Group absence requests
Learn how managers can create group absence requests for departments and handle any conflicts with existing absences.
As a manager, you can create absence requests for all employees in a department using the Group request feature. This allows you to quickly schedule team-wide absences while automatically resolving conflicts with individual schedules.
Accessing the Group request feature
To access the Group request option:
- Navigate to the Overview page.
- Locate the Create request button in the top-right corner.
- Click on the right side of the button (the dropdown arrow) to open the submenu.
- From the submenu, select Group request.
Note: The Group request feature is only available on the Mini Plan or higher.
Creating a Group request
Follow these steps to create a group absence request:
Select a department
In the Group request dialog, choose the department for which you want to schedule absences. You can only select departments assigned to you.
Define absence details
Fill out the absence details:
- Leave type: Choose the type of leave (e.g., vacation, training).
- Duration: Specify the start and end dates for the absence.
- Reason (optional): Provide a reason for the absence, if required by your organization.
Submit the request
Once all details are complete, click Create Group Request. Absences will be added to each employee’s calendar for the specified period.
Review conflicts
After submission, the system will automatically detect employees with existing absences during the selected timeframe. A list of conflicts will be displayed, showing:
- Employee name
- Existing absence type
- Conflict dates
Employees with conflicts will not have a new absence created for them, and their existing absences will remain unchanged.
Employees with conflicting absences will not have a new absence created for them. A summary of skipped employees will be shown after submission.
Managing Group requests
After creating a group request:
- View requests: Absences will appear in the team calendar and individual employee calendars.
- Edit or cancel requests: To make changes, navigate to the individual employee’s calendar or contact your HR administrator.
Ensure that leave policies and allowances are considered before creating group requests to avoid exceeding quotas or conflicting with company rules.
Tip: Using Group requests for blockout dates
If you need to enforce blockout dates (critical business periods during which no absences should occur), you can use the Group request feature as a workaround:
-
Create a custom leave type:
- Navigate to the Leave types section in the admin dashboard.
- Click Create new leave type.
- Configure the leave type with the following settings:
- Name:
Blockout date
. - Enable Calendar Synchronization:
Synchronization disabled
. - Deduct from allowance: Leave this toggle off.
- Duration unit:
Days
. - Requires approval: Leave this toggle off.
- Reason mandatory: Leave this toggle off.
- Include in maximum absent: Leave this toggle off.
- Privacy: Leave this toggle off.
- Name:
Ensure that the leave type is named clearly as
Blockout date
for easy identification. -
Assign blockout dates using Group requests:
- Use the Group request feature to apply the
Blockout date
leave type to all employees or specific departments. - Specify the dates for the blockout period.
- Save the request to ensure the blockout dates appear on employee calendars.
- Use the Group request feature to apply the
Blockout dates prevent overlapping absence requests and ensure scheduling integrity during critical periods. They do not deduct from employees’ allowances or require approval.
By leveraging Group requests, you can effectively manage team absences while simulating blockout periods when needed.
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