Leave types settings
Learn how to create, edit, and manage leave types in absentify, including calendar synchronization, allowance integration, and custom configurations.
The Leave Types section in absentify allows administrators to create, customize, and manage categories for employee absences. This enables precise tracking, calendar integration, and alignment with organizational policies.
Overview of leave types
The Leave Types section provides an overview of all configured leave types.
Each leave type can be customized with unique properties, such as:
- Name: Displayed in the user’s calendar and reports.
- Color and Icon: These visual identifiers can only be adjusted in the leave types list view after the leave type is created. They cannot be changed within the creation or edit dialogs.
Adding a new leave type
- Navigate to Settings > Leave Types and click + Add a new leave type.
- Fill in the details for the leave type:
General settings
- Name: Specify a clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Vacation,” “Sick Leave”).
Calendar synchronization
- Enable Calendar Synchronization:
- Synchronize upon entry creation: Adds the absence to the employee’s calendar when the request is created.
- Synchronize upon approval only: Adds the absence only after approval.
- Synchronization disabled: Prevents the absence from syncing to calendars.
Outlook and iCal synchronization settings
The displayed synchronization options depend on the permissions granted for accessing Microsoft Outlook calendars via the Graph API:
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If permissions are granted:
- Outlook Calendar entry show as: Define how the entry appears in Outlook (e.g., “Out of Office,” “Busy”).
- Event subject: Customize the event title for clarity in shared calendars.
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If permissions are not granted:
- The iCal Synchronization Settings are shown instead:
- iCal event entry show as: Define how the entry appears in iCal (e.g., “Out of Office”).
- Event’s subject: Optionally customize the subject of the calendar entry.
- The iCal Synchronization Settings are shown instead:
For private leave types, consider using neutral event subjects such as “Absent” to maintain confidentiality in shared calendars.
Allowance and tracking
When creating a leave type, you define whether it deducts from an allowance, requires approval, and if the absence is visible to others.
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Deduct from allowance:
Enable to link the leave type to an allowance for automatic tracking and deduction. Configure additional options:- Ignore public holidays: Treat public holidays as regular workdays for deductions.
- Ignore schedule: Deduct only for scheduled working days; excludes non-working days automatically.
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Duration unit: Specify the smallest unit for leave requests:
- Days
- Half days
- Hours
- 30, 15, 10, or 5-minute increments.
Absence unit restrictions: If you selected an allowance from which the new leave type should deduct, the only absence units available will be those in which the allowance was originally created. Ensure that the selected unit matches the allowance configuration.
Changing the absence unit: Once a request has been made using this leave type, the absence unit cannot be changed. Before saving the leave type and allowing your team to submit requests, verify that the selected unit is correct.
Advanced settings
This section allows you to configure all key settings for this leave type. You can define which information is required, how the request and approval process works, and how the leave type is displayed to others.
Requires approval
Decide whether requests for this leave type require approval from an approver.
- Enabled: Requests require approval by an assigned approver.
- Disabled: Requests are automatically approved.
Reason mandatory
Defines whether a reason must be provided when requesting this leave type.
- Enabled: Employees must enter a reason when submitting a request.
- Disabled: Providing a reason is optional.
Representative requirement
Decide whether a representative is required when submitting a request for this leave type. Representatives are assigned in each employee’s profile under User settings.
- Enabled: If a representative is already defined in the employee’s profile and this setting is enabled, the representative will automatically be assigned to the request. Only after a valid representative has approved the assignment will the request — if approval is required — be forwarded to the approvers.
- Disabled: Requests can be submitted without the confirmation of a representative.
Include in maximum absent
Decide whether this leave type should be included in department absence calculations.
You can configure department limits in Department settings.
- Enabled: This leave type counts towards department absence limits.
- Disabled: This leave type does not count towards department absence limits.
Leave type privacy
This setting controls who can see the reason for the absence.
- Enabled: The leave type is hidden from regular employees. They will only see “Absent” in the team view and in the calendar. Only the requester, representatives, approvers, department managers, and admins can see the leave type.
- Disabled: All users who can view the absence will also see the specific leave type.
Please note: If you keep this setting enabled, we recommend also setting the Outlook sync “Event subject” to “Absent” to ensure consistent privacy settings across all platforms.
File upload enabled
Allows employees to upload documents to leave requests.
- In the Essentials plan, one document can be uploaded per request (max. 2 MB).
- In the Plus plan, multiple documents can be uploaded per request (max. 15 MB per document).
Editing a leave type
- Navigate to Settings > Leave Types.
- Click the pencil icon next to the leave type you wish to edit.
