Mastering Leave Management: Setting Up and Approving Holiday Requests

Welcome to this tutorial on mastering leave management in Flowtly! Efficiently managing employee holidays and absences is crucial for maintaining productivity, ensuring compliance, and boosting employee satisfaction. In this guide, you'll learn how to configure different holiday types, effectively manage company-wide bank holidays, and streamline the process of submitting, reviewing, and approving employee leave requests. By the end, you'll be an expert in Flowtly's powerful leave management features.

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Section 1: Setting Up Holiday Types

Flowtly allows you to define various types of leave, such as annual leave, sick leave, parental leave, or unpaid leave. Configuring these types correctly is the foundation of a robust leave management system.

• Understand the Purpose of Holiday Types

Before you begin, it's helpful to understand why different holiday types are essential. Each type can have unique rules regarding entitlements, approval processes, and how they impact an employee's leave balance. For instance, annual leave might accrue over time, while sick leave might be granted on an "as needed" basis.

• Navigate to Holiday Type Configuration

To access the settings for holiday types:

• From your Flowtly dashboard, click on Settings in the main navigation menu.
• In the Settings sidebar, locate and click on Leave Management.
• Then, select Holiday Types.

You will see a list of any existing holiday types, including default ones provided by Flowtly.

• Adding a New Holiday Type

To create a new leave category tailored to your company's policy:

• Click the "Add New Holiday Type" button, usually located at the top right of the Holiday Types page.
• You will be presented with a form to define the new type:
• Name: Enter a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Annual Leave," "Parental Leave," "Sick Leave," "Unpaid Leave").
• Default Entitlement (Days): Specify the number of days an employee is typically entitled to for this leave type per year. This sets the initial balance for new employees or when this type is assigned.
• Accrual Settings: This crucial setting determines how leave days are accumulated.
• Fixed: Employees receive their full entitlement at the start of the year or their anniversary.
• Monthly: Days are accrued month by month. You might specify the exact number of days per month or a percentage of the total.
• Annually: Similar to fixed, but often tied to an employee's hire date.
• None: For leave types like Sick Leave where entitlements might be managed differently or are not a fixed annual balance.
• > Tip: Carefully consider your company's policy on leave accrual. For example, some companies grant 1/12th of annual leave each month.
• Requires Approval: Select "Yes" if requests for this holiday type need to be approved by a manager or administrator. Select "No" for leave types that don't require formal approval (e.g., specific types of personal days, although approval is generally recommended for tracking).
• Allow Negative Balance: Choose "Yes" if employees are permitted to take more leave days than they have accrued or been allocated. This is common for certain types of unpaid leave or if employees can "borrow" from future entitlements.
• Visibility: Determine who can see and request this holiday type. Options might include "All Employees," "Specific Departments," or "Admins Only."
• Description (Optional): Add internal notes or a brief explanation of the holiday type for clarity among administrators.
• Once all details are entered, click "Save" to create the new holiday type.

• Editing Existing Holiday Types

You can modify the settings of any existing holiday type at any time.

• On the Holiday Types page, find the holiday type you wish to edit.
• Click the "Edit" icon (often a pencil icon) next to its name.
• Make the necessary adjustments to its settings and click "Save" to apply the changes.
• > Note: Changes to entitlement or accrual settings may impact existing employee balances. Flowtly usually provides warnings if a change will have wide-reaching effects.

Section 2: Managing Bank Holidays

Bank holidays (or public holidays) are fixed dates throughout the year when your entire company (or specific regions) observes a non-working day. Properly configuring these ensures they are accounted for in employee leave balances and schedules.

• Importance of Bank Holidays

Bank holidays typically do not deduct from an employee's annual leave entitlement. By adding them to Flowtly, the system can automatically exclude these days when calculating leave requests, preventing double-counting and ensuring accurate leave balances for employees.

• Access Bank Holiday Settings
• From your Flowtly dashboard, navigate to Settings > Leave Management > Bank Holidays.

You will see a list of any bank holidays already configured.

• Adding Bank Holidays Manually

If you have a few specific bank holidays to add, or need to add a custom one:

• Click the "Add New Bank Holiday" button.
• Fill in the details:
• Name: Enter the name of the holiday (e.g., "New Year's Day," "Christmas Day").
• Date: Select the specific date of the bank holiday.
• Applies To: Choose whether this holiday applies to "All Employees," "Specific Departments," or "Specific Locations/Countries." This is crucial for multi-national or multi-location companies.
• Click "Save".

• Importing Bank Holidays (Recommended for Efficiency)

Flowtly often provides a way to quickly import a full year's worth of bank holidays for various countries, saving you significant time.

• Look for an "Import Bank Holidays" or similar option on the Bank Holidays page.
• You might be prompted to:
• Select a Country from a dropdown list.
• Select a Year.
• Confirm the import.
• Flowtly will then populate your system with the standard bank holidays for that region and year.
• > Tip: After importing, always review the list to ensure accuracy and make any necessary adjustments for local variations or company-specific non-working days.

• Managing Existing Bank Holidays

You can edit or delete bank holidays as needed, especially if dates change year-to-year or if your company's policy evolves.

