The Attendance module's Time Off Requests feature is used to submit employee time off requests, as well as to remove or process pending time off requests.
Required Permissions
The Attendance feature in which Time Off Requests resides is optional and may not be turned on in your AWARDS database. When the optional Attendance functionality is turned on in an AWARDS database, the Time Off Requests feature it contains is available to all AWARDS users with employee logins.
If the Attendance feature is not currently available in your AWARDS database and you are interested in learning more about it, please contact your Foothold Customer Experience team representative for guidance on whether or not it is right for your agency.
Submitting a Time off Request
To submit a time off request, complete the following steps:
- Click your name from the navigation bar, and then click Attendance. The Attendance Menu page is displayed.
- Click the Database drop-down arrow and select "Data Entry."
- Click the Payroll Group drop-down arrow and select the payroll group associated with the employee for whom the time off request is to be submitted. The default value is "All Workers."
- Click the Work Group drop-down arrow and select the work group associated with the employee for whom the time off request is to be submitted. The default value is "Yourself."
Only users who are in the "Human Resources" user group or who have a Human Resources Data Entry permission have access to the full work group selection list. For all others "Yourself" is the only available option. - Click Time Off Requests. The Time Off Request Data Entry page is displayed.
- Click the Time Off Request For drop-down arrow and select the employee for whom the time off request is being submitted.
Unless "Current Payroll" or "Former Staff" was selected as the work group on the previous page, this selection includes only the current user and his or her supervisees. - Click CONTINUE. The Time Off Request page is displayed.
This page contains read-only information on the selected employee, including work week hours, supervisor, scheduled work days, and accruals, as well as a place to enter the time off request information, and a list of any pending time off requests.
- Click the Time Off Type drop-down arrow and select the type of time being requested.
- Specify the date(s) being requested off by entering a date range in the Start Date and End Date fields (using mm/dd/yyyy format).
To request a single day off enter that day in both fields.
The date(s) being requested must correspond with those on which the employee is scheduled to work. For more information see Work Schedules. - If you are not requesting a full day off, enter the number of hours/minutes being requested in the Partial Day Hours:Minutes field (using HH:MM format).
- Click CONTINUE. The Time Off Dates page is displayed.
- In the Explanation field, type a reason for the requested time off.
Whether or not the explanation field is displayed is dependent on the time off type selected on the previous page; for example, this field is shown when a sick day is requested, but not when a vacation day is requested. - Click CONFIRM REQUEST. The time off request is submitted, a message is sent to the employee's timesheet supervisor and to the person making the request, and the updated Time Off Request page is displayed.
When the employee's time off request is approved or denied by his or her supervisor, a message is sent to that employee notifying him or her of the decision. For more information on that process see Processing a Time Off Request.
To remove a time off request before it is processed see Removing a Pending Time Off Request.
The process of submitting a time off request is now complete.
Removing a Pending Time Off Request
To remove a pending time off request, complete the following steps:
Pending time off requests are those that have not yet been approved or denied by the employee's time off supervisor. Requests that have already been approved need to be removed by updating the employee's timesheet.
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Click your name from the navigation bar, and then click Attendance. The Attendance Menu page is displayed.
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Click the Database drop-down arrow and select "Data Entry."
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Click the Payroll Group drop-down arrow and select the payroll group associated with the employee for whom the pending time off request is to be removed. The default value is "All Workers."
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Click the Work Group drop-down arrow and select the work group associated with the employee for whom the pending time off request is to be removed. The default value is "Yourself."
Only users who are in the "Human Resources" user group, or who have a Human Resources Data Entry permission have access to the full work group selection list. For all others, "Yourself" is the only available option. - Click Time Off Requests. The Time Off Request Data Entry page is displayed.
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Click the Time Off Request For drop-down arrow and select the employee for whom the pending time off request is being removed.
Unless "Current Payroll" or "Former Staff" was selected as the Work Group on the previous page, this selection includes only the current user and his or her supervisees. - Click CONTINUE. The Time Off Request page is displayed.
This page contains read-only information on the selected employee, including work week hours, supervisor, scheduled work days, and accruals, as well as a place to enter the time off request information, and a list of any pending time off requests. -
Click the Undo radio button next to the time off request to be removed.
