When setting up a part-time employee, there are several key areas that should be configured properly to ensure correct working time and absence management.
Part-time work can be organized in different ways. For example, an employee may work:
4 hours per day, 5 days a week
6 hours per day, 5 days a week
8 hours per day, 4 days a week
4 hours per day, 4 days a week
Because of this, it is important to configure both the employee’s work schedule and the absence rules according to their weekly working pattern used in the company.
1. Create work schedule for part-time employee
The first step is to define an appropriate work schedule for part-time employees.
In Configuration → Work schedule, you can create and assign a schedule that reflects the employee’s actual working pattern. For example, you can configure a schedule with:
4 working hours per day, or
4 working days per week, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
A properly configured work schedule is essential, as it affects both attendance and absence calculations.
2. Decide on the absence calculation model (days vs hours)
Before configuring absence types, it’s important to understand which approach your company follows.
Day-based approach (based on working days)
In this model:
the number of vacation days depends on how many days per week an employee works, not on the number of hours per day
for example:
full-time employee working 5 days per week, 8 hours per day → 26 days
part-time employee working 5 days per week, 4 hours per day → also 26 days
employee working 4 days per week → the entitlement may depend on the company policy and local rules, because in this case the number of working days is different
In this model, a “day off” represents the employee’s actual working day.
Hour-based / FTE-based approach
In this model:
the number of vacation days or hours is proportional to the employee’s FTE / working time
for example:
full-time employee → 26 days / 208 hours
part-time employee working 80% → proportionally less
employee working 4 days per week may also receive a prorated entitlement, depending on how the company defines part-time rules
3. Use absence types configured in hours (if needed)
For part-time employees, it is often recommended to configure absence types in hours.
If absence is configured in days:
1 day off requested by a full-time employee will be treated the same as 1 day off for a part-time employee
this may lead to incorrect calculations if working hours differ
To avoid this:
create a separate absence type configured in hours
restrict it to part-time employees or specific contract types
This allows employees to request the exact number of hours corresponding to their working day.
This is especially useful for employees who work:
fewer hours per day, or
fewer days per week, such as 4 working days
4. Set the correct accrual values
The best practice is to manage different working patterns using contract types.
For example:
Full-time employee
Part-time employee (e.g. 80%)
Part-time employee – 4 working days
Part-time employee – 5 shorter working days
Then:
create dedicated accrual rules for each group
assign the rules to the appropriate contract types
restrict absence types where needed
This ensures that each group of employees receives the correct number of leave days or hours based on their working pattern.
⚠️ Important: Calamari does not automatically adjust the accrual limit based on an employee’s FTE, working hours, or assigned work schedule.
If a part-time employee is entitled to proportionally less leave, you need to enter the correct entitlement directly in the accrual rule.
For example, if a full-time employee receives 200 hours of annual leave per year:
Full-time employee → 200 hours per year
80% part-time employee → 160 hours per year
For the 80% part-time employee, enter 160 hours in the accrual rule. Do not enter 200 hours expecting Calamari to reduce it automatically based on their FTE.
How proration works
In Calamari, proration refers to adjusting entitlement based on the employee’s hire or termination date. It does not refer to reducing entitlement based on employee's full-time equivalent, or working hours.
It can adjust the employee’s entitlement when they are entitled to leave for only part of the accrual period, for example because they:
join the company during the year
leave the company before the end of the year
It does not reduce the annual entitlement simply because the employee works part-time.
For example, if an 80% part-time employee should receive 160 hours per year, enter 160 hours as the annual accrual value. If the employee joins or leaves during the accrual period, this amount can then be prorated according to the hire or termination date settings in the accrual rule.
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