Workday Absence Management Setup Guide for HR Teams

You’ve been tasked with setting up Absence Management in Workday. Your company needs to track vacation, sick leave, and personal time off. Employees need to see accurate balances. Managers need to approve requests. Payroll needs to process time off correctly.

Where do you start?

This guide walks you through the entire Absence Management setup process from blank tenant to fully functional time off tracking. We’ll cover policy decisions, configuration steps, testing procedures, and common pitfalls to avoid.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a working Absence Management system that employees trust and HR can maintain.

Part 1: Before You Touch Workday

Gather Your Requirements

Don’t start configuring until you’ve answered these questions. Schedule a requirements gathering meeting with stakeholders from HR, Finance, Legal, and Payroll.

Policy Questions to Answer:

1. What types of time off do you offer?

• Vacation (Paid Time Off)
• Sick Leave
• Personal Days
• Bereavement Leave
• Parental Leave (Maternity/Paternity)
• Jury Duty
• Military Leave
• Sabbatical
• Unpaid Leave

Document each type and whether it’s paid or unpaid.

2. How much time off do employees get?

• Does everyone get the same amount, or does it vary?
• By tenure? (e.g., 15 days for 0-2 years, 20 days for 3-5 years)
• By job level? (e.g., executives get more)
• By location? (e.g., US vs. UK vs. India)
• By employment type? (e.g., full-time vs. part-time)

Create a matrix showing accrual amounts for each employee group.

3. How do employees earn time off?

• Monthly accruals? (e.g., 1.25 days per month)
• Per pay period? (e.g., 0.577 days every paycheck)
• Annual grant? (e.g., 15 days on January 1st)
• Continuous accrual? (e.g., 0.0385 days per hour worked)

4. When can new hires start using time off?

• Immediately?
• After 90 days?
• After 6 months?
• Do they accrue during the waiting period, or does accrual also wait?

5. What happens to unused time at year-end?

• Unlimited carryover?
• Capped carryover? (e.g., maximum 5 days)
• Use-it-or-lose-it?
• Cash-out option?
• Grace period to use prior year balance?

6. Are there balance caps?

• Can employees accrue indefinitely?
• Is there a maximum balance? (e.g., 30 days)
• What happens when they hit the cap? (stop accruing until they use time)

7. Can employees go negative?

• Can they borrow against future accruals?
• How much can they borrow? (e.g., maximum -5 days)
• How is the negative balance recovered?

Create Your Policy Document

Based on the answers above, document your policies clearly. Here’s a template:

US Vacation Plan Policy

Eligibility: All US-based regular full-time employees

Accrual Rates:

• Years 0-2: 15 days per year (1.25 days per month)
• Years 3-5: 20 days per year (1.67 days per month)
• Years 6+: 25 days per year (2.08 days per month)

Accrual Method: Monthly on the first day of each month

New Hire Rules:

• Accruals begin on hire date
• First month accrual is prorated based on days worked
• Employees can use time off after completing 90 days of employment

Year-End Rules:

• Employees can carry over up to 5 days to the next year
• Balances exceeding 5 days are forfeited on December 31st
• No cash-out option

Balance Cap: 30 days maximum accrual

Negative Balance: Not allowed

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Part 2: Configure Your First Time Off Plan

Let’s configure a complete Vacation plan using the policy above.

Step 1: Access the Create Time Off Plan Task

1. Log into Workday
2. In the search bar, type: Create Time Off Plan
3. Click the task to open it

Step 2: Name Your Plan

Time Off Plan Name: US Vacation Plan

Use clear, descriptive names that include:

• Location (US, UK, India)
• Type (Vacation, Sick, Personal)
• Any distinguishing features (if you have multiple vacation plans)

Plan ID (Reference ID): PLAN-US-VAC

This is your external code for integrations and EIB loads. Use consistent naming conventions:

• PLAN-[COUNTRY]-[TYPE]
• Example: PLAN-US-VAC, PLAN-UK-SICK, PLAN-IN-PTO

Time Off Type: Vacation

Select from the dropdown. Workday provides standard types. You can create custom types if needed.

Effective Date: January 1, 2025

When does this plan become active? Usually your go-live date or start of fiscal year.

Click OK to create the plan shell.

Step 2.5: Assign Period Schedule (Mandatory)

Every Time Off Plan requires a Period Schedule to define accrual calculation periods.

What is a Period Schedule?
A Period Schedule defines the time boundaries for accrual calculations (monthly, quarterly, annually). It determines when accrual periods start and end, which drives when balances update.

