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Admins in absentify can configure individual user schedules to accommodate varying work patterns, ensuring accurate absence deductions and seamless integration with out-of-office notifications. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to managing work schedules.

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Configuring a work schedule

We recommend using the workspace-wide default working hours to define a user’s schedule, provided these hours also apply to the individual user. When a new user is added, these values are applied automatically. If the user’s schedule differs from the default setup, admins can define or update work schedules to reflect actual working hours by following the steps outlined below.
  1. Add or modify schedules:
    • Click New work schedule to create a new schedule or select an existing one to modify.
    • Set the start date for the schedule. For ongoing schedules, choose Start of employment.
    • Specify working days and hours:
      • Use checkboxes to enable or disable workdays.
      • Split daily working hours into shifts if necessary (e.g., 8:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00 PM–5:00 PM).
    • Save changes to finalize the schedule.
    If a user’s hours change, create a new schedule starting from the date of the change instead of modifying past schedules. Previous schedules will automatically be marked as Completed. Changes to past schedules will trigger a recalculation of absences, which may take some time.
  2. Handle schedule changes for temporary adjustments:
    • If a user transitions from full-time to part-time (e.g., for a specific period), create a new schedule with a defined Start Date for the part-time period.
    • Once the part-time period ends, create another schedule to reflect their return to full-time hours, ensuring continuity and accurate absence tracking.
    Using specific start dates for schedule changes avoids overlaps and ensures proper recalculation of absence balances during transitions.
  3. Half-day configurations:
    • Enable morning or afternoon shifts as needed.
    • Select Deduct full day to deduct a full day of allowance for a half-day absence.
    Deduct full day ensures that if a leave request is made for a half day, a full day is subtracted from the allowance. This is useful when company policies treat partial absences as full days.
    Use the Deduct full day option for scenarios where partial-day absences should impact full-day leave balances.

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Impact of schedules on absence calculations and out-of-office settings

Schedules affect more than just absence tracking. Below are the additional areas where schedules play a crucial role:

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1. Hourly absence tracking

  • When absences are booked on an hourly basis, only the periods within the defined working hours are considered.
  • For example, if an employee has a schedule of 8:00 AM–12:00 PM and 1:00 PM–5:00 PM, an absence request from 10:00 AM–3:00 PM will account for 4 hours of absence:
    • Morning: 2 hours from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
    • Afternoon: 2 hours from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
    • The 1-hour lunch break from 12:00 PM–1:00 PM is excluded.
Ensure schedules are accurate to reflect hourly absences correctly, especially for employees working variable shifts.

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2. Out-of-office notifications

  • Schedules are used to calculate the start and return times for out-of-office messages.
  • When placeholders like {{dateOfReturn}} and {{timeOfReturn}} are used in the out-of-office message template, absentify uses the employee’s schedule to determine the expected return date and time.
For a schedule of Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, if an absence ends on Friday at 5:00 PM, the placeholders {{dateOfReturn}} and {{timeOfReturn}} will calculate the return as Monday, 8:00 AM.
Accurately configured schedules ensure out-of-office notifications provide the correct information to colleagues and external contacts.

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Best practices for schedules

  • Align with policies: Ensure work schedules match the user’s contractual working hours.
  • Use start dates for transitions: Define clear start dates for new schedules when an employee’s working hours change temporarily or permanently.
  • Avoid overwriting schedules: Create new schedules for changes instead of modifying past schedules to maintain historical accuracy and proper recalculations.
Incorrect schedules may lead to inaccurate absence deductions, incorrect out-of-office return times, or errors in hourly absence tracking. Double-check all settings before saving.