Leave Management
The Leave Request module is the central leave management page where HR can efficiently manage and process all employee leave requests. This comprehensive system provides tools for reviewing applications, configuring leave policies, setting company holidays, and maintaining accurate leave records across the organization.
If totals, departments, holidays, leave types, or connection status fail to load when you open this page, an error banner reading "Some leave details could not be loaded" appears with a Retry details button to reload them.
Approval
HR reviews and processes employee leave requests from this section. Each pending request displays the employee name, leave type, requested dates, and duration.
To process a request:
- The dialog's Remaining leave line shows the employee's balance for that leave type, followed by where it came from — From payroll as at [date] if an opening balance has been recorded for them, or Estimate if it's worked out from their leave allowance instead
- Click Approve to confirm the leave, or Reject to decline it
- Add an optional note or reason when declining a request
- The approval result is automatically sent to the employee via internal notification
- Approving or rejecting pushes the update to the ShiftCare Scheduler in the background shortly afterwards, so you're never held up waiting on it
- Click Delete to remove a request. If it had already been approved and pushed to the ShiftCare Scheduler, deleting it withdraws it from ShiftCare first - if that withdrawal fails, the delete is refused so the leave isn't left stranded on the roster. ShiftCare also refuses to withdraw your own leave this way - if you try to delete a synced leave that's yours, you'll see a message asking another authorised admin to withdraw or delete it instead
- Editing an already-approved leave (for example, correcting its dates) pushes the updated dates to the ShiftCare Scheduler automatically, keeping the roster in sync with the corrected request
All processed requests are logged with timestamps, ensuring a complete audit trail for compliance and record-keeping.
Approving or rejecting a request no longer waits on ShiftCare — the update is queued and delivered shortly after, with automatic retries if ShiftCare is briefly unavailable. Rejecting a previously-approved leave also removes it from the ShiftCare Scheduler, delivered the same way. Use the Sync action if you need to push a leave to ShiftCare again. If the leave has already been synced successfully, clicking Sync again shows "This leave is already synced to ShiftCare" instead of creating a duplicate entry on the Scheduler.
On approved leave, the ShiftCare tag reads sync failed if ShiftCare didn't accept it after several tries (click to sync again; contact support if it keeps failing), or needs checking if delivery couldn't be confirmed (contact support before syncing again). Hover the tag for details.
If approving or rejecting a request fails outright in ShiftCareHR itself, the dialog shows "The decision wasn't confirmed." Close the dialog and refresh the leave list to check the latest status before making another decision.
Leave Added in ShiftCare
Leave does not have to start in ShiftCareHR. An admin can add it directly in the ShiftCare Scheduler, and it flows through to ShiftCareHR automatically.
This is the reverse of the sync described above — the same leave, entered from the rostering side.
Adding the leave
- In the ShiftCare Scheduler, open the three-dot menu and choose Manage Availability.
- Select Leave (rather than Unavailable or Available), then choose the staff member under Choose Carer.
- Under Add Leave, pick the Leave type, set Start and End, and enter a Reason.
- Click Save.
Approving it
- Open Dashboard in ShiftCare and go to the Leave tab.
- Find the request in the table and press the green tick, then Approve.
The status moves from Pending to Approved, and the leave stays in step with ShiftCareHR.
The Leave tab opens with a row of summary cards — On Leave Today, Upcoming Leave, Pending Approvals, Shift Conflicts, Sick Leave and Teams Impacted — above a table you can filter by staff, status and date range, and view as a table or a calendar.
Each row in the Leave tab shows an HR badge next to its leave type. That badge is your confirmation the request is linked to ShiftCareHR. A row without one has not been connected, and will not appear in ShiftCareHR.
Leave can be approved in ShiftCare or ShiftCareHR — both work, and the two stay in step. Use whichever you are already working in; there is no need to approve the same request twice.
The Leave tab is generally available. If it isn't showing for you, it's a settings or user-access question rather than a fault — check your ShiftCare permissions, or raise it with your administrator.