• Find the bank holiday you wish to modify on the list.
• Use the "Edit" or "Delete" icons next to it.
• Deleting past bank holidays can help keep your list clean, though Flowtly's system logs will retain a record of past configurations.

Section 3: Employee Leave Requests (Submission & Approval)

This section covers the lifecycle of a leave request, from an employee initiating it to a manager approving or rejecting it.

Subsection 3.1: Submitting a Holiday Request (Employee Perspective)

Employees can easily request leave through their Flowtly portal, ensuring transparency and accuracy.

• Accessing the Leave Request Portal
• As an employee, log into Flowtly.
• Navigate to "My Leave" in the main menu (or a similar section like "My Absence").
• Look for an option like "Request New Leave" or "Submit Holiday Request."

• Filling Out the Request Form

The leave request form is designed to capture all necessary information:

• Holiday Type: Select the appropriate leave type from the dropdown menu (e.g., "Annual Leave," "Sick Leave"). This choice will determine the rules applied to the request (e.g., requiring approval).
• Start Date & End Date: Use the calendar pickers to select the first and last day of your desired leave.
• Number of Days: Flowtly will automatically calculate the total number of working days based on the dates selected and excluding any configured bank holidays or weekends.
• Reason/Comments (Optional but Recommended): Provide a brief explanation for your leave. This helps your manager understand the context, especially for non-annual leave types.
• Attach Document (Optional): For specific leave types (e.g., sick leave requiring a doctor's note), you may have the option to upload supporting documents.
• Check Remaining Entitlement: Flowtly typically displays your current leave balance for the selected holiday type, allowing you to see how many days you have available before submitting.
• > Tip: Encourage employees to plan ahead and submit requests with sufficient notice, aligning with company policy. This allows managers ample time for review and avoids last-minute disruptions.

• Submitting the Request
• After reviewing all details, click "Submit Request."
• The request will then be routed to your designated manager or an administrator for review. You (and your manager) will likely receive an email notification that the request has been submitted.

Subsection 3.2: Reviewing and Approving Holiday Requests (Manager/Admin Perspective)

Managers and administrators play a critical role in reviewing and acting on leave requests, ensuring team coverage and policy adherence.

• Accessing Pending Requests
• As a manager or administrator, log into Flowtly.
• Navigate to "Leave Management" in the main menu.
• Select "Pending Requests" (or a similar section like "Requests for Approval").
• > Note: You will also typically receive email notifications for new leave requests that require your attention, often with a direct link to the request in Flowtly.

• Reviewing a Request

Click on any pending request to view its full details:

• Employee Name: Who submitted the request.
• Holiday Type: The type of leave requested.
• Dates & Duration: The start, end, and total days requested.
• Reason/Comments: Any notes provided by the employee.
• Employee Entitlement: The employee's current balance for that leave type, and how this request will impact it.
• Team Calendar (Crucial): Flowtly often provides an integrated team calendar view, allowing you to quickly check for potential overlaps with other team members' approved leave or critical project deadlines.
• > Tip: Before making a decision, consider your team's workload, project timelines, and the availability of other team members to ensure continuous operations. If necessary, communicate directly with the employee to clarify details or discuss alternative dates.

• Taking Action: Approve, Reject, or Request More Info

Once you've reviewed the request and considered all factors, you can take one of the following actions:

• Approve:
• Click the "Approve" button.
• The leave will be officially granted, added to the employee's approved leave calendar, and deducted from their entitlement.
• The employee will receive an automatic notification of the approval.
• Reject:
• Click the "Reject" button.
• You will typically be prompted to provide a Reason for Rejection. This is vital for transparent communication and helps the employee understand why their request was denied.
• The request will be marked as rejected, and the employee's entitlement will remain unchanged.
• The employee will receive an automatic notification, including your reason for rejection.
• Request More Info:
• Some systems offer a "Request More Info" option. This allows you to send the request back to the employee with specific questions or requests for clarification without formally rejecting it.
• The employee can then update their request or provide additional details, and it will return to your pending queue.
• > Tip: Ensure your approval or rejection process is fair, consistent, and adheres to company policy. Documenting reasons for rejections is good practice.

• Notifications

Flowtly's automated notification system ensures that all parties are kept informed throughout the leave request process. Employees receive updates on their requests, and managers are alerted to new submissions. You can often customize these email templates in Flowtly's Emails & Notifications settings to match your company's branding and tone.

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Summary and Next Steps

Congratulations! You've now mastered the core aspects of leave management in Flowtly, from setting up holiday types and bank holidays to efficiently processing employee leave requests. A well-configured leave management system not only simplifies administrative tasks but also fosters a positive work environment by providing clarity and fairness regarding employee time off.

We encourage you to regularly review your holiday types and bank holiday configurations, especially at the start of each new year or when company policies change. Communicate clearly with your employees about the process and their entitlements to ensure smooth operations.

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Learn more

For more in-depth information and related topics, please refer to the following Flowtly knowledge base articles:

• Holidays
• Employees
• Emails & Notifications
• System Logs & Audit Trail