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Approving/Denying Paid Time Off (PTO) in Current PTO & Requests

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Overview

As an administrator, you can quickly determine whether an employee requesting PTO may use it by approving, denying, or marking it as unpaid. If a mistake is made during the approval, you can scroll to the bottom to learn how to undo an approved request. 

Setup

Approve or Deny a PTO Request

  1. Step 1: Log in as the administrator or manager.
  2. Step 2: Click on the “PTO” icon.
  3. Step 3: Select “PTO Requests.”
  4. Step 4: Scroll to active requests.
  5. Step 5: Click the pencil icon to open the request.
  6. Step 6: Review the date, request date, and hours per day.
  7. Step 7: Optionally mark it as unpaid or leave a note.
  8. Step 8: Negative hours will trigger a warning message that you can bypass and approve or deny.
  9. Step 9: Approved hours are shown on the time card and deducted from the balance.
  10. Step 10: Employees will be alerted via email or SMS text.

Mark a Request as Unpaid

  1. Step 1: This request can only be done on a web browser. App users should tap on their initials and launch the field in a web browser.
  2. Step 2: Marking a PTO request as unpaid will not deduct from an employee's PTO balance. 
  3. Step 3: In the request form, under “please review the hours below for accuracy,” check the box under "UnPaid Time."
  4. Step 5: Total hours will go blank, and the new balance will retain the original amount.
  5. Step 6: Click "Approve."

Undo the Approval of a PTO Request

  1. Step 1: Log in as the administrator or manager.
  2. Step 2: Click “PTO.”
  3. Step 3: Select “PTO Requests.”
  4. Step 4: Scroll to the bottom.
  5. Step 5: Select the "Employee" and the status of "Approved.”
  6. Step 6: Click on the pencil icon.
  7. Step 7: Select
  8. Step 8: A message will appear letting you know that time card entries will be automatically deleted. Click "ok" to accept. 

What to Expect

If you approve an employee's request, you can expect to see it logged in the time cards during the pay period which includes the approved PTO days or times. The PTO summary will reflect the new balance after a PTO request is approved. If you undo a request, the time card associated with the approved request will automatically be deleted. Then, the time will be returned to the available PTO bank. 

If a request is marked as unpaid, it will not be deducted from the employee's available PTO balance.

Troubleshooting

A
No. If a request was approved, you will need to follow the steps to undo the request to remove it from time cards and add it back to the available balance.
A
Not at this time. The workaround is to have the employee specify he or she would like the time off to be unpaid in the request message. When an administrator or manager goes to approve the request, there will be a box marked “Unpaid” that he or she can check. The employee will not get paid for those hours, and the hours will not be deducted from the employee’s balance.
A
Yes. Turn on a category by selecting the “allot x hours per year” option and enter an allotment of “0” hours. Then, join in a start/stop date and click save. This will allow employees to request time without having time available.
A
For an employee to be able to add PTO to a time card, he or she would need to have the “Manual Time Entry & Adjustment” setting enabled under “Additional Options” on the “General” page of his or her employee profile. This would allow the employee to create his or her own PTO day without needing approval first. (This setting also allows employees to manually add and edit their own time).
A
Currently, there is no report for PTO requests themselves. However, at the bottom of the “Current PTO & Requests” page, you can view a log of all PTO requests. You can also filter requests by “employee,” “pending,” “approved,” or “denied.”
A
Yes. If the employee has an email address listed within his or her username (in his or her employee profile on the “General” page), an email will be sent. If a mobile phone number is listed in the employee's profile, there is an option to check “Notify employee via text” (at the bottom of the page) to send him or her a text notification.
A
Yes. To do this, assign the manager who should receive the notifications to the employees he or she supervises.
A
Yes. To do this, assign the manager who should receive the notifications to the employees he or she supervises.

Approve or Deny a PTO Request

  1. Step 1: Log in as the administrator or manager.
  2. Step 2: On the dashboard, scroll down to the paid time off section and tap “pending.”
  3. Step 3: Tap the pending request you want to approve.
  4. Step 4: Scroll to the bottom and tap "approve" or "deny."
  5. Step 5: Approved hours create a time card and are deducted from the balance.
  6. Step 6: A text or email goes to the employee.
  7. Step 7: Denied hours will not be added to the time cards, and the employee will be notified of the denial.

Undo the Approval of a PTO Request

  1. Step 1: Log in as the administrator or manager.
  2. Step 2: On the dashboard, scroll down to the paid time off section and tap "Paid Time Off."
  3. Step 3: Select the employee.
  4. Step 4: Tap "Approved."
  5. Step 5: Select the request.
  6. Step 6: Tap "Undo Request."
  7. Step 7: Adjust the time card yourself; back out of the PTO screen by tapping the back arrow in the top left corner.
  8. Step 8: Tap on "Time Cards" at the bottom.
  9. Step 9: Tap on the date to adjust.
  10. Step 10: Tap "delete." 

What to Expect

If you approve an employee's request, you can expect to see it logged in the time cards during the pay period, which includes the approved PTO days or times. The PTO summary will reflect the new balance after a PTO request is approved. If you undo a request, the time card associated with the approved request will automatically be deleted. Then, the time will be returned to the available PTO bank. 

If a request is marked as unpaid, it will not be deducted from the employee's available PTO balance.

Troubleshooting

A
No —If a request was approved, you could return the hours to an employee’s PTO balance by deleting the timecard entries (on the Timecards page).
A
Not at this time. The workaround is to have the employee specify that they would like the time off to be unpaid in the request message. When an admin or manager goes to approve the request, there will be a box marked “Unpaid” that they can check. The employee will not get paid for those hours, and the hours won’t be deducted from the employee’s balance.
A
Yes —Turn on a category by selecting the “allot x hours per year” option and enter an allotment of “0” hours. Then, join in a start/stop date and click save. This will allow employees to request time without having time available.
A
For an employee to be able to add PTO to the timecard, they would need to have the “Manual Time Entry & Adjustment” setting enabled, under “Additional Options,” on the “General” page of their employee profile. This would allow them to create their own PTO day without needing approval first (this setting also allows employees to add and edit their own time manually).
A
Currently, there is no report for the PTO requests themselves. However, at the bottom of the “Current PTO & Requests” page, you can view a log of all PTO requests. You can also filter requests by “employee,” “pending,” “approved,” or “denied.”
A
Yes —if the employee has an email address listed as their username (in their employee profile on the “General” page). If you have a mobile phone number listed in their profile, there is an option to check “Notify employee via text” (at the bottom of the page) to send them a notification by text.
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What's Next

Assigning a Manager an Employee

Learn how to assign managers to specific employees.

Set up PTO (Paid Time Off)

Set up your employee's PTO rules.

Check Paid Time Off Balances

Learn how to review your employee's balances.