Table of Contents:
Setup & Configuration
1. How do you set up different absence policies for different regions?
2. Can you categorize different types of leave?
3. How do you set default policies by work location?
4. How do you require documentation for absences (e.g., sick leave certificates)?
5. Can I import historical absence records?
Absence Policies
6. How do absence policies handle proration for new joiners?
7. Can you create special policies during probation periods?
8. How do you unassign or re-assign absence policies?
9. Can we create customized absence policies for different types of leave?
User Experience
10. How do employees request time off?
11. Can employees see their colleagues' time off?
12. Can employees see all their absence balances of different types?
13. Will my time off automatically sync to my work calendar?
Approval & Visibility
14. What information do managers see when approving requests?
15. How are multi-layer approval workflows configured?
16. Who approves absence requests for employees without a direct manager?
Work Schedules & Calendars
17. How are holiday calendars managed?
18. How do work schedules affect absence calculations?
19. Do you support automatic accrual for part-time workers?
20. Can you set up leave policies, bank holidays, etc. in bulk through an Excel import?
Setup & Configuration
1. How do you set up different absence policies for different regions?
Admins can create multiple absence policies to accommodate different countries, states, or regions. Navigate to Admin settings to create absence policies with region-specific rules around accrual, carry-over, seniority, and compliance requirements. You can then assign these policies to employees based on their work location. For example, you might have separate policies for Germany, the US, Berlin vs. Munich, etc. This ensures that each employee's leave entitlement aligns with local regulations and your organization's standards for that region.
2. Can you categorize different types of leave?
Yes, Leapsome supports unlimited absence types. You can organize and create different types of leave including sick leave, paid vacation, unpaid leave, family responsibility leave, parental leave, sabbatical leave, educational leave, quarantine, long-term sick leave, garden leave, and more. Each absence type can be configured with different rules, including whether it's paid or unpaid, visibility settings, and approval workflows. This flexibility supports inclusive and modern leave policies.
3. How do you set default policies by work location?
Admins can assign default absence policies, work schedules, and holiday calendars for employees at relevant work locations. Navigate to Admin settings > Work locations. When you create or edit a work location, you can specify properties to be automatically assigned to users based on their assignment to that work location, including: currency, holiday calendar, work schedule, sick leave policy, vacation (paid) policy, parental leave policy, educational leave policy, quarantine policy, long-term sick leave policy, garden leave policy, and payroll policy. This ensures consistency and reduces manual assignment work.
4. How do you require documentation for absences (e.g., sick leave certificates)?
Within your absence policy configuration, you can make attachments required after a certain number of days. For example, you might require employees to upload a doctor's note for sick leave that exceeds three consecutive days. This setting can be customized per absence type and helps ensure compliance with company policies and local regulations around medical documentation.
5. Can I import historical absence records?
Yes, you can import historical absence records. Navigate to Settings > Excel Imports > Absence (balance). It's recommended to download the template, try importing data for 2-3 employees first, and cross-check the results before doing it for everyone at once. This allows you to maintain historical records when transitioning to Leapsome.
Absence Policies
6. How do absence policies handle proration for new joiners?
Leapsome automatically calculates pro-rated leave entitlements based on start date or probation period. When someone joins mid-year, you don't need to make manual adjustments—the system calculates their entitlement proportionally. You can configure proration rules, carry-over entitlements, and tenure-based adjustments within your absence policies. This reduces HR admin work and ensures accuracy.
7. Can you create special policies during probation periods?
Yes, you can create specific absence policies that apply during probation periods. These might have different entitlement levels, accrual rates, or approval requirements compared to policies for employees who have completed probation. You can configure when the policy should switch from probation to regular status.
8. How do you unassign or re-assign absence policies?
To unassign absence policies, navigate to 'Company' > 'Employees' > select the check box next to the user profiles you need to change > Assign policy > Absence policy > select the absence type > select "none (unassign existing absence policy)." This will remove the current assignment. To re-assign an absence policy (for example, when a user changes their contract from salary to hourly), follow the same steps but select the new absence policy you would like assigned to the user.
9. Can we create customized absence policies for different types of leave?
Yes, custom absence policies can be created for various leave types, with options to define attributes like paid / unpaid status, prorated entitlements, accrual rules, carry-over limits, approval workflows, and visibility settings. This allows you to tailor policies to match your organization's specific needs and local labor laws.
