Connecteam's Time Off is ideal for managing and approving your employees' time off and allowing them to submit their requests for their vacations, sick days, and more. In this article, we'll cover some possible reasons why an employee is unable to submit a time off request so you'll know exactly how to solve it.
These are the possible reasons we'll discuss:
The User is Not Assigned to Either the Feature or a Policy
For a user to be able to submit a time off request they need to be assigned to both the Time Off feature and at least one policy. If the user is assigned to the feature but not to any policies, they will be unable to submit a request. Follow the steps below to see if this is perhaps the reason why your employee is unable to submit a time off request.
Step 1: Check If They are Assigned to the Feature
Access the Time Off feature from the left sidebar
Click on Options and then Edit Assignments
A new modal will open, follow these steps based on how assignments are set up:
Smart Groups: Check that they belong to the smart groups that have been selected or add them.
Selected Users: Verify if they are selected. If they aren't, please select them.
Once you are done checking if they have been assigned to the feature, continue the walkthrough and then click Confirm
Step 2: Check if They are Assigned to at Least One Policy
Access the Time Off feature from the left sidebar
Find the relevant policy that the user should be able to submit a request for, then click on the three dots next to it and select Edit Policy Assignment
A new modal will open where all users assigned to the feature will appear and those assigned to this specific policy will be selected. Find the relevant user and ensure they are selected and assigned to it.
Then click on Next step and Save.
After reviewing and following both steps above:
If the user was not originally assigned to one or both, they should now be able to submit a time off request after you've edited the assignments.
If the user was already assigned correctly, this is not the reason they cannot submit a time off request. Please continue with the other troubleshooting options suggested in this article.
Time Off Limitations Are Enabled
As an admin, you can create limitations for time off policies to ensure that you and your team have enough time to prepare before a teammate goes on vacation. The time off limitation allows you to determine the minimum time in advance users may request a time off.
For example, if a time off limitation is set so that time off can be requested no less than 14 days before it starts, the user will only be able to submit a time off request if their vacation starts in more than 14 days. If the user attempts to submit a time off request for a vacation that starts in 14 days or less, they will be unable to submit it and will see the following warning:
To check if a policy has a limitation set:
Navigate to the policy.
Click on the three dots next to it and select Edit Policy.
Click on Next Step until you reach the Settings tab.
In the Settings tab, you will find Time Off Limitations and can see if it is activated or not.
After reviewing the policy:
If the time off limitations are activated, advise your users to ensure they know how far in advance they need to send a request. If this is a special case, remember that admins can always add time off on behalf of users and the time off limitation will not prevent the action.
If the time off limitations are deactivated, this is not the reason they cannot submit a time off request. Please continue with the other troubleshooting options suggested in this article
Overlapping Time Off
If a user attempts to submit a time off request for dates where they already have approved time off, they will not be able to submit it. Even if the request overlaps by just one day, the system will prevent submission and display the following pop-up warning:
To resolve this, you as an admin can easily edit a time off request on their behalf, or, you can also ask the user to try these steps:
Review approved time off - have the user check their currently approved time off dates. They can do this by accessing the Profile tab on the mobile app, clicking on View requests, and taking a look at all their approved and rejected requests.
Adjust the requested dates - if the new request overlaps with previously approved time off, advise the user to adjust the start or end date to avoid the overlap and send two requests if needed.
If you've tried all of the troubleshooting steps we've suggested here but need more guidance? 🙋 Our LIVE support team (at the bottom right corner of your screen) replies to ANY question.