Adding or editing a time off policy
SECURITY Security level with Admin permission to configure Resources/Users (HR). Refer to Admin security settings.
NAVIGATION > Admin > Organization Settings & Users > Resources/Users (HR) > Resources/Users (HR) > Time Off Policies > New or Edit Policy
On the New Policy and Edit Policy pages, you create a new time off policy, define the type (allotment or accrual) and tiers for each time off category, and associate or disassociate resources.
Before you create a time off policy, there are two important steps that need to be completed.
Only Autotask system time off categories that are enabled or disabled by a system setting can be included in a time off policy. Before you get started, you must enable the time off categories that will be a part of your policies, and disable the ones that will not.
- Navigate to > Admin > Features & Settings > Application-wide (Shared) Features > System Settings.
- Expand the Timesheets section.
- Check all time off categories you want to enable. For information on these settings, refer to: Enable Floating Holiday time, Enable Personal Time, Enable Sick Time, Enable Vacation Time
- If you will be using accrual type policies, also review the Day of the week that begins a weekly or bi-weekly accrual period system setting.
Disabling a category will make it unavailable for time off policies.
IMPORTANT If you disable a time off category that is used in a time off policy, resources will continue to receive or accrue hours in that category, but you will no longer be able to add or edit the time off category in new or existing policies. We recommend that you replace the policy and associate your resources to the new policy.
This second step is optional, but if your time off categories have different names, you should rename them to avoid confusion.
- Navigate to > Admin > Features & Settings > Finance, Accounting & Invoicing > Billing Codes.
- Select the Internal Time tab.
- Click the System column header to sort by and locate the System internal time codes.
- To rename an internal time code, select Edit from the context menu.
- Edit the Name, and make sure the Display Code for: Time Off Requests check box is selected, so your resources can actually request time off for this category.
EXAMPLE If you provide comp time, but no floating holidays, simply rename the category.
- Click Save.
How to...
- To open the page, use the path(s) in the Security and navigation section above.
- Click New Policy, or from the context menu, select Edit or Copy. The Edit Policy page opens.
NOTE Once resources are associated, only general policy information can be updated.
- Populate or modify the following fields:
Field | Description |
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General | |
Name (required) | Enter the name that will be displayed on the Policy list and the drop-down menu on the HR tab. |
Description | Enter a description of the policy, including whom it should be assigned to. |
Active | Select this check box to activate the policy. If there are no active policies, new resources will be associated with the default None policy. NOTE If you inactivate a policy, resources will remain associated with the inactive policy until they are associated with an active one. |
Default (for new resources)
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Select this check box to make this policy the default. New resources will automatically be associated with this policy. If no policy has been set as the default, new resources will automatically be associated with the None policy. |
Effective For | |
Associate Resources
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IMPORTANT Once resources are associated, you cannot update tiers and time off categories within a time off policy, and you cannot delete it. On this pop-up window, you associate resources with this policy. The effective date can be edited. To enter different effective dates, save the resources in the pop-up window for each date. The selected resources will be added to a table. The context menu allows you to edit the effective date for each resource, and to disassociate the resource from the policy. Resources can also be associated with a time off policy from the HR tab of the Resources page. |
Associated Resources Table
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Displays an alphabetical list of the resources associated with this policy, and the effective dates for each resource. A context menu allows you to edit the Effective From date for active resources, and to disassociate the resources from the policy. Refer to What happens when you disassociate a resource from a policy? The context menu is disabled for inactive resources. |
The number of additional tabs you will see and the labeling on the tabs will depend on the time off categories your administrator has enabled, and the naming of the categories. Refer to Before you create a time off policy... and Internal time codes.
The fields and options are the same on all tabs.