User Experience
10. How do employees request time off?
Employees can request time off directly through the Leapsome platform. The interface includes drag-and-drop functionality in the calendar, and employees can click directly on dates to request absences. They select the absence type, date range, and can add comments or attachments if needed. The system shows their current balance for that absence type, helping them make informed decisions about time off.
11. Can employees see their colleagues' time off?
Yes, employees and managers can see when colleagues are out, which is valuable for team coordination and coverage planning. The visibility settings can be configured by admins to control what information is displayed (amounts vs. just dates). This transparency helps teams plan their work and ensures everyone knows who's available.
12. Can employees see all their absence balances of different types?
Yes, employees can view all their absence balances for different absence types by navigating to Your Profile > Absences tab. This gives them a clear overview of their available leave for vacation, sick leave, and any other absence types applicable to them.
13. Will my time off automatically sync to my work calendar?
Yes, approved absences automatically sync to Google and Outlook calendars. Additionally, your absence status will also show up on your Slack status, ensuring your colleagues are aware of your availability across multiple platforms.
Approval & Visibility
14. What information do managers see when approving requests?
When managers receive a notification to approve an absence request, they can see the employee's name, the absence type, the date range, any comments or attachments provided, and the remaining balance for that absence type. This level of detail helps managers make informed decisions about approvals and understand the impact on team capacity.
15. How are multi-layer approval workflows configured?
Pre-defined approval flows can be set up to ensure requests are automatically routed to the right person—for example, to the line manager first, then to an HRBP for certain absence types. These approval workflows have clear audit trails and can be customized based on absence type, employee group, or other criteria. This minimizes delays and keeps approval responsibilities consistent.
16. Who approves absence requests for employees without a direct manager?
If an employee doesn't have a direct manager assigned, the approval workflow should be configured to route to an alternative approver, such as an HRBP or admin. This can be set up in the absence policy settings to ensure all requests have a clear approval path.
Work Schedules & Calendars
17. How are holiday calendars managed?
Admins can create and manage holiday calendars for different locations. Navigate to Settings > Company > Holiday Calendars. You can use system templates (e.g., US, Canada, Germany) which come pre-populated with public holidays for that region, or create custom calendars. You can also add custom holidays beyond the defaults, such as company-wide closure days. This ensures that absences are only counted on actual working days.
18. How do work schedules affect absence calculations?
Work schedules define standard working and non-working days (e.g., Monday to Friday). Absences are only counted on working days according to the employee's assigned work schedule. For example, if an employee requests vacation from Friday to Monday, and Saturday and Sunday are non-working days in their schedule, only one day (Friday) would be deducted from their balance. This ensures accurate absence tracking for full-time and part-time employees.
19. Do you support automatic accrual for part-time workers?
Yes, you can set up and assign part-time work schedules. Absence entitlements are automatically accrued for part-time workers based on their work schedule. The system calculates the effective duration of absences based on the employee's assigned work schedule, ensuring fair and accurate tracking.
20. Can you set up leave policies, bank holidays, etc. in bulk through an Excel import?
You cannot import policies themselves via Excel, as different HRIS or absence systems have different infrastructures. However, it is very intuitive to set up absence policies, work schedules, and holiday calendars in Leapsome, and you only have to do it once. For holiday calendars, the system already knows the public holidays for your specific country or region—you just select the region, and the system will pre-populate everything with the correct holidays. You can also assign policies, holiday calendars, and work schedules in bulk either via the employee list or by defining default policies via work locations.
21. How can I make an absence policy that reflects entitlement for employees who have changed their work schedule within an accrual?
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For example:
- Employee works full time with 25 days paid vacation/year.
- From April 1st, they moved to a 4-day work schedule with a 20-day paid vacation policy.
- You would like:
- Jan–Mar: prorated based on the full-time policy
- Apr–Dec: prorated based on the 4-day schedule policy
- Answer: You can work with a single absence policy and assign the new work schedule during the year (beginning of April in this example). The entitlement will then be correctly prorated for each portion of the year (100% * 25 * 3 / 12) + (80% * 25 * 9/12 ). It is important to note that within the work schedule settings, you should enable the percentage of proration of absences.