Unplanned Leave Behavior

When setting up a leave type, you’ll find the Unplanned Leave Behavior section under Employee Self Service. This article explains each behavior in detail.

Before we continue with the different options, it is essential to understand how the system defines Unplanned Leave. This definition is fundamental for correctly applying and interpreting leave settings.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Explanation of 3 options
• Example of Backdated and Future Leave Application

Key Definition: A leave request will be considered Unplanned if:

• It is backdated (submitted after the leave date), or

• It is for a future leave that submitted less than the minimum advance day(s)

The above behaviours are linked to two fields in the Leave Type settings:

• Application for Future Leave – Sets the minimum number of days in advance that employees must apply for leave before the leave date.
• Application for Backdated Leave – Sets how far back employees are allowed to apply for leave.
  
  

If a leave request falls within the short-notice period defined in Application for Future Leave or Application for Backdated Leave, the system behaves as follows:

For step-by-step guide to set up a leave type, refer here: Setting up Leave Type

Explanation of 3 options:

1. Allow Unplanned Leave

Leave requests that do not meet the minimum days in advance or backdated within the maximum days allowed will be marked as Unplanned.

• If the request meets the requirements, it is treated as regular leave, without the "unplanned" tag.

• If it does not meet the requirements, a reminder prompt will appear, but the employee can still proceed by clicking Yes.

• Backdated leave requests that exceed the maximum days back will still be blocked and cannot be submitted.

2. Block Unplanned Leave

Leave requests that do not meet the minimum days in advance will be blocked by the system. All the backdated leave will be blocked.

• If the request meets the requirements, it is treated as regular leave, without the "unplanned" tag.

• If it does not meet the requirements, the system will not allow the request to be submitted.

Example: Annual, Marriage, Replacement Leave

Key Definition: A leave request will be considered Unplanned if:

• It is backdated (submitted after the leave date), or

• It is for a future leave without meeting the required minimum advance day(s)

3. Treat all as Normal Leave

All leave requests will be treated as regular leave, and the system will not label short-notice requests as Unplanned.

• If the request meets the requirements, it is treated as regular leave.

• However, if a backdated request goes beyond the maximum days allowed, the system will still block it from being submitted.

Example: Medical, Hospitalization, Maternity, Compassionate

If a leave request falls within the short-notice period defined in Application for Future Leave or Application for Backdated Leave, the system behaves as follows:

Therefore, admins should set the Unplanned Leave Behavior according to the company’s leave policy and the nature of the leave type.

For example, strict notice periods might be important for annual leave planning, while compassionate or medical leave may require more flexibility.

Example of Backdated and Future Leave Application

In this example, this is the information:

• Reference date: 19 September (today)

• Advance days: min 3 days in advance

• Backdated leave: max 3 days back

• Exclude rest day, off day, and holiday from leave taken
  
  

This means:

• Future leave → Applications must be submitted at least 3 days in advance.
• Backdated leave → Applications can only go back up to 3 days from today.

(Click to see enlarged view)

(Click to see enlarged view)

Result

1. Allow unplanned leave: Leave requests that do not meet the minimum days in advance or are backdated within the maximum days allowed will be marked as Unplanned.

Backdated leave → Applications can only go back up to 3 days from today.

• Max 3 days back: Backdated leaves on 12 Sept, 17 Sept, 18 Sept are marked as unplanned.

• Exceeds 3 days: Backdated leave on 11 Sept is blocked by the system.

Future leave → Applications must be submitted at least 3 days in advance.

• Less than 3 days in advance: Future leaves on 19 Sept, 22 Sept, 23 Sept are marked as unplanned.

• More than 3 days in advance: Application is allowed as regular leave.

2. Block unplanned leave: Leave requests that do not meet the minimum days in advance will be blocked by the system. All the backdated leave will be blocked.

Backdated leave → All backdated leave is unplanned leave; the system blocks the application.

Future leave → Applications that are submitted less than 3 days in advance are considered unplanned.

• Less than 3 days in advance: Future leaves on 19 Sept, 22 Sept, 23 Sept will be blocked by the system.

• More than 3 days in advance: Application is allowed as regular leave.

3. Treat all as normal leave: Request is always treated as regular leave, except when it exceeds the maximum backdated limit, in which case it will be blocked. 

• All backdated leaves within the maximum 3-day requirement (12 Sept, 17 Sept, 18 Sept) can apply.

• Backdated leave applies beyond the maximum days set in the application for backdated days will be blocked.

• All future leaves can apply. 

We hope this explanation clarifies the matter. If you need any more help, please don't hesitate to contact our support team.