Request time off

Use a time off request to schedule various types of time off from work. You can request multiple days and types of time off in one request. For example, if you want a week off but do not have enough vacation days to cover five days, you can also use time off from one of the other categories to make up the difference.

NOTE You cannot submit time off requests for dates in the past.

You can submit multiple choices for time off in order of preference (first, second, or third choice). For example, you might want to take a week off in June as your first choice for vacation, but you also indicate that a week off in July is your second choice and a week off in August is your third choice. Your supervisor will approve one of your three choices.

Once submitted, you can edit or delete your request if it has not yet been approved.

Your supervisor can opt to approve only some days of a multi-day time off request. For example, you might want to take Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. However, your supervisor needs you at work on Monday, and so approves your request only for Tuesday and Wednesday.

NOTE Your supervisor cannot change the number of hours requested off on a single day.

You also have the option to withdraw a time off request after your request was approved. For example, an event that you were going to attend and for which you requested time off is canceled. By withdrawing your time off request, you are put back on the schedule and your vacation time balance is updated to give you back those hours.

The Time Off Request dialog box includes a table that shows how much time off you have available, how much you have used, and how much remains in each of the time off categories. This information is compiled from the time off requests you have submitted.

NOTE When you request time off, the hours you request are listed in the Pending Hours column. When they are approved they move to the Approved Hours column. The day after you have actually used the time off, the hours move to the Used Hours column and are no longer listed in the Approved Hours column.

NOTE If you request the entire day off, the number of hours added to the Pending Hours and Approved Hours columns is based on the amount of paid shift activities on that day. If you have only Not Available or Available activities that day, the value added to Pending Hours and Approved Hours is zero. If you have no activities (which is not the same as the Not Available activity), the value added is the daily FTE hours.

The List Days and Time Off Allotment buttons can help you when requesting time off.

List Days button—Displays a summary of your time off requests
Time Off Allotment button—Allows you to check if there are time off hours available on the day you want to take off

A time off request flows through the system as outlined in the following table.

User	Action	Shows Up Here	Status
Agent A	Creates new request	Agent A’s Outbox	Pending
Supervisor	Receives request	Supervisor’s To-Do Box	To-Do
Supervisor	Approves/partially approves/denies time off	Agent A’s Inbox	Approved/Partially Approved/Denied
Supervisor	Approves/partially approves/denies time off	Supervisor’s Outbox	Approved/Partially Approved/Rejected
Agent A	Withdraws previously approved request	Agent A’ Outbox	Withdrawal Requested
Supervisor	Receives withdrawal request	Supervisor’s To-Do Box	Withdrawal Request
Supervisor	Acknowledges withdrawal	Agent A’s Inbox	Withdrawn
Supervisor	Acknowledges withdrawal	Supervisor’s Outbox	Withdrawn

Create a new time off request

Click New Request and choose Time Off Request from the menu.
From the Type drop-down list, choose the type of time off desired.
From the Choice drop-down list, choose the preference for the time off (first, second, or third choice).
From the Date field, click the calendar icon to select a day. Dates with a gray background in the calendar are not available for time off. You cannot add the same day twice in the same request (for example, in both a first and second choice).
Click Add.
Repeat adding dates to the request. Use the First, Second, and Third Choice option as desired.
(Optional) Add a comment by clicking Write Comment . A comment can help your supervisor make the approval decision.
Click Submit.

NOTE If you do not have enough available hours for the type of time off you request, the request fails.

For more information about submitting time off requests, see About automatic changes to requests.

Edit a submitted but not yet approved time off request

In your Outbox, double-click the time off request you want to edit. Requests you can edit have a status of Submitted.
In the Time Off Request dialog box, click Edit. The dialog box expands so you can add a new day, and adds a Delete button (an X) next to the existing days off requested. You can also add a comment explaining why you changed your time off request. A comment can help your supervisor make the approval decision.
Edit your request as desired by adding new days off or deleting existing days off.

NOTE If you want to change the times on a requested day, you must delete the original day and add it again with the new times. For example, if you originally requested 8:00–11:00 AM off on Monday, but need to change that to 1:00–3:00 PM, delete the entry for Monday and add it again, this time with the new start and end times.
When you are finished editing the request, click Update.

Delete a submitted but not yet approved time off request

In your Outbox, double-click the time off request you want to edit. Requests you can edit have a status of Submitted.
in the Time Off Request dialog box, click Delete.

Withdraw an approved time off request

In your Outbox, double-click the time off request you want to withdraw. The request will have a status of Approved or Partially Approved.
In the Time Off Request dialog box, enter a comment to explain the reason for the withdrawal, if desired.
Click Withdraw Request.

The withdrawn request remains in your Outbox with a status of Approved or Partially Approved until your supervisor acknowledges the withdrawal. At that time the request’s status changes to Withdrawn.

NOTE If your supervisor does not acknowledge your withdrawal request, you will still have that time off and will not be on the schedule.

Field descriptions

The following table describes the fields in the Time Off Request dialog box.

Field	Description
View Available Hours For	The date ranges of the vacation plans you are assigned to.
Type	The type of time off: Floating Holidays, Days Off, Personal Days, and Vacation. NOTE Some types of time off might not be available. Your administrator and vacation plan details determine the types of time off that are available. How each of these types of time off is defined is determined by your contact center.
Total Hours	The total number of hours available to you for the time off type.
Used Hours	The number of hours you have used for the time off type.
Approved Hours	The number of hours that have been approved for the time off type but not yet taken.
Pending Hours	The number of hours that you have requested for the time off type that have not yet been approved by your supervisor. NOTE While you can request multiple choices for time off, only the first choice is factored in when calculating pending hours.
Remaining Hours	The number of hours for the time off type you have remaining. This value is calculated as follows: Remaining Hours = Total Hours – (Used Hours + Approved Hours + Pending Hours)
First, Second, and Third tabs	Tabs that display your time off request preferences in this request.
Type	Select the type of time off you are requesting.
Choice	Choose the preference for the time off from the drop-down list.
Date	Select the day you want off from the calendar. You must select each day separately. Click Add to add the date to the First, Second, or Third Choice tab.
Entire Day	Select this check box if you want to take off the entire day. When selected, the Start Time and End Time fields are disabled.
Start Time	If you are taking a partial day off, enter the start time of the time off.
End Time	If you are taking a partial day off, enter the end time of the time off.
Time Off Allotments button	Displays the available time off allotments for a selected service queue and calendar month. This enables you to check if there are time off hours available on the day you want to take off. For more information, see Viewing time off allotments.
List Days button	Displays your time off summary. This pop-up lists all your approved and pending time off requests in date order.

Viewing time off allotments

NOTE This feature is available only if the administrator has configured WFM to display the Time Off Allotments button (see Configure system-wide WFM settings).

The Time Off Allotments popup is displayed when you click the Time Off Allotments button in a time off request. It displays the current available time off that is allotted to a service queue on a specific date.

NOTE A day that shows both available allotments and a positive forecast gap is generally a better choice for taking time off.

Field	Description
Date	The date of the allotment.
Available Allotment	The current number of time off allotments available on that day in FTEs or hours, depending on how the administrator has configured your system.
Forecast Gap	The average gap between the scheduled and forecasted FTEs for that day. This value is always displayed in FTEs. A negative number indicates understaffing, and a positive number indicates overstaffing.