Field | Description |
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General Time Off Category Information | |
Type | Click the radio button to select how the time off category will become available to the associated resources. |
Allotment | A Policy type in which the number of hours to which a resource is entitled for the calendar year (Jan. 01–Dec. 31) will be given on January 01. For more information, refer to Allotment and accrual policy types. |
Accrual | A Policy type in which a resource regularly and incrementally accrues time off during the course of the year. For more information, refer to Allotment and accrual policy types. |
Accrual Period (Accrual only) | The interval at which a resource will accrue time off. The accrued time off is applied to the resource’s bank at the end of each accrual period. Values are: Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Semi-monthly, and Monthly. NOTE Use System Settings to set the starting day for Weekly and Bi-weekly accrual periods. The default is Monday. For more information, refer to Allotment and accrual policy types. |
Current Year's Tiers |
|
New Tier | Click this button to open the New Policy Tier pop-up window. This button is enabled as long as the policy is not assigned to anyone. For more information on Tiers, refer to Add a tier to a policy. |
Tier Table | Shows the length of service it takes to become eligible for each tier in the time off category, the annual hours of paid time off, and either the Rollover Cap (for Allotment) or the Accrual Cap and Accrual Rate (for Accrual). Each time off category has at least one tier starting at 0 months. You can define any number of additional tiers. Different tiers can be defined for each time off category in a Policy. Already defined tiers are listed on a table under Current Year's Tiers. |
Tiers allow you to use the same Policy for resources with different lengths of service. They make it possible to assign more time off, based on seniority. Seniority is calculated as the number of months a resource has been employed, based on the Hire Date on the HR tab of the Resource Management page. Different tiers can be defined for each time off category in a policy.
NOTE To assign a different amount of time off based on organization hierarchy, you must use a different policy.
Tiers specify:
- The minimum number of months of service required to be in a tier. If a resource becomes eligible for a different tier during an Accrual Period, the Accrual Rate of the new tier will be applied
- The number of hours a resource in the tier will receive at the beginning of the year or can accrue throughout the year
- Maximum number of hours that can be accrued or carried over to the next year (Accrual and Rollover Caps)
Tiers for each time off policy are managed from the context menu on the tier table.
- Already defined tiers are listed on a table under Current Year's Tiers. Each time of category has at a minimum the 0+ months tier. This tier can be edited, but not deleted.
- New tiers are added by clicking New Tier and populating the New Policy Tier pop-up window.
- Tiers can be edited and all but the 0 months tier can be deleted, as long as there are no resources associated with the policy.
On the Edit Policy page, click New Tier. A dialog will open.
Field | Description |
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Annual Hours and Cap | |
IMPORTANT Time off policies have two time entry fields. The Hours field accepts whole hours only. Decimal numbers will be rounded to the nearest whole number. The Minutes field has a menu that includes 4 options to accommodate fractions of an hour: 00, 15, 30, and 45. |
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Annual Hours (required) | The number of hours and, where applicable, minutes a resource in this tier will receive on January 1 or accrue throughout the year. The hours field accepts whole numbers (decimals will be rounded). The minutes field provides a menu with 4 options: 00, 15, 30, and 45. |
Rollover Cap (Allotment only)
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The maximum number of unused time-off hours and, where applicable, minutes a resource can carry over to the next calendar year. The hours field accepts whole numbers (decimals will be rounded). The minutes field provides a menu with 4 options: 00, 15, 30, and 45. Defaults to 0 hours, which means that time cannot be carried over. |
Accrual Cap (Accrual only)
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The maximum number of hours and, where applicable, minutes a resource can accumulate before their accrual activity is suspended. The hours field accepts whole numbers (decimals will be rounded). The minutes field provides a menu with 4 options: 00, 15, 30, and 45. When this cap is reached, the resource will not accrue more time off until existing accrued time is used. Defaults to blank, which means there is no cap, and resources continue to accrue time. |
Accrual Rate (Accrual only) | Calculated field that shows the number of hours accrued per accrual period (to 3 decimal points). |
When Are Resources Eligible for This Tier? | |
Eligible Starting at (required) |
Minimum number of months of service that determine eligibility for the tier, based on the Hire Date on the Resource Management page. For more information, refer to HR tab. IMPORTANT If a resource qualifies for a new allotment mid-year, the new policy tier will not take effect until the beginning of the next year. |