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Leave requests

11 minutes

📍 Where can I find this module?
Main Menu > Human Resources

Introduction #

This guide is intended for HR managers who use the Kafinea backend to manage employee leave. Here you will find all the information you need to:

  • View and manage employees' leave balances
  • Approve or deny requests for time off
  • Understanding How the Leave Management System Works

1. View an Employee's Leave Balance #

Access from the record # record

  1. Access the People module via Main Menu > Human Resources > People
  2. Open the record the employee in question
  3. The "Vacation Balance" widget displays the employee's vacation entitlement

Note: The "Leave Balance" widget appears only on the summary view of the record . If you do not see this widget, check to make sure the summary view is enabled (see the "Enable the summary view" section below).

Understanding the displayed columns #

Column Meaning
Type of leave The type of leave in question (paid leave, RTT, etc.)
Period The current leave year for this type
Achievements Total number of days or hours earned and adjustments
Reserved Days or times already reserved by pending requests
Available The days or hours the employee still has available (Accrued – Reserved)

The sabbatical year #

Important: Each type of leave may have its own annual period, which is configured in the absence type settings.

Common examples in France:

  • Paid leave (CP): From June 1 to May 31 of the following year
  • RTT: January 1 through December 31 (calendar year)

Turn on summary view #

If the "Vacation Balance" widget does not appear on the record , you must enable the summary view:

  1. Go to Main Menu > Configuration > Settings > Module Management > Features
  2. In the " Other Features" section
  3. Select the "People: Show summary view" option
  4. Save the changes

Once enabled, the record will display the summary view with the "Vacation Balances" widget.

2. Manage Leave Requests #

Access to requests #

  1. Access the Leave Requests module via Main Menu > Human Resources > Leave Requests
  2. Use the filters to view requests by status:
    • Pending approval: Requests to be processed
    • Accepted: Approved requests
    • Rejected: Applications that were denied

Understanding the structure of a request #

A request for leave consists of:

General information:

  • Employee: The employee filing the claim
  • First day of absence / Last day of absence: The relevant period
  • Unit of time: Days or Hours
  • Departure / Return: For requests in days, specify half-days

Detail rows:
A request may contain several different types of absences. Each row specifies:

  • Type of absence: paid leave, time off in lieu, etc.
  • Days Mode: First Day / Last Day (quantity is calculated automatically)
  • Hours Mode: Quantity entered in hours

Requests in days: half-days #

For requests calculated in days, the " Departure " and " Return " fields allow you to account for half-days:

Start Back Example for 1 day
In the morning The next day Full day (1 day)
In the afternoon The next day Half-day (0.5 days)
In the morning In the afternoon Half-day (0.5 days)

Requests in hours #

Some absences can be recorded in hours (doctor's appointments, short absences, etc.). In this case:

  • The unit of time is "Hours"
  • The quantity in the detail rows represents hours

Important: The duration unit is required. No value (Jours or Heures), the request cannot be calculated or recorded.

Change the duration unit while entering data #

If detail lines already exist and you change the duration unit:

  • The system displays an explicit confirmation.
  • If you confirm, the lines will be reset and the unit will be changed.
  • If you cancel, the previous unit is retained and the lines remain unchanged.

Consistency checks and calculation information (new) #

On the backend editing screen, a summary footer and row-level information help with verification:

  • The footer displays the period counters (calendar days, business days, working days, holidays, weekends) as well as the Departure/Return information.
  • Meters Holidays and Weekend are now displayed at all times, even when their value is 0.
  • Each row provides a summary of the calculations (mode, period, calendars, working days, business days, holidays, weekends, and days counted).
  • In Days mode, the system automatically calculates the quantity deducted for each line based on the line dates.
  • In Days mode, the rows must be ordered, with no overlaps and no gaps, for the specified period.
  • In Hours mode, all rows must be for the same date, and the total number of hours cannot exceed 24.
  • The entry is blocked if the lines do not exactly cover the requested period.
  • If a calculation cannot be performed, a clear message is displayed to the user (no silent correction).

Approve or reject a request #

  1. Open the relevant leave request
  2. Check the information:
    • Employee: The employee filing the claim
    • Types of leave: paid leave, time off in lieu, etc. (see the details)
    • Dates and duration: Period and number of days/hours
    • Available balance: Verify that the employee has sufficient permissions for each type
  3. Change the status:
    • Accept: Sets the request status to "Accepted"
    • Reject: Set the request status to "Rejected"

Impact of validation #

As soon as a request is approved:

  • The days or hours are immediately deducted from the employee's balance
  • The employee's "Available" balance decreases accordingly
  • If the request includes multiple types of absences, each type is processed separately
  • Employees can view this change on their extranet
  • The employee can no longer edit the request on the extranet (the Edit and Delete buttons disappear, and an informational banner appears)

Note: This protection applies to any request whose status is no longer "Pending Approval." Only pending requests can be modified or deleted by the employee via the extranet. The protection is enforced on the server side: even an attempt to manipulate HTTP requests will be rejected.

