Time Off Requests
Use this page to ask for time off at the register, and — for managers — to approve, decline, add or cancel it.
Quick steps
To ask for time off (staff):
- On the register, tap Time Clock and enter your 4-digit PIN.
- Tap Request Time Off.
- Pick the From and To days (tick Only part of the day for a few hours), add a reason if you like.
- Tap Send Request. You'll see Request sent. Your manager will review it.
To answer a request (managers):
- Go to Time Tracking > Shift Schedule and click Time Off (the yellow number shows how many are waiting).
- Under Waiting for an answer, read the request. Add a note if you like.
- Click Approve or Decline. The employee gets an email with your answer.
Enable Employee Time Tracking and Enable Shift Scheduling must both be ticked under Settings > Edit Settings > Operations > Time Tracking Settings.
Common questions
The employee is already scheduled on those days. When you approve, leave Remove the overlapping shift(s) ticked to take those shifts off the schedule.
Someone asked me in person. Click Add time off for an employee on the Time Off page and fill it in. It's approved straight away, with no email — tell them yourself.
Can I undo approved time off? Click Cancel under Approved and coming up. Shifts that were removed don't come back — re-add them on the schedule.
The register says time off needs an internet connection. Requests can't be sent offline. Try again once you're back online, or ask a manager to add it.
More detail: how staff ask, what they see, and requests that get refused
Staff ask for time off at the register time clock using their PIN. Managers answer on the Time Off page, and the employee is emailed the decision. Approved time off shows on the Shift Schedule, and a shift can't be booked on top of it.
Requesting time off happens inside the register Time Clock, so both settings must be on in Settings > Edit Settings > Operations under Time Tracking Settings:
- Enable Employee Time Tracking — puts the time clock on the register.
- Enable Shift Scheduling — adds See My Schedule and Request Time Off to it.
How Staff Ask for Time Off
Employees don't need to log into the POS or open a cash drawer — the time clock works from the login screen with just a PIN.
- Tap Time Clock (bottom-right of the POS login screen, or in the top bar once someone is signed in).
- Enter your 4-digit PIN.
- Tap Request Time Off.
- Fill in the form and tap Send Request.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| From / To | The first and last day you want off. For a single day, leave them the same. |
| Only part of the day | Tick this if you only need a few hours off. The From field becomes Day, and Start and End time boxes appear. |
| Reason (optional) | Why you need the time. Your manager sees it beside the request. |
When it goes through, the panel confirms Request sent. Your manager will review it.
What Staff See Afterwards
The same panel lists that employee's own requests — anything still upcoming, plus anything answered in the last 30 days, up to 20 in all — with a status tag and the manager's note where one was left.
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Waiting | Sent, not yet answered. |
| Approved | Booked. It shows on the schedule, and no shift can be booked over it. |
| Not approved | Declined. Check the note for the reason. |
| Cancelled | The time off was called off by a manager. Those days can be scheduled again. |
Unlike clocking in and out, time off requests are not queued offline. If the register is offline the panel says Time off requests need an internet connection. Clocking in and out still works — see Offline Mode.
Requests the System Will Refuse
| Situation | What the employee sees |
|---|---|
| A start date in the past | "Time off can't start in the past" |
| Dates that clash with a request they already have waiting or approved | "There's already a time off request for some of these days" |
| A stretch longer than 90 days | Refused, naming the 90-day limit. |
| Part of a day with only one of the two times filled in | "Give both a start and an end time, or leave both blank for the whole day" |
| Part of a day spanning more than one date | Refused — part-day time off has to be a single day. |
More detail: the Time Off page, approving and declining
Where Managers Answer Requests
Open Time Tracking > Shift Schedule, then click Time Off in the page header. The button carries a yellow count of requests waiting for an answer.
Only admins and managers can open the page. Clerks who try are sent back with Access denied.
The page has up to four sections:
| Section | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Waiting for an answer | Every unanswered request, oldest start date first. |
| Add time off for an employee | A collapsed form for booking time off directly. |
| Approved and coming up | Booked time off that hasn't finished yet, with a Cancel button. |
| Recent history | Requests declined, cancelled or already finished — changes from the last 60 days, up to 50 rows. |
Approving or Declining
Each waiting request shows the employee's name, the dates, how many days that is, the reason in quotes, and how long ago it was asked. If they are already booked to work in those days, an amber line lists the clashing shifts — for example Already scheduled for 2 shift(s) in these days: Mon Sep 21 09:00-17:00, Tue Sep 22 09:00-17:00.
Approve
- Leave Remove the 2 overlapping shift(s) ticked to take those shifts off the schedule at the same time, or untick it to keep them. The tickbox only appears when there is a clash, and it is ticked by default.
- Optionally type a Note (optional) — the employee sees it in their email and at the register.