Filing Leave for an Employee
HR and admin users, and managers for their own direct reports, can submit a leave request on behalf of someone else — useful when a staff member phones in sick or has no portal access.
This is done from My Leave Requests, not from this page.
- Go to My Leave Requests and click Request a Leave.
- At the top of the form, use the Requesting for dropdown to pick the employee. The list is searchable, each person appears by full name (or by email if no name is recorded), and only active employees are listed — HR and admin users see everyone in the company, while a manager sees only their own direct reports.
- Complete the rest of the form as normal and submit.
Leaving Requesting for empty files the request for yourself — the field shows Myself as its placeholder.
Once you select someone, the Leave Type list and the remaining-hours figure both switch to that employee's entitlements rather than your own. Check the balance before submitting — it is the employee's leave you are spending, not yours. If the employee is on unpaid parental leave, the balance note shows Paused: unpaid parental leave for the leave types that have stopped accruing (Annual, Sick, and Personal/Carer's Leave).
Two messages you may see instead of a leave-type list:
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| This employee has no leave types assigned yet | Open their employee profile, go to the Employment tab, and add the leave types they should have under Leave Entitlements |
| We couldn't load this employee's leave types just now | Select the employee again |
Requesting for appears only for users with the admin, hr, or manager role — and a manager sees only their own direct reports in the list. Employees filing their own leave never see it, so the form is unchanged for them.
Opening Leave Balances
When an employee joins with leave already accrued elsewhere — a transfer, an acquisition, or a move from another system — record that starting figure as an opening balance so accruals build on the right number instead of from zero.
Opening balances can be set per employee from their profile, or in bulk from the Import Leave Balances page.
From an employee's profile
- Open the employee's profile from Employee Management.
- Find Opening Leave Balances and click Set Opening Balances.
- In the dialog, for each leave type enter:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Leave Type | The leave type the balance applies to |
| Balance (hours) | The starting figure, in hours |
| As At | The date the balance was accurate |
- Click Save. Use Clear to empty a row, or Close to exit without saving.
Set Opening Balances does nothing until the employee record exists — the dialog needs an employee to attach the balance to. Save the profile before setting balances.
In bulk, from Leave Opening Balances
For setting up many employees at once, click Import Leave Balances on the Employee list toolbar to open the Leave Opening Balances page:
- Click Add Row to record a single employee's opening balance by email, leave type, and hours
- Click Download CSV Template to get a file with the required columns (Email, Leave Type, Balance (Hours), As At Date)
- Click Import CSV to upload a completed file — each row is processed independently, so a bad row is reported without blocking the rest of the file
- Use a row's action menu to Edit or Delete an existing opening balance
A few things the import does that are worth knowing before you run a large file:
- Re-uploading is safe. A balance is stored once per employee per leave type, so uploading a corrected file replaces the figure already recorded rather than adding to it. Employees who are not in the file are left alone.
- The Leave Type must match one your company has set up, not just any leave type name. A row naming an unconfigured type is reported with the list of types you can use.
- The employee must already have been invited. A balance cannot be recorded against someone who has never been sent a login, and those rows are reported individually.
- Some problems stop the whole file rather than one row — an empty file, or a company with no leave types configured yet.
Export
Export employee leave requests to external files for reporting, analysis, or record-keeping purposes. This feature allows HR to generate comprehensive leave data that can be used for compliance documentation, payroll processing, or workforce planning.
Calendar
HR can click Calendar to open Leave and company holidays — a combined view of staff leave and company-wide holidays.
- Use the Team or department filter to narrow the calendar to one team, or leave it on All departments
- The calendar shows staff leave that is Approved or Pending; company holidays stay visible for every team regardless of the department filter
- Click Refresh calendar to reload the current view
- On narrow screens, the calendar switches to a day-by-day agenda list
Click Add Holiday to set a holiday, whether a single day or a range of dates.
