Time off on the rota
Where approved time off shows on the rota, how it stops a shift being saved, and what happens to shifts the person already had.
On this page
Only approved time off reaches the rota. A request that is still waiting, or was declined, does not show there and does not stop anything.
What approved time off blocks
- Whole days. The person is blocked from the start of the first day to the end of the last, whatever hours a day were on the request.
- Every type. Holiday, sick, personal and unpaid all block the same way.
- Every location. Someone who is off is off wherever they work, not only at the location the request was filed at.
On the web
- Seeing who is off. In the Days view, a week with anyone off has a row headed Time off, with each person’s name and the type under the days they are off.
- Adding a shift. The form tells you before you save, for example “Sam has approved time off then (Mon 12 Oct – Wed 14 Oct).” The shift is not saved.
- A shift already there. It is ringed in plum. Hovering over it says “They have approved time off covering this shift.” in the Areas and People views, and “Overlaps approved time-off” in Days.
On the phone
- Seeing who is off. On the Rota tab, the Week view has a Time off band with Off and the person’s name under each day. The Day view has a Time off section at the foot.
- Adding a shift. You find out when you press Add shift: it says Could not save.
- A shift already there. In the Week view it is ringed in plum and marked Off.
Shifts the person already had
Approving time off does not remove or change any shift. If the person was already on the rota for those days, the shifts stay where they are, marked as above, until someone who builds the rota moves them or gives them to someone else.
Open shifts and swaps
- An open shift is not offered to someone with approved time off on that day. If they try to take one, they are told “You have approved time off in this window”.
- A swap cannot be sent to someone who is off then: “Recipient has approved time off overlapping this shift”.
Not the same as availability
A day someone has said they cannot work is shown on the rota but does not stop a shift being saved. Approved time off does. See Add a shift for both.
If it doesn’t work
- You need the person to work a day they are off
- The shift cannot be saved while the time off stands. Until its first day starts, the person can cancel it, or someone who approves time off can cancel it with a reason. See Cancel or change a time-off request.
- Someone is off but there is no Time off row
- The row lists approved time off only. Check the request has been answered: Approve or decline time off.
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