How do I manage holiday allowance for employees who work different shift lengths?
The amount deducted from an employee’s allowance is calculated using their work schedule and the Standard day length that applies to the booked day.
This allows TimeOff.Management to handle employees working 8-hour days, 12-hour shifts, compressed hours, part-time schedules and other non-standard working patterns.
TimeOff.Management can display leave as Days, Hours, or Days and Hours. This display setting is separate from the employee’s work schedule.
The examples below assume that the selected leave type is configured to deduct from allowance and that the booked date is a normal scheduled working day rather than a public holiday or non-working day.
What is Standard day length?
Standard day length tells TimeOff.Management how many hours represent one full day for the employee.
For example, if an employee works a 12-hour shift and the Standard day length for that day is also 12 hours:
12 hours ÷ 12-hour Standard day = 1 day
A full 12-hour shift therefore uses 1 day of allowance.
If the same 12-hour working day has a Standard day length of 8 hours:
12 hours ÷ 8-hour Standard day = 1.5 days
The same absence would use 1.5 days of allowance.
How does TimeOff calculate leave when allowance is shown in days?
For a scheduled working day, the basic principle is:
Leave hours ÷ applicable Standard day length = allowance used in days
For example:
- Scheduled working day: 10 hours
- Standard day length: 8 hours
If the employee books the full working day:
10 ÷ 8 = 1.25 days
TimeOff.Management deducts 1.25 days from the employee’s allowance.
Can Standard day length be different on different days?
Yes.
A schedule can use the same Standard day length throughout, or you can customise the day length for individual days.
For example:
| Day | Scheduled hours | Standard day length | Allowance used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8 hours | 8 hours | 1 day |
| Tuesday | 4 hours | 8 hours | 0.5 day |
| Wednesday | 8 hours | 8 hours | 1 day |
| Thursday | 10 hours | 8 hours | 1.25 days |
| Friday | 5 hours | 5 hours | 1 day |
Friday is important in this example.
Although the employee works only 5 hours, the Standard day length for Friday is also 5 hours. TimeOff.Management therefore treats those 5 hours as one full working day, not as part of an 8-hour day.
The other examples in this article assume the same Standard day length applies throughout the schedule unless stated otherwise.
How does holiday allowance work for 12-hour shifts?
The deduction depends on how your organisation defines a full day for that employee.
12-hour shift with a 12-hour Standard day
If the employee works 12 hours and the Standard day length is 12 hours:
12 ÷ 12 = 1 day
A full shift uses 1 day of allowance.
12-hour shift with an 8-hour Standard day
If the employee works 12 hours but the Standard day length is 8 hours:
12 ÷ 8 = 1.5 days
A full shift uses 1.5 days of allowance.
This lets you configure leave calculations around the way holiday entitlement is defined for different employees and working patterns.
Make sure the employee’s work schedule is correct
The employee’s Work Schedule should reflect the days and hours they are expected to work.
The schedule tells TimeOff.Management:
- which days are working days;
- how many hours the employee works on each day;
- the Standard day length;
- whether a different Standard day length applies to an individual day.
Keeping the schedule accurate is particularly important for employees who work:
- different shift lengths;
- part-time hours;
- compressed working weeks;
- shorter days on particular weekdays;
- non-standard working patterns.
What about employees working rotating shifts?
A normal Work Schedule is best when the employee follows the same weekly pattern.
For employees whose working pattern changes in a repeating cycle — for example four days on, four days off — use a Rota instead.
A rota tells TimeOff.Management which days and hours the employee is scheduled to work throughout the repeating pattern, so leave can be calculated against the correct working day.
Learn how to set up employee rotas
What happens on public holidays or non-working days?
TimeOff.Management takes the employee’s working pattern and applicable public holidays into account when calculating leave.
Days on which the employee is not scheduled to work are not normally counted as used leave. Public holidays are also taken into account so that a leave request spanning them does not incorrectly use additional allowance.
For this reason, if a leave deduction looks unexpected, check the employee’s schedule or rota, Standard day length and applicable public holidays first.