To remove a holiday, click it on the calendar to reopen the dialog, then click Delete and confirm. A multi-day range is stored as one entry per day, so this removes only the day you opened, not the whole range.
This ensures all employees have visibility into company-wide holidays and non-working days.
Manage Leave Types
HR clicks Manage Leave Types to configure the leave categories available to employees. For each leave type you can set:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Leave Name | The leave category, chosen from the available types (including the built-in RDO (Rostered Day Off) type) |
| Entitlement (Hours/Year) | The maximum hours allowed per year |
| Accrual Frequency | How often leave is accrued - see Leave Accruals |
| Reset Date | When the balance resets each year |
| Paid / Unpaid | Whether the leave type is paid |
| Carry-over | Whether unused leave rolls over, and the maximum hours that can carry over |
Entitlements are set in hours per year, not days, and accept up to 3 decimal places (e.g. 152.5). Employees also see their balances in hours.
Review your leave types periodically to ensure they align with current company policies and local labor regulations. Any changes to leave type configuration will apply going forward and will not retroactively affect already-approved requests.
Leave Accruals
Leave accruals allow HR to define how employee leave balances build up over time rather than being granted as a lump sum at the start of each year.
Configuring Accrual Rules
Within each leave type, Accrual Frequency controls how often leave is earned. Choose one of:
| Frequency | Accruals per year |
|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 |
| Semi-Monthly | 24 |
| Monthly | 12 |
| Quarterly | 4 |
| Yearly | 1 |
The system divides the yearly Entitlement (Hours/Year) by the number of periods to work out how much leave is earned each time.
Reset Date determines when the balance starts again each year — choose Calendar Year or Anniversary Date — and the carry-over setting controls whether unused hours roll into the next period and how many.
Part-time and casual employees
The entitlement on a leave type is the full-time yearly figure. For a part-time employee whose profile uses Set total hours per period, the system converts those contracted hours to a weekly figure and accrues that proportion of a 38-hour full-time week. For example, 19 contracted hours per week accrues half the full-time entitlement; hours above 38 are capped at the full entitlement.
If a part-time employee has no contracted hours set, the leave type's part-time ratio is used instead. Full-time employees receive the full entitlement, and new starters accrue from their hire date rather than from the start of the calendar year.
Accrual from hours worked
To accrue leave from ordinary hours actually worked, go to Employees and select Import Hours Worked.
- The CSV uses Email, Period Start, Period End, and Ordinary Hours, with one row per employee per pay period.
- Employees with hours on file accrue: hours worked this year × the leave type's full-time entitlement ÷ 1,976 (38 hours × 52 weeks), capped at the full entitlement.
- Employees without hours on file continue to accrue by employment type and contracted hours.
- Re-uploading the same period replaces its hours. A period that overlaps a different saved period is rejected.
- The Hours on file tab marks data Out of date when its latest period ended more than 14 days ago. The employee's balance then reflects only the hours imported so far.
Only ordinary hours should be imported; overtime is excluded.
Leave Accruals Report
HR can generate and review a dedicated Leave Accruals Report to track how balances are accumulating across the organization.
The report includes:
- Employee name and department
- Leave type and current accrued balance
- Accrual rate and next accrual date
- Used, pending, and remaining leave days
To export the report, click Export CSV to download the data in CSV format for use in spreadsheets, payroll systems, or compliance audits.
Xero Leave Mapping
This section applies if your organization uses the Xero integration. For full Xero setup instructions, see the Xero Integration page.
When Xero is connected, the Leave Mapping Tab allows HR to link ShiftCareHR leave types to their corresponding Xero leave categories. This ensures that leave balances and requests sync correctly between both systems.
To map leave types:
- Navigate to the Xero Integration settings and select the Leave Mapping tab
- For each ShiftCareHR leave type, select the matching Xero leave category from the dropdown
- Save the mapping to activate the sync
Once mapped, approved leave requests in ShiftCareHR will automatically reflect in Xero for payroll processing, and accrual balances will stay in sync across both platforms.