What does the Time-off feature do?
Creates and manages different types of time-off policies (vacation, sick leave, personal days, parental leave)
Automates approval workflows based on company policies
Tracks employee time-off balances and usage
Provides calendar views for team planning and coverage
Supports multi-country and multi-policy configurations
Enables vacation planning and coordination across teams
Integrates with payroll and compliance reporting
Overview of the Time-off tab:
Getting started
User roles and permissions
Administrators and HR:
Full access to all time-off settings and policies
Can approve/decline any time-off request
Can create vacation plans and manage team availability
Access to analytics and reporting
Managers:
Can approve/decline requests for their direct reports
View team calendar and availability
Create time-off requests on behalf of team members
Access individual employee time-off history
Employees:
Can submit time-off requests
View their own balances and request history
Access company calendar to see team availability
Receive notifications about request status
Accessing Time-off features
The time-off system is organized into several main areas:
Time-off calendar
Main overview of all employee time-off
Team availability planning
Quick access to pending requests
Time-off calendar is found through the Time-off button in the top menu or via the hamburger menu if you haven't added it to the top menu:
In this interface you will find the main overview of all employee time-off connected to a calendar, allowing you to easily get a quick overview of who is/has been away and any pending requests. Filter with different views or availability types to further structure the overview presented to you.
Individual employee management
Employee-specific time-off history
Balance management and adjustments
Request creation and management
You can find an employee specific view by going to the People tab and then finding the Time-off tab after clicking on to a specific employee:
Here you can track employee specific time-off history and their current balance connected to different policies as well as registering time-off manually in the cases where it's needed. E.g an employee was away on vacation a day more than what was initially requested.
Vacation planning
Coordinated vacation periods
Team-wide planning tools
Manager oversight and approval
The Vacation planner is also found in the top menu or through the hamburger menu if it hasn't been added to the top menu yet:
The vacation planner allows you to easier track specific vacation periods, e.g the classic summer vacation planning.
Looking at the picture below, we can see that we are able to see the dates for the vacation period along with how many people are concerned for this planning (1.). The specific employees (2.) and what they have requsted/gotten approved as well as little grey lines for public holidays, Midsummer Eve is hovered in this example (3.).
Settings
The Time-off tab in company settings is where you can choose a cutoff date, see all of your availability types and policies connected to them as well as set up new ones:
Setting up time-off policies
Understanding policy structure
Aboard uses a hierarchical structure for time-off management:
Availability types → Policies → Employee assignments
Availability types: Categories of time-off (vacation, sick, personal, parental leave)
Policies: Specific rules within each type (e.g., UK Vacation: 20 days, Sweden Vacation: 25 days)
Employee assignments: Which employees are covered by which policies
Creating availability types
Navigate to Settings > Time-off
Click "New type"
Configure the availability type:
Name: Descriptive name (e.g., "Vacation", "Sick Leave")
Emoji: Visual identifier (🌴 for vacation, 💊 for sick leave)
Color: Theme color for calendar display
PAXml ID: Integration code for payroll systems (if applicable)
Creating policies within types
Each availability type can have multiple policies to accommodate different employee groups:
Select an existing availability type
Click "Add policy"
Configure policy details:
Policy name: Clear identifier (e.g., "Sweden", "Full-time", "Management")
Minimum duration: Shortest allowed request (e.g., half-day minimum)
Type: Choose between Working, Not working (unpaid) and Not working (paid)
Cycle length: Determines the length of each cycle (e.g a year or 6 months)
Activity period: When the allocation resets (January-December, April-March, etc.)
Allowance: Ignore if the policy should allow for unlimited days or activate if employees will have a set amount of days each cycle (e.g not activated when setting up sick days policy, activated when setting up vacation policy.)
Allowance timing: Set up if the allowance should be granted in advance (e.g when cycle starts, give all 30 days right away.) or if it should be accrued (e.g the employee gets a part of the allowance each month.)
Allow negative balance: Determines if employees are able to have negative balance or if they must have days in their balance to be able to request time-off.
Give allowance: Determine when employees should receive their balance (e.g 12 days in the beginning of the cycle or 1 day each month.)
