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As a manager, you can create absence requests for all users in a department using the Group request feature. This lets you schedule team-wide absences. Users who already have an absence in that period are skipped.
For a company-wide closure that should not deduct vacation, add a public holiday instead.

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Accessing the group request feature

On desktop:
  1. Navigate to the Overview page.
  2. Locate the Create request button in the top-right corner.
  3. Select the right side of the button (the dropdown arrow) to open the submenu.
  4. From the submenu, select Group request.
On phones and small tablets:
  1. Navigate to the Overview page.
  2. Tap the chevron next to Create request, then choose Group request in the bottom sheet. You can also choose Personal request.
If your workspace is not on the Essentials plan or higher, absentify shows: You need at least a Essentials Plan to create group requests.
Notes:
  • The Group request feature is only available on the Essentials plan or higher. See the plan feature matrix.
  • Recurring absences are not supported with the group request feature. Only single, one-time absences can be created using this option.

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Creating a group request

Follow these steps to create a group absence request:
1

Select a department

In the Book time off dialog, choose the department under Who for. Managers can only select departments assigned to them. Workspace admins can also select All departments when the workspace has fewer than 250 members.
2

Define absence details

Fill out the absence details:
  • Leave type: Select the type of leave.
  • Starting and Ending: Specify the start and end dates for the absence.
  • Reason (optional): Add a reason if your organization requires one.
If you are a workspace admin, you can also turn on Override maximum absence limit so the request can go through even when the department is at its absence limit. This applies only to requests you create for other users.
3

Submit the request

Once all details are complete, select Send request. absentify adds the absence to each user’s calendar for the specified period.
4

Review the result

After you send the request, absentify lists each user with Name, Note, and Status. Users it could not book show a skip icon in Status, and the reason appears under Note. Their existing absences stay unchanged.
Users with a conflicting absence are not given a new request. After you send the request, absentify shows which users could not be booked.

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Public holidays in the selection

When you create a group request, absentify checks each member’s assigned public holiday calendar against the selected date range. If one or more members have a public holiday within the period, an informational banner appears. It shows how many of the department’s members are affected. For example, This selection includes public holidays for 3 of 8 members. Once you have chosen a leave type, the banner also states whether those days are Deductible or carry No deduction from allowance. Public holidays only count against a member’s allowance when the leave type is set to both use an allowance and ignore public holidays. Select View details to open a read-only dialog listing each unique holiday date and name across the department’s calendars, along with whether the selected leave type deducts these days from allowance. When several members share the same holiday date across different calendars, it is listed only once.

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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.

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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:
  1. Create a custom leave type:
    • Navigate to the Leave types section in the admin dashboard.
    • Select 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.
    Ensure that the leave type is named clearly as Blockout date for easy identification.
  2. 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.
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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Blockout dates feature

A dedicated Blockout dates feature is already planned on our roadmap. By upvoting this feature, you can help prioritize its development. Additionally, if you upvote the request, you will receive a notification when it moves into development and becomes available. 📢 Vote for the Blockout dates feature here: Feedback Board