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Time Off Module: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Time Off Module: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

In this article, you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about managing absences in Calamari. You will learn how to solve common issues, configure settings, and understand the rules for accruals and the visibility of leave requests.

Malgorzata Kirylowicz avatar
Written by Malgorzata Kirylowicz
Updated this week

1. Why is my absence type not showing on the list?

✅ If you are an employee:

Contact your manager or the person responsible for managing your organization's Calamari account.

⚙️ If you are an administrator:

Check the following settings: Employee Profile (Configuration → People)

Ensure that the employee’s profile includes the key fields:

  • Contract type

  • Gender

  • Hire date

Absence Type Assignment

Verify that the employee is assigned to the correct policy:

  • Configuration → Absence Types → Select the type → "Accrual" tab → "Restricted to" → Change:

⚠️ Important!

Accrual rules can be assigned based on:

  • Specific employees

  • Contract type

  • Team

  • Gender

For the absence type to be visible, these details must be correctly filled in the employee’s profile.

🔍 Need help? Contact us, and we’ll be happy to assist you! 😊

2. Why didn’t my unused leave from last year carry over?

✅ If you are an employee:

Contact your manager or the person responsible for managing your organization’s Calamari account.

⚙️ If you are a manager:

Check the carryover settings:

  • Configuration → Absence Types → "Carryover" tab

⚠️ Important! Enabling/updating of carry-over settings will affect historical data within up and running absence type (the accrual history will be updated).

Option 'Carry over to next year' in the absence type configuration in Calamari, highlighted with an arrow.

🔍 Need help? Contact us, and we’ll be happy to assist you! 😊

3. Why can’t an employee see a colleague’s leave request in the Calamari calendar?

If an employee cannot see leave requests in the Calamari calendar, check the following settings:

🛠️ Access Restrictions (Configuration → Absence Types)

  1. Select the leave type that is not visible.

  2. Go to the "Fields & Visibility" tab.

  3. Check who has access to view the request.

Fields & Visibility' tab settings in the absence type configuration – allowing customization of available fields and their visibility for users.

🛠️ Permissions Panel (Configuration → Permissions)

Go to: Configuration → Permissions
In the Permissions tab, you can define access levels for leave request information. Depending on the settings, an employee can either view requests from all employees in the organization or only those from members of their team:

Option 'Employees can see leave requests on the calendar: from their teams' in the 'Permissions' tab – allows viewing absences only for team members.

🔍 Need help? Contact us, and we’ll be happy to assist you! 😊

4. What to do if an employee’s leave is accrued twice?

If you notice incorrect or duplicate leave accruals, follow these steps:

1. 🕵️ Check the accrual history

  • Configuration → Employees → Select the employee → "Entitlement changes" tab

  • If you see a duplicate accrual with the status "Accrued", proceed to the next step.

    Employee accrual history view in the 'Configuration' tab – available after enabling the 'Limit changes' option.

2. ⚙️ Verify accrual rules

  • Configuration → Absence Types → Select the appropriate type → "Accruals" tab

  • Check if the assigned accrual rules are correct and not duplicated.

    Selection field for employees, teams, contract types, and gender for the leave accrual rule.

    Selection field for employees, teams, contract types, and gender for the leave accrual rule.

    If you have any questions, feel free to contact us—we'll be happy to help resolve the issue! 😊

5. What should I do if I don't see my accruals in the "Entitlement" tab, and my leave year is based on my employment anniversary?

If you don't see your accruals and your leave year is based on your employment anniversary, follow these steps:

🔍 Check the year filter

  • Ensure that the correct year is selected in the upper left corner of the screen.

  • For a leave year based on your employment anniversary, the year may differ from the calendar year.

    Option to select the leave year in the 'Availability' tab – allows viewing available leave days for the chosen year.

6. Why doesn't the employee have a leave balance for this year/month?

If the employee has not received the expected leave accrual, check the following:

1. 🛠️ Verify the employee's profile details

  • Go to: Configuration → Employees → Select the employee

  • Ensure that the following fields are filled in:
    ​Hire date
    ​Termination date (if applicable)
    ​Prior work experience (if applicable, e.g., for additional leave entitlement)

Employment date,' 'Termination date,' and 'Work experience before employment' fields in the 'Basic' tab of the employee profile – affect leave accrual rules

2. ⚙️ Check accrual rules

  • Go to: Configuration → Leave types → Select the relevant type → "Accruals" tab

  • Verify that the accrual rule is active and has not been deactivated.

  • Ensure the rule is correctly assigned – select "Restricted to" → Change and make the necessary adjustments.

Accrual' tab in the absence type configuration – 'Rules defining leave entitlement' field with the 'Restricted to..' option.

Still no leave balance? Contact us – we're happy to help! 😊

7. Why can't I submit a leave request for a past date?

👤 If you are an employee:

Contact your manager or the person managing your Calamari account. Check if there are any restrictions on submitting leave requests retroactively.

👨‍💼 If you are a manager and cannot approve a historical leave request from your team member:

Contact the person responsible for managing your Calamari account.