Cycle allowance: Choose how many days should the employee receive each cycle
New hire: Choose what (if anything) should happen regarding the policy when applied to a new hire (e.g give them a set amount of days, do nothing, full cycle allowance.)
Prioritize carryover: If checked, will prioritize days that has been carried over from previous cycle of the policy in question
Limit carryover: Activate to set a limit for how many days can be carried over in to a new cycle as well as if/when they should expire
Require manager approval: Activate if requests should need manager approval
Examples of policy setups
Location-based policies:
UK employees: 20 vacation days (May-April cycle)
Sweden employees: 25 vacation days (April-March cycle)
Denmark employees: 25 vacation days (October-September cycle)
Role-based policies:
Management: Unlimited sick days
Full-time: Standard vacation allocation
Part-time: Prorated vacation allocation
Hybrid approaches:
Combine location and role factors
Create specific policies for unique situations
Cutoff Date Settings
Enable cutoff rules to prevent last-minute changes to previous periods:
Calendar Day Cutoff:
Set a specific day each month (e.g., 15th)
After this date, previous month requests are locked
Managing Time-Off Requests
Access pending requests through:
"Pending requests" button shows count of how many pending requests you currently have.
Click on to individual requests to view more details or simply click the "..." to quickly approve or decline requests.
The requests dashboard shows:
Employee Information: Name, photo,
Request Details: Dates, duration, type, reason
Status: Pending, approved, declined
Approval Actions: Quick approve/decline buttons
Approval Process
Individual Request Approval:
Click on a specific request
Review request details:
Employee information and remaining balance
Requested dates and duration
Conflict checking with existing requests
Notes or reason provided by employee
Choose action:
Approve
Decline
Cancel
Request Status Management
Pending Requests:
Newly submitted requests awaiting approval
Highlighted in the system for quick attention
Email notifications sent to appropriate approvers
Approved Requests:
Confirmed time-off that appears on calendars
Deducted from employee balances
Integrated with payroll systems
Declined Requests:
Rejected requests with optional explanations
Employee receives notification with reason
Balance remains unchanged
Cancelled Requests:
Employee or admin cancelled requests
Balance adjustment if previously approved
Audit trail maintained for reporting
Time-Off Calendar Overview
Calendar Features
The main time-off calendar provides:
Multi-Month View:
Shows three months simultaneously (previous, current, next)
Easy navigation between months
Today marker for current date reference
Employee List:
All active employees with profile photos
Alphabetical sorting by name
Quick access to individual employee profiles
Visual Indicators:
Different colors for different time-off types
Emoji representations (🌴 vacation, 💊 sick, etc.)
Duration indicators showing partial vs. full days
Filtering and Views
Employee Segments:
My Reports: Direct reports for managers
Active Employees: Currently employed staff
All Employees: Including inactive/archived employees
Custom Segments: Department, location, or role-based groups
Time-Off Type Filtering:
Filter by specific availability types
Show/hide certain types of time-off to focus on vacation planning vs. sick leave tracking or vice versa
Date Range Selection:
Focus on specific months or quarters
Historical view for reporting
Future planning view for vacation coordination
Export Functionality
Export calendar data for:
Payroll Integration: CSV format with hours and dates
Workforce Planning: Team availability reports
Compliance Reporting: Time-off usage analytics
Manager Reports: Department-specific summaries
Individual Employee Management
Employee Time-Off Profile
Access individual management by going to a specific employee profile → Time-off tab. Here you will find time-off information specific to the individual employee such as:
Current Policies Display
Visual indicators showing assigned time-off types (🚸 📆 💊 🌴)
Policy count and names
Public holiday policy
Quick access to policy management
Click on a specific policy to bring up a more detailed view:
The date range of the currently selected time-off policy
Details regarding the employee's balance including the following points
Expected closing balance - What the system expects the employee's balance to be for this policy at the end of the cycle.
Allowance - The amount of days chosen for this policy's cycle allowance, the total amount given to the employee each cycle.
Accrued - How many days that the employee has accrued so far this cycle.
Carryover - The amount of days that were carried over from the employee's previous cycle for this time-off policy.
Manual - Total amount of days affecting the balance that comes from manual changes. E.g changes that were made if an employee was away X day more/less than the initially requested amount.
