Viewing and Managing Leave Requests

Learn how to view, filter, and manage leave requests in the Shifts platform using the intuitive tabbed interface to track pending, upcoming, past, and denied time off.

Overview

The Shifts platform provides a comprehensive system for viewing and managing leave requests through an organized tabbed interface. This article explains how to access and use these views effectively to monitor your own leave requests as an employee or manage team leave as a supervisor.

Accessing Leave Request Views

1. Log in to your Shifts account
2. Navigate to the Leave & Time Off section in the sidebar menu
3. Select My Requests to view your personal leave requests
4. If you have management permissions, you can also select Team Requests to view requests from your team members

Understanding the Leave Request Interface

The leave request interface is organized into four main tabs to help you efficiently manage different types of requests:

• Pending: Displays all leave requests that are awaiting approval
• Upcoming: Shows approved leave requests scheduled for future dates
• Past: Contains a history of leave requests that have already occurred
• Denied: Lists leave requests that were not approved

Each tab provides a consistent view with the following information:

• Leave type (vacation, sick leave, personal day, etc.)
• Start and end dates
• Duration (full days or half days)
• Status (pending, approved, denied)
• Actions you can take (view details, cancel, etc.)

Filtering and Sorting Leave Requests

To find specific leave requests more easily:

1. Use the Status dropdown to filter by request status (pending, approved, denied)
2. Select a Date Range to narrow down your view (current month, next month, custom range)
3. For managers, use the Employee filter to view requests from specific team members
4. Click on column headers to sort the list by different criteria (date, status, etc.)

Managing Your Leave Requests

As an employee, you can perform several actions from the leave request view:

1. View Details: Click on any request to see its complete information
2. Cancel Request: For pending or upcoming approved requests, use the Cancel button
3. Create New Request: Click the “New Request” button to submit a new leave request
4. Check Balances: View your remaining leave balances for different leave types

Managing Team Leave Requests (Managers Only)

If you have management permissions, you can:

1. Approve Requests: Review and approve pending leave requests from your team
2. Deny Requests: Reject requests that cannot be accommodated, providing a reason
3. View Team Calendar: See an overview of when team members will be absent
4. Check Conflicts: The system will highlight any scheduling conflicts with existing shifts
5. Export Data: Generate reports of leave usage for your team

Best Practices

For optimal leave management:

1. Regularly review pending requests to ensure timely approval/denial
2. Check for scheduling conflicts before approving leave requests
3. Review team availability when planning schedules to account for approved leave
4. Encourage employees to submit leave requests well in advance when possible
5. Use the leave balances view to monitor remaining time off for planning purposes

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Cannot see a request: Verify you’re looking in the correct tab (Pending, Upcoming, Past, or Denied)
• Request appears locked: Requests that have already started cannot be modified
• Conflicts with shifts: The system will warn about conflicts with scheduled shifts - these must be resolved separately

Related Resources

• Leave Balances
• Requesting Time Off
• Leave Types

This article should be updated when:

1. The leave request interface changes
2. New filtering or sorting options are added
3. Additional leave management features are implemented
4. A dedicated calendar visualization for leave is added in the future