This article is written for users with an access level of Location Manager or System Administrator and will cover:
- Why block future time off requests
- How to block future time off requests
- What happens when employees request time off on a blocked date?
- FAQs
Why block future time off requests?
A situation may arise where you need all employees available for a specific day.
As a manager (Location Manager or System Administrator in Deputy) you can block out certain dates in your schedule so that employees are unable to add these dates as being unavailable or request leave.
How to block future time off requests
To block time off requests, go to the Schedule page and select the Location you wish to apply the block to. Time off requests apply at the location level and for all areas under that location. It is not possible to block time off only for a specific area.
The block on time off requests for that date will be applied to all team members assigned to that location even if it's not their primary location. Read more in FAQ.
Now go to the day you wish to be blocked out in the Schedule and click on the date itself.
Click to toggle the block ON. You can easily remove the block by toggling this option back to OFF.
In the example below, Wednesday 29th November has been selected. Future requests for unavailability and leave requests on this date will now be blocked.
When you click the Block time off requests checkbox you will notice that the date header in the schedule now has a blocked icon appearing next to it. This will remain in the schedule to show that you have blocked out unavailability, and will also block out future leave requests on this date.
What happens when team members request time off on a blocked date
If team members (any access level below System Administrator) attempt to add unavailability or a request for leave on a blocked-out day, they will receive a message and the request will not be accepted.
For example, if a team member attempts to request leave on 29th November or set their unavailability on this date, they will receive the following messages and be unable to submit the request:
FAQs
What happens to leave or unavailability that has been requested BEFORE the manager blocked time off requests on the date?
Unavailability that was entered or leave that was approved for the blocked date BEFORE the block was set in the schedule will take precedence. In this scenario, the unavailability and leave will remain in the schedule and only future requests are blocked.
How do I remove previously approved leave from the newly blocked date if it is urgent that the employee now works on that date?
In consultation with the employee, you can unapprove and then decline the leave or delete the employee's unavailability on the blocked date.
What happens if I have blocked out a specific date from time off requests but then an employee unexpectedly needs to take sick leave that day?
System Administrators and Location Managers are still able to enter leave for employees on dates that are blocked for time off requests.
What happens if I have blocked time off requests at a specific location and a team member that is also assigned to that location (even if it's not their primary location) requests leave that day?
If leave requests are blocked for a specific location and day, and a team member has that location assigned to them in their profile, any leave request they submit for that day will be blocked.
It does not matter if it is the team member's primary location or not, the leave request will still be blocked.
You can view all locations assigned to a team member by going to the People tab. Click on the team member's name, then Employment > Edit > Work details > Works at.
In the example below, Cleo works at The Azure as her primary location but also occasionally works at a second location, The Shell. If the manager at The Shell blocks time off requests for a certain date then Cleo will not be able to request leave on that date even if she usually works at The Azure.
You may be interested in reading more about Leave management.