Taken - How many days that employee has taken of the policy this cycle.
Booked - Amount of days that have been requested and approved but have yet to be used. E.g vacation approved that is a month away from now.
Balance to date - The employee's current balance for the policy in question.
Three buttons allowing you to get a more detailed view of Requests, Adjustments and Carryover:
Balance management
Current balance view:
Remaining days/hours for each policy
Used vs. available time
Carry-over amounts from previous periods
Balance adjustments:
Manual adjustments for special circumstances
Import/correction of historical data
Bonus time-off grants or deductions
Time-off history calendar
Year-long calendar:
Shows 12 months of time-off history
Clickable dates for detailed information
Visual patterns for usage analysis
Request History:
Chronological list of all requests
Status indicators (approved, declined, cancelled)
Duration and percentage information
Holiday Calendar Assignment
Individual Calendar Settings:
Assign specific public holiday calendars
Country or region-specific holidays
Custom holiday schedules for special arrangements
Vacation Planning
Creating Vacation Plans
Vacation plans coordinate time-off across teams and ensure proper coverage:
Navigate to Vacation Plans
Click "New vacation plan"
Configure the vacation period
Basic Information:
Plan Name: Descriptive identifier (e.g., "Summer 2026", "Christmas 2023")
Emoji: Visual identifier for the plan
Date Range: Start and end dates for the planning period
Team Assignment:
Managers: Who oversees the vacation planning
Departments: Which teams are included
Specific Employees: Individual assignments if needed
The vacation planner allows you to easier track specific vacation periods, e.g the classic summer vacation planning.
Looking at the picture below, we can see that we are able to see the dates for the vacation period along with how many people are concerned for this planning (1.). The specific employees (2.) and what they have requsted/gotten approved as well as little grey lines for public holidays, Midsummer Eve is hovered in this example (3.).
Managing Active Plans
Plan Oversight:
Track request submissions within the plan period
Monitor team coverage and conflicts
Approve/coordinate conflicting requests
Plan Status:
Active: Currently accepting and managing requests
Done: Completed planning periods
Manager Coordination:
Multiple managers can collaborate on plans
Shared oversight and approval responsibilities
Communication tools for coordination
Employee Participation
Plan Visibility:
Employees see relevant vacation plans
Submit requests within planned periods
Understand team coordination requirements
Approval Workflows
Setting Up Approval Flows
Some policies require approval, others are auto-approved depending on if the Require manager approval has been turned off/on:
A different way to set it up is through Approval flows.
This allows you to set up approval flows for different things, time off being one of them.
Set up different steps of the approval flow, who's approver for each step and if all of the approvers in said step need to approve or if any one of them will be enough:
Notification System
Keep in mind that Send notifications must be activated by an Admin within your organization before any notifications can be received:
Request Notifications:
Instant notifications to appropriate approvers
Email and in-app notification options
Escalation if no response within timeframe
Status Updates:
Employee receives immediate notification of decisions
Manager notifications for team member requests
HR notifications for policy violations or conflicts
Reminder System:
Pending request reminders for approvers
Upcoming time-off reminders for teams
Balance low warnings for employees
Best Practices
Policy Design
Start Simple:
Begin with basic vacation and sick leave policies
Add complexity gradually as needs evolve
Test policies with small groups before company-wide rollout
Consider Your Workforce:
Multi-country companies need location-specific policies
Different roles may require different time-off structures
Part-time vs. full-time employees need appropriate allocations
Plan for Growth:
Design policies that scale with company size
Consider automation for larger teams
Build in flexibility for special circumstances
Approval Management
Clear Guidelines:
Document approval criteria and timelines
Train managers on their approval responsibilities
Establish escalation procedures for conflicts
Consistent Application:
Apply policies fairly across all employees
Document exceptions and reasoning
Regular review of approval patterns for bias
Timely Processing:
Set expectations for approval timeframes
Use automated reminders for pending requests
Escalate overdue approvals appropriately
Balance Management
Regular Monitoring:
Review employee balances quarterly
Identify patterns of over/under usage
Address balance issues before they become problems
Accurate Tracking:
Ensure all time-off is properly recorded
Regular audits of balance calculations
Integration with payroll for accuracy
Carry-over Strategy:
Clear policies on unused time-off
Encourage time-off usage throughout the year