- Click Approve.
The confirmation reads, for example, Approved time off for Sam Ruiz: Mon Sep 21 – Wed Sep 23. Removed 2 overlapping shift(s) from the schedule.
If you untick the box, the shift stays on the schedule on a day the employee is now off. Nothing removes it later — and because approved time off blocks new shifts, you won't be able to re-create it if you delete it afterwards without cancelling the time off first.
Decline
- Optionally type a Reason (optional).
- Click Decline.
The employee keeps their shifts, and the request moves to Recent history as Declined.
If two managers answer the same request at the same moment, or you double-tap Approve, only the first answer counts. The second attempt reports That request has already been answered. and the employee only ever gets one email.
More detail: adding and cancelling time off yourself
Adding Time Off Yourself
When someone asks in person, book it directly instead of making them use the register.
- On the Time Off page, click Add time off for an employee.
- Complete the form and click Add Time Off.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Employee | Who the time off is for. Choose from your active staff, including anyone on a custom role your store has made (drivers aren't listed). |
| Reason (optional) | Free text, visible on the page afterwards. |
| From / To | First and last day off. |
| Start time / End time | Only for part of a single day — "For part of one day, set both times. Leave them blank for whole days." |
| Remove any shifts already booked in that time | Ticked by default. Clears clashing shifts off the schedule as the time off is added. |
Time off added this way is approved immediately — there is nothing to review. No decision email is sent, because nobody asked for it: tell the employee yourself.
Cancelling Time Off
In Approved and coming up, click Cancel beside the entry and confirm.
The days open up for scheduling again. Shifts that were removed when the time off was approved do not come back — re-add them on the Shift Schedule. Cancelling does not email the employee, so let them know.
An entry that has already been declined or cancelled can't be cancelled again: the page answers That request is already closed.
More detail: the decision email and the schedule
The Decision Email
Approving or declining a request emails that employee automatically. Nothing is sent for time off you added yourself, or for a cancellation, and staff with no email address on their profile simply don't receive one.
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| Subject | "Time off Mon Sep 21 – Wed Sep 23: approved" (or ": not approved") |
| Body | Your store name, a greeting by first name, and one line confirming the time off was approved or not approved, with the dates. |
| Note | Your Note or Reason, shown in a grey box headed with your first name, when you left one. |
| Footer | "Questions? Talk to your manager." |
Emails send in the background, so allow a minute or two for them to arrive.
How Time Off Affects the Schedule
- Approved time off appears in amber on the Shift Schedule — Time off for whole days, Off 09:00-12:00 for part of a day.
- The + Add button disappears on a day where the employee has all-day time off.
- Saving a shift that overlaps approved time off is refused, naming the person and the date.
- Approved time off is included when you use Email Schedules, so an employee who is off all week still gets their week and can see it.
More detail: troubleshooting and good habits
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| No Request Time Off button at the register | Shift scheduling isn't on. Tick Enable Shift Scheduling in Settings > Edit Settings > Operations, under Time Tracking Settings. |
| No Time Clock button at all | Time tracking isn't on. Tick Enable Employee Time Tracking in the same section. |
| Time off requests need an internet connection. | The register is offline. Requests can't be queued — try again once the connection is back, or ask a manager to add the time off for you. |
| "There's already a time off request for some of these days" | The employee already has a request waiting or approved covering some of those dates. Answer or cancel that one first. |
| "That request has already been answered." | Someone else answered it, or the button was pressed twice. Refresh the page to see the answer that stuck. |
| A shift is still on the schedule for a day someone is off | The Remove the overlapping shift(s) box was unticked when the request was approved. Remove the shift on the Shift Schedule by hand. |
| A removed shift needs to come back after cancelling time off | Cancel the time off first, then re-add the shift. Removed shifts are not restored automatically. |
| The employee says they never got the decision | Check they have an email address on Settings > Manage Users. Time off added directly and cancellations never send an email. |
Best Practices
- Clear the waiting list before building next week. The count on the Time Off button tells you what is outstanding; approving first saves you unpicking shifts afterwards.
- Leave a note when you decline. "We're short on the Saturday, try the following week" saves a conversation and reaches the employee in writing.
- Let the tickbox remove clashing shifts. It keeps the schedule honest — a shift left behind on someone's day off is how a no-show gets recorded.
- Tell staff about time off you booked for them. Only approvals and declines of their requests are emailed.
- Ask for requests early. Staff can request as far ahead as they like, up to 90 days in one go.
What's Next?
- Shift Scheduling — build, print and email the week's shifts.
- Time Tracking — clock-ins, corrections and timesheets.
- Time Tracking (POS) — the register time clock staff use to request time off.
- User Management — staff accounts, roles and email addresses.