- Update the settings (e.g., name, linked allowances, or approval requirements).
- Save your changes.
Changes to leave types apply retroactively to existing records. Review potential impacts before making updates.
Editing leave type order
To update the display order of leave types in absentify:
- Go to Settings > Leave types and click the grid icon next to the leave type.
- Drag and drop the leave type to the desired position. Changes are saved automatically.
What this affects:
- The order in which leave types appear when users create a new leave request.
What this does not affect:
- The order of both deductible and non-deductible leave types displayed in the user’s calendar.
The order of deductible leave in the calendar is determined by the order specified under Allowances. For more details, refer to our guide on managing allowance order.
Deleting a leave type
To remove a leave type:
- Navigate to Settings > Leave Types.
- Click the archive icon next to the leave type.
- Switch to the Archived leave types tab.
- Click the trash icon next to the archived leave type.
- Confirm the deletion.
Deleting a leave type prevents new requests but does not affect existing records. Ensure the leave type is no longer in use before deleting.
Archived leave types
Archiving a leave type is the recommended first step before deletion. This ensures that the leave type is no longer available for new requests but remains intact for reporting and record-keeping.
Archiving is ideal when a leave type is not actively used but may still be referenced in the future. This is especially useful for temporary leave types (e.g., “Corona Sick Leave”) or discontinued policies.
Best practices
- Archive first: Always archive a leave type before deleting it. This allows you to monitor if it is still being referenced.
- Review reports: Check usage reports or exports to confirm no employees are actively using the leave type.
- Schedule deletions: Consider waiting until the end of a fiscal year to delete archived leave types for better traceability.
Use archiving when:
- The leave type is no longer relevant for new requests but may appear in historical data.
- You are phasing out a policy but want to retain its traceability.
Use deletion only when:
- The leave type is completely obsolete.
- You have verified that no active or archived users reference the leave type.
Best practices for leave type management
- Align leave types with policies: Ensure leave types match company guidelines and legal requirements.
- Regularly review configurations: Keep settings up-to-date as organizational needs evolve.
- Use clear naming conventions: Descriptive names help employees and managers understand their options.
- Link allowances carefully: Avoid overlapping allowances unless intentional.
- Maintain confidentiality: When configuring private leave types, use neutral terms like “Absent” for event subjects in calendar synchronization.
FAQ
The following FAQs show how to use absentify’s built-in features to ensure consistent, privacy-conscious absence tracking and visibility across your organization.
How can I hide sensitive absence reasons from colleagues?
How can I hide sensitive absence reasons from colleagues?
To prevent revealing sensitive absence information — especially in cases of illness — we recommend hiding the reason for all absence types. Otherwise, it’s obvious when only sick leave shows no reason.
Here’s how to set it up:
- Go to Settings > Leave types.
- Open each leave type and activate the Privacy setting.
- Only for leave types like Home office or Vocational school, where transparency benefits daily collaboration, should the reason remain visible.
Enabling privacy ensures that only “Absent” is displayed in the overview — without specifying the type or reason.
How do I ensure Outlook synchronization complies with privacy guidelines?
How do I ensure Outlook synchronization complies with privacy guidelines?
When absences are synced with Outlook, make sure that no sensitive details — such as notes indicating illness — are displayed. Many employees share their Outlook calendars (partially or fully) with colleagues. Without a neutral label, private health information could be exposed.
Here’s how to configure synchronization in a privacy-compliant way:
- Go to Settings > Leave types.
- Edit the respective leave type by clicking the pencil icon.
- Scroll to the Outlook synchronization settings section and enter a neutral subject like “Absent” in the event subject field.
How do I configure Outlook to show 'Working elsewhere' for home office days?
How do I configure Outlook to show 'Working elsewhere' for home office days?
To avoid displaying “Out of office” in Outlook for home office days:
- Navigate to Settings > Leave types.
- Click on the edit icon for your Home office leave type.
- Scroll to the Outlook sync settings section.
- From the dropdown next to “Outlook Calendar entry show as”, select “Working elsewhere”.
This ensures employees are marked as available but not in the office, improving visibility without showing them as unavailable.
How do I deduct home office days from an allowance?
How do I deduct home office days from an allowance?
If your company limits home office days per year, follow these steps to enable allowance tracking:
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Create a separate allowance for home office:
- Navigate to
Settings > Allowances. - Click New allowance.
- Follow the steps in our allowance setup guide.
- Navigate to
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After saving the allowance, go to
Settings > Leave types. -
Edit the Home office leave type.
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Enable the toggle for Deduct from allowance.
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From the Use allowance dropdown, select the Home office allowance you created.