⚙️ If you are an administrator:

  1. Check the restrictions of the absence type:
    ​Go to: Configuration → Restrictions

  2. Ensure there is no active restriction blocking past leave requests.

    Option 'Block historical data updating' in the 'Restrictions' field – prevents editing past records.

3. Also, verify the leave type settings:

  • Go to: Configuration → Leave types → Select the relevant type → "Restrictions" tab

  • Check if restrictions preventing leave requests for past dates are enabled.

Restriction in absence type settings – option to block requests when an absence is reported X days retroactively.

🔍 Need help?

Contact us – we're happy to assist! 😊

8. The leave approver is on vacation. Why can't I approve the request as an administrator?


If the person responsible for approving leave requests is on vacation and you, as an administrator, have the rights to approve requests, follow this step:

🛠️ Add yourself as an approver (if company policy allows it)

You can temporarily add yourself or another authorized person to the list of approvers to avoid blocking the process:

Go to: Configuration → Leave types → Select the relevant type → "Approval process" tab

📖 Need step-by-step instructions? Click here to view the detailed guide.

🔍 Still have questions?

Contact us – we're happy to help! 😊

9. Why is a public holiday (bank holiday, national holiday) included in the leave request duration?

If public holidays are not correctly considered in the leave request duration, follow these steps:

🎯 Check the holiday list
Go to: Configuration → Public Holidays
Ensure the holiday list has been added to Calamari.

🔍 Verify the specific holiday
Check if the holiday appears on the list.

⚙️ Review leave type settings
​Go to: Configuration → Leave types → Select the relevant type → "Requesting" tab
Make sure the option "Include public holidays in leave request lenght" is enabled.

Option 'Include public holidays in request duration' in the 'Requesting' tab – determines whether public holidays are counted in the length of the reported absence.

🔍 Still not quite right? Contact us – we're happy to help! 😊

10. Why is the leave request duration 0 days?

If a leave request has not been calculated correctly, follow these steps:

👤 If you are an employee:
Contact your manager or the person managing the Calamari account in your organization.

⚙️ If you are an administrator:

  1. 📅 Verify the employee's work schedule
    Ensure that the leave request is submitted for a day defined as a working day in the employee’s schedule.

  2. ⚙️ Check the absence type configuration

    • Go to: Configuration → Absence types → Select the relevant type → "Requesting" tab

    • Verify how the leave request duration is calculated:

      • Working days

      • Calendar days

Requesting' tab in the absence type configuration – list of options for selecting the method of calculating request duration (working days or calendar days).

⚠️ Remember that changing the work schedule affects historical accruals. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.

🔍 Need help? Contact us – we're happy to assist! 😊

11. Can I request leave in hours?

✅ Yes, it is possible, but it depends on the leave type configuration.

If you want to request leave in hours but the option is not available, it may be due to system settings.

🔍 Have questions? Contact us – we're happy to help! 😊

12. Why can't I submit a leave request?

If you can't submit a leave request, check the following:

  1. 🗓️ Do you already have another request for the selected day?
    The system does not allow multiple leave requests for the same day.
    ​

  2. 📊 Do you have enough available leave balance?
    Check if you have enough days or hours available for the selected leave type.

  3. 🔑 Do you have permission for this leave type?
    Make sure you are eligible to submit a request for this type of leave.

  4. ⚠️ What is the exact error message?
    The message may indicate the specific reason for the issue.

  5. ⏳ Are you trying to request leave for a past date?
    Verify if company policy allows submitting leave requests for past dates.

🔍 Still can't submit your request? Contact us – we're happy to help! 😊

13. Why can't I submit a leave request for the next year?

If you can't submit a leave request for the next year, check the following:

🛠️ Does your organization's policy allow leave requests for the next year?
The ability to request leave for the upcoming year depends on your company's internal policies.

🔍 Still need help? Contact us – we're happy to assist! 😊

14. Why can't the leave approver approve the request?

If the leave approver cannot approve the request, check the following settings:

  1. ⚙️ Approval Process Configuration

    • Go to: Configuration → "Approval Flow" tab → Choose the approval flow

    • Verify that the approver is correctly assigned

    2. 👁️ Request Visibility

    • Check the visibility settings for the specific leave type:

      Go to: Configuration → Leave types → "Fields & Visibility" tab

    • Ensure that the approver has access to view and manage leave requests.

15. How to disable visibility at the team level?

If employees should only see absence information for their team members (and not the entire company), adjust the permissions as follows:

  1. ⚙️ Adjust permissions
    Go to: Configuration → Permissions
    Ensure that visibility is restricted to team members rather than the entire organization.

Option 'Employees can see leave requests on the calendar: from their teams' in the 'Permissions' tab – allows only team members to view absences.

🔍 Have questions? Contact us – we're happy to help! 😊


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Related Articles
Calamari features
Tutorial - How to use the Time Off module?
What kinds of reports are available in Calamari Time Off?
Initial setup and organization onboarding
Users' roles in Calamari Time Off
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