced the original shift is deleted. However, accruals are restored.
      • Disallow: Select to not allow cancellation and to not reassign the original schedule.
    2. Restore Schedule Only if Open Shift is Available: Select to make schedule restoration dependent upon available open shifts. The manager can approve or refuse requests to cancel time off. If the manager approves, the system verifies whether or not an open shift was created when the original request was approved, and if that or an equivalent open shift is available. An equivalent open shift has the same segments, start and end times, shift type, job, work rule, labor account, and shift label Replaces start and end times in the schedule with a compact, easier-to-read label. Example: Shift times are 4PM-12:30AM, and the shift label is Evening..
      • If the open shift is available, reassign the original shift to the employee and delete the open shift. Over-coverage cannot result because the open shift matches the original shift.
      • If the open shift is not available, do not reassign the original shift to the employee. Under-coverage can result because the open shift does not match the shift.
  22. Select verifications — Select any of the following:
    • Verify at Employee Submission (default): Select to validate requests when the employee submits the request and when the request is approved. If not selected, validate only when the request is approved.
    • Verify at Manager Submission: Select to validate requests when the manager submits the request on behalf of an employee and when the request is approved. If not selected, validate only when the request is approved.
  23. Open shifts — Select any of the following:
    • Automatically Create Open Shift: Select to change unassigned shifts into open shifts that are available for other employees. You must also select an Override Shift option.
    • Control Open Shift Creation at Approval: Select to allow managers to change unassigned shifts into open shifts when they approve requests.
    • Override Shifts on All Days Except Holidays: Select to replace an assigned shift with the paycode of the request. The paycode replaces the entire shift. Example: An employee requests time off for vacation. The system unassigns the shift and replaces it with the Vacation paycode.
    • Override Shifts on Holidays: Select to replace an assigned shift that falls on a holiday with the paycode of the request.

  24. Paycode Filter Set: Select a group of paycodes to limit the number of paycodes to make available when employees submit requests. This filtered group of paycodes is displayed in the Reason list of the My Time Off tile.

    Note:

    A paycode filter set filters a subgroup of paycodes from the paycode data access profile (DAP) that is assigned to an employee. The DAP defines all paycodes that this employee can access. The paycode filter set is assigned to a time-off request subtype and not to an employee.

    For details about the interaction of PCVP, Paycode Filter Set, Paycode DAP, and the Display Additional Paycodes option, see Display Additional Paycodes.

    Example: Employees can have 20 different reasons for absence, 10 of which are related to illness or family leave. You can do either of the following:

    • Create a generic TimeOff subtype from which the employee selects any one of the paycodes in the DAP. The available paycodes include those that are not related to illness or family leave, such as: vacation, time-in lieu, floating, personal.
    • Create a Sick paycode filter set that contains only the absence paycodes that are related to illness or family leave, such as: appointment, child illness, long-term illness, accident, maternity. This filter set reduces the number of paycodes in the list to only those that are relevant.
  25. (Optional) Approval settings — Select any of the following:
  26. In Holiday Request Setting, select whether to generate paycode edits for requests on holidays.
  27. In Unavailable Amount (hours) if the paycode supports unavailability, enter time, up to 24 hours (default), when the employee is not available. The unavailable period start time is the same as the paycode start time.
  28. Select a Request Subtype Transition Suspends a request between state transitions, such as pending and approved, while a business process completes a task. Example: Pause a process until a manager completes and submits a form. to suspend a request while another business process completes tasks.
  29. Select Team Absence to display heatmaps and guided recommendations Recommends to managers whether to approve or reject requests. The recommendations are based on coverage and accruals balances. that are related to the absence quotas established for the employees' teams. This information is displayed in the time-off request slider, and it can be useful to employees when they are submitting a discretionary time-off request. However, heatmaps and guided recommendations might be irrelevant if the employee is requesting time off for a date they cannot change (to attend to a medical matter, take a sick day, or provide child care, for example). Because of this, you might not want to select this option for every request subtype you create. See Define Teams for more information about team absence quotas and guided recommendations.
  30. Guided Recommendations to Manager determines whether or not the system displays heatmaps and guided recommendations to the manager to approve or refuse a time-off request submitted by an employee on the manager' team. This setting is selected by default. Clear the selection if you do not want the system to display heatmaps and guided recommendations to the manager.
  31. Note: You might want to vary this setting for different types of time-off requests; requests for discretionary absences, such as paid time off, might have more strict guidelines for approval than a request for a non-discretionay absence, such as sick time, for example. See Define Teams for more information about guided recommendations and discretionary and non-discretionary absences.
  32. (Optional) Select Adjust Breaks Automatically to apply the break rules to the shifts assigned to the requesting employee when the request is approved. The break rules are declared in the Work Rule, which is part of the Pay Rule assigned to the employee.

    33. Note: This field can also used to determine which shifts are made available for employees submitting Open, Cover, Swap, and Self-schedule requests. See Ensure break compliance for employee self-service requests for more information.

  33. Enter Time Off Auto Approval determines whether or not the Auto Approve check box is displayed on the Enter Time Off panel and what its default setting is. The Enter Time Off Auto Approval check box has these options:
    • Enabled with default checked — the Auto Approve check box is displayed and it is selected. This is the default value for new and existing time-off requests when the Schedule Access Edit ACP feature switch is enabled. Based on this setting, time-off requests will be auto-approved when submitted.

    • Enabled with default unchecked — the Auto Approve check box is displayed but it is not selected. Based on this setting, time-off requests will not be auto-approved when submitted. However, the Auto Approve check box can be selected to allow auto-approval when the request is submitted.

    • Disabled — the Auto Approve check box is not displayed. The system does not auto-approve time-off requests when this setting is used for the request subtype.
  34. Click Tap Save & Return.