Who this guide is for: System administrators – Requires System Setup permission
Overview:
This guide outlines the five key absence alert types available within Alert Groups and explains how they behave. It also explains the importance of linking alert groups to absence types or defined reasons at Global, Template, or User level.
How Absence Alert Types Work:
Each alert type is used to monitor different patterns or statuses within absence records. These alerts must be assigned to one or more absence types to activate. You can choose to calculate thresholds using either calendar days or working days depending on your use case.
Absence Alert Types Explained:
- Absence Created of a Certain Length
- Trigger: Sent the day after an absence is created that meets or exceeds the defined length.
- Scope: The absence can be in the past or future.
- Calculation:
- Working days = total duration in working time (e.g. Mon–Fri rota = 10 days).
- Calendar days = total days from start to end date.
- Note: Will not trigger if an absence is later edited to meet the threshold.
- If the Absence Is an Open Record
- Trigger: Sent when an open-ended absence reaches the defined length, based on system-scheduled tasks.
- Calculation:
- Working days = duration from the absence's start date to the current date.
- Calendar days = simple day count between start and current date (inclusive).
- Tip: For test purposes, the alert uses the last modified date, not start or end date.
- Occurrences of Absence in the Last 12 Months
- Trigger: Sent the day after an absence is booked that brings the total number of occurrences to the defined threshold.
- Linked absences: Option to count related absences as one occurrence instead of multiple.
- Multiple absence types: If multiple types are linked (e.g., Paid and Unpaid Sickness), each contributes to the count.
- Days Since Record Created with Status
- Trigger: Sent x days after an absence is created with a specific status (most commonly "Pending").
- Important: Based on creation date only. It does not send if the record reaches the status later.
- Example: An alert set for “3 days with Pending” will send on Day 4 (e.g. requested Monday, alert sends Thursday).
- Remaining Entitlement
- Trigger: Sends a summary of the user’s remaining entitlement x days before the end of their holiday year. This alert type is automatically linked to the Default entitlement set on your system.
- Use Case: Reminds employees to use their leave before the year ends.
- Example: For a 1 Jan holiday year, an alert with a 2-day buffer sends on 30 Dec.
Assignment Required:
- All alert groups must be assigned to an absence type (or defined reason) via:
- Global > Absence Types
- Templates> Absence Types
- Users > Absence Types
- Without this assignment, the alert rules will not trigger, even if they are active.
Additional Information:
- Working Days vs Calendar Days: Choose based on how you want the alert to calculate length/duration.
- Linked Absences: Used for situations like repeat absences for the same illness to be counted as one.
- Tip: Always test alerts carefully using current or backdated records and review modification dates when testing open record alerts.
- Use the search function within the platform to quickly find features or settings.