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Click CONTINUE. A Time Off Dates confirmation page is displayed.
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Verify that the correct request was selected, and then click CONFIRM DELETE. The selected time off request is removed, a message is sent to the employee and his or her time off supervisor, and the updated Time Off Request page is displayed.
The process of removing a pending time off request is now complete.
Processing a Time Off Request
All employee time off requests must be processed by a time off supervisor in order for them to be recorded as time taken off. Time off supervisors can process time off requests in two ways:
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Through the system generated time off request message sent to the supervisor at the time the request was submitted
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Using Attendance module Time Off Requests feature from which the request was submitted
Click a method above to view instructions on how to process time of requests using that method, or scroll through both sets of instructions below.
Time off supervisors are assigned to each employee in his or her staff information record within the Human Resources module.
Processing a Time Off Request from a System Generated Message
When a time off request is submitted, a message is automatically generated by AWARDS and sent to the employee whose request it was, the person who submitted the request (if not the employee), and the employee's time off supervisor. From within this message, the supervisor can directly approve or deny the requested time off.
To process a time off request from a system generated message, complete the following steps:
These instructions are based on the assumption that the time off request message has not been deleted and is currently located in the supervisor's AWARDS Messages inbox.
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From the navigation bar, click Messages (or the Messages icon). The Messages Inbox page is displayed.
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To narrow message selection to system generated messages only, click the drop-down arrow next to the subject column heading at the top of the page, and select "System Messages Only."
To sort the system generated messages by sender, date, or subject, click the corresponding heading link at the top of the page.
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Click the Sender, Date, Time, or Subject link of the message to be viewed. The selected message is opened in a new AWARDS window.
The subject of time off requests is "TIME OFF REQUEST," followed by the request number. -
This message includes information on the time off request, a list of staff scheduled for time off during the request period, and buttons with which to process the time off request once a decision has been made.
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Process the request by clicking one of the available processing option buttons:
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APPROVED - When clicked, the time off request is approved and a confirmation pop-up message is displayed letting you know that paid time off records have been created in the employee's time sheet for the request period. Click OK to acknowledge that pop-up. A system generated message is then sent to the employee whose request was approved letting him/her know of the decision.
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DISAPPROVED - When clicked, the time off request is disapproved and a confirmation pop-up message is displayed. Click OK to acknowledge that pop-up. A system generated message is then sent to the employee whose request was denied letting him/her know of the decision.
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SKIP FOR NOW - When clicked, the time off request is not processed and a confirmation pop-up message is displayed letting you know that the decision has been deferred. Click OK to acknowledge that pop-up.
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MAKE UNPAID LEAVE - When clicked, the time off request is approved; however, the time off is recorded as unpaid leave even if the employee had requested a time of a different type. A confirmation pop-up message is displayed letting you know that the unpaid leave time off records have been created in the employee's time sheet for the request period. click OK to acknowledge that pop-up. A system generated message is then sent to the employee whose request was processed letting him/her know of the decision.
The process of processing a pending time off request is now complete.
Processing a Time Off Request from the Attendance Module
To process a time off request from the Attendance module, Time Off Requests feature, complete the following steps:
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Click your name from the navigation bar, and then click Attendance. The Attendance Menu page is displayed.
- Click the Database drop-down arrow and select "Data Entry."
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Click the Payroll Group drop-down arrow and select the payroll group associated with the employee for whom the pending time off request is to be processed. The default value is "All Workers."
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Click the Work Group drop-down arrow and select the work group associated with the employee for whom the pending time off request is to be processed. The default value is "Yourself."
Only users who are in the "Human Resources" user group, or who have a Human Resources Data Entry permission have access to the full work group selection list. For all others "Yourself" is the only available option. -
Click Time Off Requests. The Time Off Request Data Entry page is displayed.
- Click the Time Off Request For drop-down arrow and select the employee for whom the pending time off request is being processed.
Unless "Current Payroll" or "Former Staff" was selected as the Work Group on the previous page, this selection includes only the current user and his or her supervisees. -
Click CONTINUE. The Time Off Request page is displayed.
This page contains read-only information on the selected employee, including work week hours, supervisor, scheduled work days, and accruals, as well as a place to enter the time off request information, and a list of any pending time off requests. -
Click the Do process radio button next to the time off request to be processed.