Cancel an accepted request #

If you need to cancel a request that has already been accepted:

  1. Open the relevant request
  2. Change the status to "Rejected" or "Pending approval"
  3. Reserved days or hours are automatically released
  4. The employee's "Available" balance increases again

3. Understanding the Leave Lifecycle #

Reservation (request accepted) #

When a request is approved:

  • A reservation transaction is created for each detail line
  • The days or hours are recorded in the "Reserved" column
  • The "Available" balance is decreasing

Usage (vacation taken) #

Once the leave period has ended (the end date has passed):

  • An automated daily process converts the reservation into a transaction
  • The "Accrued" balance is decreasing, and so is the "Reserved" balance

Release (cancellation) #

When an approved request is canceled:

  • A cancellation request cancels the reservation
  • Days or hours become available again

4. Configuring Absence Types #

Access to settings #

  1. Access the Absence Types module via Main Menu > Human Resources > Absence Types
  2. Open the type you want to configure

How the duration is calculated #

The "Duration Calculation" field defines how days of absence are counted:

Fashion Description
Business days Counts only the days worked (Monday through Friday by default)
Business days Counts business days (Monday through Saturday by default)
Calendar days Counts every day of the period, including weekends and holidays

Practical example:

An employee takes time off Monday through Friday (5 calendar days):

  • "Business Days" mode: 5 days counted
  • "Business Days" mode: 5 days counted
  • "Calendar Days" mode: 5 days remaining

An employee takes time off from Friday through Monday (4 calendar days, including the weekend):

  • "Business Days" mode: 2 days counted (Friday + Monday)
  • "Business Days" mode: 3 days counted (Friday + Saturday + Monday)
  • "Calendar Days" mode: 4 days remaining

Holiday Management #

Public holidays are managed in the Public Holidays module (Main Menu > Human Resources > Public Holidays).

Each holiday has a "Worked Holiday" option:

  • Unchecked (default): The holiday is excluded from the count for the "Business Days" and "Working Days" modes
  • Checked: The holiday counts as a regular workday (for companies where employees work on this holiday)

Note: In "Calendar Days" mode, all days are counted, regardless of whether the holiday is a workday or not.

Leave Year Settings #

Each type of absence can have its own annual period:

Field Description
Start month The month in which the leave year begins (January–December)
Start date The first day of the leave period (1–31)

Configuration examples:

  • Format: Month = 6, Day = 1 → Year: June 1 to May 31
  • RTT: Month = 1, Day = 1 → Calendar year from January 1 to December 31

Fuel consumption gauge #

The "Uses leave" field determines whether this type of absence affects leave balances:

  • Enabled: Requests of this type deduct entitlements (vacation days, RTT, etc.)
  • Disabled: Requests are tracked but do not use up entitlements (sick leave, maternity leave, etc.)

5. Special Cases #

Request spanning two years of leave #

If a leave request spans two different leave periods (for example, from May 25 to June 5 for annual leave):

  • The system automatically splits the request
  • A portion is deducted from the current leave year
  • The rest of the following year
  • Transactions and balances are updated for each relevant period

Request involving multiple types of absences #

A single request can include multiple types of leave. For example:

  • An employee wants to take 10 days off but only has 7 days of paid leave available
  • He can submit a request for: 7 days of paid leave + 3 days of time off in lieu
  • During validation, each balance will be adjusted separately

View transactions #

To review an employee's time and attendance records:

  1. Access the Leave Transactions module via Main Menu > Human Resources > Leave Transactions
  2. Filter by employee or by source request
  3. View the detailed history: transaction type, amount, dates, source

Viewing Aggregated Balances #

For an overview of the sales:

  1. Access the Leave Balances module via Main Menu > Human Resources > Leave Balances
  2. Filter by employee or by type of absence
  3. View totals by period

6. Frequently Asked Questions (Administrator) #

How do I manually add days off for an employee? #

Create an adjustment movement:

  1. Access the Leave Transactions module via Main Menu > Human Resources > Leave Transactions
  2. Create a new "Adjustment" transaction
  3. Enter the quantity (positive to add, negative to subtract)
  4. The balance will be updated automatically

I don't see the "Vacation Balance" widget on the record #

The widget appears only on the summary view of the record . To enable it:

  1. Go to Main Menu > Configuration > Settings > Module Management > Features
  2. In the " Other Features" section, enable "People: Show summary view"

See the "Enable Summary View" section for more details.

An employee cannot see the sales widget on the extranet #

Make sure that:

  • The absence management module is enabled for the employee's profile
  • The employee has at least one type of absence that uses up leave days
  • The employee is correctly linked to a record

How can I view an employee's complete history? #

Use the Leave Transactions module and filter by the employee in question. You will see all transactions: accruals, reservations, usage, and adjustments.

How do you handle a request that includes multiple types of absences? #

The report displays detail rows for each type of absence and its segment. Upon validation:

  • Make sure you have enough available balance for each type
  • If you confirm, all types will be reserved
  • If you refuse, no one will be affected

What is the difference between a request in "Days" and one in "Hours"? #

  • Days : For standard absences (vacation, time off). Enter the dates (Premier jour / Dernier jour) and the total is calculated automatically.
  • Hours: For short absences. The quantity directly represents hours.

7. Glossary #

Term Definition
Achievements Total available leave entitlement for the period (sum of accruals and adjustments)
Reserved Days or hours approved but not yet taken (future leave approved)
Available Days or hours the employee can still request (Accrued – Reserved)
Consommé Days or hours actually taken (time off)
Sabbatical Reference period for a specific type of leave
The Nature of Absence The type of leave (annual leave, RTT, sick leave, etc.)
Unit of duration Indicates whether the absence is counted in days or hours
Movement Recording a transaction involving balances (acquisition, reservation, consumption, adjustment, release)

Need help? #

If you have any technical questions about the leave management system, please refer to the technical documentation or contact the support team.

Related references 🔗 #