Balance business needs with employee wellness
Communication
Policy Communication:
Clear documentation of all policies and procedures
Regular training updates for managers
Employee self-service resources and FAQs
Change Management:
Advance notice of policy changes
Explanation of reasoning behind changes
Support during transition periods
Vacation Planning
Advance Planning:
Encourage early submission of vacation requests
Use vacation planning tools for team coordination
Regular team meetings about upcoming time-off
Coverage Planning:
Ensure adequate coverage for all team functions
Cross-training to handle temporary absences
Documentation of critical processes and contacts
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Common Issues and Solutions
"Employee can't submit time-off request"
Possible Causes:
Employee not assigned to appropriate policy
Insufficient balance for requested time
Request outside of allowed timeframe
System cutoff date restrictions
Solutions:
Check employee policy assignments in their profile
Verify remaining balance for the time-off type
Review cutoff date settings and request timing
Manually create request if system restrictions inappropriate
"Request not appearing for approval"
Possible Causes:
Approval workflow not properly configured
Manager assignment incorrect in employee profile
Request auto-approved due to policy settings
Notification system issues
Solutions:
Verify approval workflow configuration for the policy
Check employee's manager assignment
Review policy settings for auto-approval rules
Check approval notification settings
"Balance calculations seem incorrect"
Possible Causes:
Policy period settings don't match expectation
Carry-over rules not properly configured
Manual adjustments not accounted for
Historical data import issues
Solutions:
Review policy period configuration (Jan-Dec vs. other cycles)
Check carry-over settings and previous period data
Review manual balance adjustments in employee history
Audit historical time-off data for accuracy
"Calendar not showing all employee time-off"
Possible Causes:
Filter settings limiting display
Employee segment restrictions
Date range settings too narrow
Employee access permissions
Solutions:
Reset calendar filters to "All" settings
Check employee segment selection
Expand date range to include all desired periods
Verify user permissions for viewing employee data
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can employees see each other's time-off requests?
A: Employees can see approved time-off on the company calendar but cannot see pending requests or detailed information about other employees' balances. Managers can see their direct reports' information.
Q: How do I handle retroactive time-off requests?
A: Administrators can create retroactive requests manually. Consider whether to enforce normal approval workflows or use administrative override for past dates. Document the reason for retroactive requests.
Q: Can I set up different approval workflows for different departments?
A: Yes, you can create department-specific policies with different approval requirements. Assign managers as approvers and configure policy-specific workflow rules.
Q: How do partial day requests work?
A: The system supports percentage-based requests (50% for half-day, 25% for quarter-day, etc.) and custom duration in hours/minutes. Configure minimum duration limits in policy settings.
Q: What happens if an employee leaves the company with unused time-off?
A: When terminating an employee, review their final balance for potential payout according to your company policy. The system maintains historical records for reporting purposes.
Q: Can I integrate time-off data with payroll systems?
A: Yes, Aboard supports various export formats and API integrations. Use PAXml codes for standardized payroll integration or export CSV data for manual import.
Q: How do I handle time zone differences for global teams?
A: The system uses the employee's local time zone for request processing. Consider this when setting cutoff dates and approval deadlines for international teams.
Q: Can employees cancel their own approved requests?
A: Employees can request cancellation, but the actual cancellation may require approval depending on your policy settings. This prevents last-minute disruptions while allowing legitimate changes.
Q: How do I set up blackout periods when no time-off is allowed?
A: Configure blackout periods in policy settings for specific dates or recurring periods (e.g., end-of-month, busy seasons). These can be company-wide or department-specific.
Q: What reports are available for time-off analytics?
A: Access analytics through the Time-off section showing usage patterns, balance trends, and approval statistics. Export capabilities support custom reporting needs.
Q: How do I handle public holidays that vary by employee location?
A: Assign different holiday calendars to employees based on their location. Create location-specific calendars and assign them individually or by department.
Q: Can I set up automatic balance adjustments for new hires?
A: Yes, configure prorated balance calculations based on start date. The system can automatically calculate appropriate allocations for mid-year hires.