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Click CONTINUE. The Time Off Dates page is displayed.
This page includes information on the selected time off request, a list of staff scheduled for time off during the request period, and buttons with which to process the time off request once a decision has been made. -
Verify that the correct request was selected, and then process the request by clicking one of the available processing option buttons:
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APPROVED - When clicked, the time off request is approved, paid time off records are created in the employee's time sheet for the request period, and a system generated message is sent to the employee whose request was approved letting him/her know of the decision. The updated Time Off Request page is then displayed.
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DISAPPROVED - When clicked, the time off request is disapproved and a system generated message is sent to the employee whose request was denied letting him/her know of the decision. The updated Time Off Request page is then displayed.
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SKIP FOR NOW - When clicked, the time off request is not processed and a dialog box is displayed confirming that the decision has been deferred. Click OK to acknowledge that message. The Time Off Dates page is re-displayed and a decision on the request must be made at a later date.
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MAKE UNPAID LEAVE - When clicked, the time off request is approved; however, the time off is recorded as unpaid leave even if the employee had requested a time of a different type. A system generated message is then sent to the employee whose request was processed letting him/her know of the decision, and the updated Time Off Request page is displayed.
The process of processing a pending time off request is now complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can approved time off be removed?
If a time off request has been submitted and approved, the time off will have been dropped into the employee's time sheet and will need to be manually corrected. (For more information on updating timesheets, see Updating a Timesheet.) Once that time off has been removed from the timesheet, the employee's time off balances will be adjusted accordingly. Note that time off cannot be removed from a timesheet until the pay period it is in has been reached. If it is necessary to remove the time off prior to the pay period (for example in the event that it is preventing the employee from requesting the correct day off), contact the Help Desk for assistance.
If the time off request has not yet been approved, you can "undo" the request using the Attendance module, Time Off Requests feature. For more information on how to do so, see Removing a Pending Time Off Request.
If the time off request has already been approved, the time off will have been dropped into your timesheet and will need to be manually corrected. (For more information on updating timesheets, see Updating a Timesheet.) Once that time off has been removed from your timesheet, your time off balances will be adjusted accordingly. Note that you will not be able to remove time off from your timesheet until the pay period it is in has been reached. If it is necessary to remove the time off prior to the pay period (for example in the event that it is preventing you from requesting the correct day off), you will need to contact the Help Desk for assistance.
The definition of "supervisory tree" varies from feature to feature. As a result, the list of supervisees for each may be different. For example, in some features supervisory tree means the user and his or her direct supervisees. In other features the supervisory tree also includes another layer below that to encompass the supervisee's own supervisees.
Time off can be approved by the employee's time off supervisor (as set in the employee's staff information record), anyone with the Human Resources Data Entry permission, and the program director or deputy director if the employee is in his/her supervisory tree (which consists of four levels).
If you are a program director you can approve time off for your time off supervisees (as set in staff information records), as well as the time off supervisees of the program's deputy directors. If you are a deputy director, you can approve time off for your time off supervisees, for the time off supervisees of the other deputies for your program (if any), and for the program director.
- Who is recorded as the approver if a request is approved by someone other than the time off supervisor?
The time off request information will reflect the name of the staff person who approved the request, regardless of that person's relationship to the user. For example, if a user's time off supervisor is unavailable and a request is approved by a member of the human resources department instead, the approver will be recorded as that HR staff member, not as the user's time off supervisor.
Time off requests that have been dropped into a timesheet for dates in pay periods after the current pay period can only be seen in report mode. You'll also be able to see them in data entry mode once the pay period in which the time off is occurring has been reached.
- Why did I receive a "no scheduled days requested off" error when removing a pending time off request?
This error indicates that the time off request in question was scheduled for a day on which the worker was not scheduled to work. To remove this type of time off request, please contact the Help Desk.
You may be prevented from submitting a time off request for several reasons:
- You are not eligible for paid time off as determined by the payroll group selected in your staff information record in the Human Resources module
- You are not scheduled to work on the day you requested off as determined by your work schedule
- You have already entered timesheet data for the day you are requesting off
- Your accruals balance is not high enough to enable you to take off the type/amount of time you are requesting
Please reach out to your supervisor or your agency's HR team for assistance if needed.