Within Leave Settings you have options to add new leave types and fine tune settings and rules for existing leave types.

Leave Types

Within Leave types you can modify the default allowances, request limits, define custom leave types. Click on the leave type to modify its settings on the right-hand side. Click on an existing leave type to edit its settings, or hit the ‘Add a Custom Leave Type’ button to create your own.

Main Settings

In Main Settings you have general options that apply to the currently selected Leave Type. As of Version 4, we have given you full control of Leave Types, so although you may be editing Holiday, there will be options that will apply to Sick Leave. The reason for this is that you are now able to add Custom Leave types with the exact same options that we use to define the standard types. If you are unsure of what these settings change – see below for a brief description.

Leave Type

  • Name of Leave Type – Enter the name of the current leave (You cannot change Holiday, Sick Leave, or Absence).
  • Enabled? – Ensure the box is ticked if you want employees to use this Leave Type.

Calendar Settings

  • Colour when requested – Choose a colour for pending requests on the calendar.
  • Colour when authorised – Choose a colour for accepted requests on the calendar.
  • Visible to peers – Decide if you want employees at the same level to view this leave on each other’s calendars.
  • Visible to subordinates – Decide if you want users to be able to see this on their managers’ calendars.
  • Hide sub-category from peers and sub-ordinates, allow others to see the leave type but not the sub-category (i.e. reason for sickness).

Request Settings

  • Display leave totals in – Choose between Days or Hours, depending on which your organisation uses for this leave type.
  • Allow Requesting Part Days – Use this option to split the day into separate periods (usually morning & afternoon).
  • Allow Requesting Specific Times – This enables users to book leave by the hour, instead of blocks of days or part days.
  • Ignore Leave Blackouts – Choose whether Leave Blackout days effect this Leave Type
  • Ignore Low Cover Protection – Decide if you want Low Cover Protection for this Leave Type.
  • Enable private request notes – Private notes can be transferred between requester and authoriser during the request process.
  • Enable public request notes – If enabled and used, a public note will display in details on hover.
  • Include in Bradford Factor calculation – Decide if you want this leave type to contribute to Bradford Factor score (sickness).

User Permissions

  • Allow users to delete their authorised request before it starts – Lets employees cancel their future booked holiday.
  • Allow users to delete their pending requests – Lets employees cancel future requests that haven’t been authorised yet.
  • Send confirmation email when deleted – When a request is deleted, the employee is notified.

Authorisation

Authorisation Settings

  • Requires Authorisation – Turn this off to disable authorisation steps completely for this leave type.
  • Send notification emails – Emails are sent to users set as notification contacts within Manage Users.
  • Send confirmation emails – Confirmation emails are send to the requester.
  • Requires a reject reason – This is a reason from the authoriser to the employee who’s request was rejected.

Leave Authorisers

This tab contains the settings for the selected Leave Type’s authorisation steps. You can set authorisers and backup authorisers, and when the Leave Type Authoriser is used (before/after or instead of the normal process). You can add multiple authorisers, and this will require that all authorisers accept the request before it is granted. You will notice that there is a second column for backup authoriser; this is someone who can approve the requests if the main authoriser is absent themselves. To add a Leave Type Authoriser, click ‘+ Add an authoriser’ and you will see the ‘Add this Authoriser’ window appear with the following options:

  • Select the Authoriser – Choose the person who will authorise the current Department’s requests. You can filter by department to find the authoriser.
  • Action if Authoriser is on leave – Decide what happens when your selected authoriser is on leave.

    • No-one – The request will wait until the chosen authoriser returns from leave. Administrators are able to accept any requests if required.
    • Their stand-in – Select to choose the default Stand-in for this authoriser (this is set on the authoriser’s manage user page).
    • A specific person – Choose an individual, who wouldn’t normally by the stand-in for this authoriser.

When you have finished hit ‘Add this Authoriser to return to the Leave Authorisers page.

Additional Notifications

Use this option to add an additional person to be notified regarding employees in the current Department. The default persons will still receive notifications without adding anyone in here. Use this setting if you want to notify another employee who is not the requester or an authoriser. You can select a user in the same way that you add an authoriser. The notifications are triggered based on selecting from the following events in LeavePlanner:

  • Requested – As soon as a user (in this Department) submits a request.
  • Authorised – When leave has been approved (for a user in this Department).
  • Rejected – If a request (for a user in this Department) has been denied by an authoriser.
  • Cancelled – When a request (for a user in this Department) is deleted.
  • Modified – If part of the request (for a user in this Department) is removed.

A good example of this feature in practice is where you might have a manager for a department who wants to be informed of any leave requests or cancellations.

Allowance and Request Limits

Allowance Settings

  • Enable allowances – Decide if you want to give an allowance to employees for this leave type.
  • Default allowance – This is the company default, it can be modified for each user.
  • Auto-repeat allowance – Allowance for the next year will be set up automatically.
  • Increase it by/to a maximum – Use these settings if you grant additional days per year.
  • Up to * days can be carried over – Set this to enable employees to carry holiday over.
  • Auto-expires after – Set this if the carried leave expires after a set time.

Request Options

  • Permit over-allowance requests – Choose whether you allow employees to request holiday that exceeds their allowance.
  • Access level required for Allowance Change Requests – Decide who is allowed to request an allowance change.

Request Limits

  • Minimum notice period – Use this to stop employees requesting short-notice leave
  • Minimum total leave per request – Set this to what your minimum allowed leave is.
  • Minimum total leave per week of request – Use this force employees to take leave by the week (when set to 5 days)
  • Maximum notice period – Use this to limit how far in the future requests can be made for
  • Maximum total leave per request – Set this to your maximum consecutive days per request
  • Allow ‘outside limit’ requests – Allow employees to request holiday outside of these limits

Sub-Categories / Departments

Sub-Category Settings

If you enable sub-categories, you can create an additional category for the currently selected leave type. For example Sick Leave has Headache, Cold/Flu, etc. If you have a Custom Leave Type for Training Course, you could add the type of courses here as Sub Categories. If required, you can choose the ‘Require more info’ option and the requester will need to enter an explanation (shown on authorisation summary and calendar).

Applicable Departments

If the currently selected Leave Type is only applicable to certain departments, you can select the departments here and it will not be shown for the departments that are not chosen. If you want the Leave Type to be available to everyone, select Entire Organisation.