Configuration:

1. From the Edit Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Calculations tab
2. Locate Period Schedule field
3. Select an existing schedule from the dropdown:
   • Calendar Monthly Period Schedule (most common for monthly accruals)
   • Fiscal Monthly Period Schedule (if your accruals align with fiscal calendar)
   • Pay Period Schedule (for per-pay-period accruals)

For this example: Select Calendar Monthly Period Schedule

This schedule defines January 1-31, February 1-28/29, etc. as accrual periods. Accruals will process on the first day of each calendar month.

Creating a Custom Period Schedule (Advanced):

If Workday’s delivered schedules don’t match your needs, you can create custom schedules:

1. Navigate to Create Period Schedule
2. Define period start and end dates
3. Assign to your Time Off Plan

Most implementations use Workday’s delivered Calendar Monthly Period Schedule.

Click OK to save.

Step 3: Configure Accrual Rules

Now you’ll define how employees earn time off. We need three accrual rules (one for each tenure tier).

From the Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Accruals tab and click Add Accrual Rule.

Accrual Rule 1: First Tier (0-2 Years)

Rule Name: 0-2 Years Tenure

Use descriptive names that explain what the rule does.

Accrual Amount: 1.25

Unit of Time: Days

This means employees earn 1.25 days per accrual period.

Accrual Period: Monthly

Accrual Period Timing: Beginning of Period

Employees accrue on the 1st of each month. Other options include:

• End of Period (accrues on last day of month)
• Based on Period Schedule Start Date

Tenure Requirement Configuration:

Minimum Tenure: 0 years
Maximum Tenure: 2 years

This rule applies to employees from hire date through their second anniversary.

Proration Rules:

Prorate First Period: Yes (checkbox enabled)

If an employee is hired mid-month, prorate their first accrual.

Proration Method: Calendar Days in Period

If Sarah is hired on March 15th:

• March has 31 days
• Sarah worked 17 days (March 15-31)
• First accrual: 1.25 days × (17 ÷ 31) = 0.68 days

Accrual Start Date Calculation Rule: Hire Date

Employees begin accruing on their first day of work. Other options include:

• First Day of Month Following Hire
• First Day of Pay Period Following Hire

Accrual Cutoff Rule (Advanced):
Defines when accruals stop if employment ends mid-period. Common options:

• Termination Date (accrue through last day worked)
• End of Period (accrue through end of month even if termed mid-month)

For this example, select Termination Date.

Click OK to save the rule.

Accrual Rule 2: Second Tier (3-5 Years)

Click Add Accrual Rule again.

Rule Name: 3-5 Years Tenure

Accrual Amount: 1.67 days

Unit of Time: Days

Accrual Period: Monthly

Accrual Period Timing: Beginning of Period

Minimum Tenure: 3 years
Maximum Tenure: 5 years

This rule activates automatically on the employee’s third anniversary.

Proration: Not applicable for tenure tier transitions (no proration needed when transitioning between tiers)

Accrual Start Date Calculation Rule: Tenure Milestone Date (3-year anniversary)

Click OK.

Accrual Rule 3: Third Tier (6+ Years)

Click Add Accrual Rule again.

Rule Name: 6+ Years Tenure

Accrual Amount: 2.08 days

Unit of Time: Days

Accrual Period: Monthly

Accrual Period Timing: Beginning of Period

Minimum Tenure: 6 years
Maximum Tenure: Leave blank (applies indefinitely)

Click OK.

You now have three accrual rules configured:

Rule	Tenure	Monthly Accrual	Annual Total
0-2 Years	0-2 years	1.25 days	15 days
3-5 Years	3-5 years	1.67 days	20 days
6+ Years	6+ years	2.08 days	25 days

Step 4: Configure the Waiting Period

Employees accrue from Day 1 but can’t use time off until Day 91. We’ll configure a Usage Waiting Period.

From the Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Waiting Periods tab and click Add.

Waiting Period Type: Usage Waiting Period

This means employees can see their balance growing but can’t request time off yet.

Alternative option: Accrual Waiting Period (blocks accrual entirely until waiting period ends)

Waiting Period Duration: 90 days

Waiting Period Start Date: Hire Date

Other options include:

• First Day of Month Following Hire
• First Day of Pay Period Following Hire
• Date of Eligibility Event (for benefit-driven waiting periods)

Allow Accrual During Waiting Period: Yes (checkbox enabled)

Employees build their balance during the 90 days.

Example:
John hired on January 15th:

• February 1: Accrues 0.68 days (prorated January)
• March 1: Accrues 1.25 days (balance = 1.93 days)
• April 1: Accrues 1.25 days (balance = 3.18 days)
• April 15 (Day 91): Waiting period ends, John can now request time off

Click OK to save.

Step 5: Configure Carryover Rules

Employees can carry over up to 5 days. Excess is forfeited.

From the Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Carryover tab and click Add Carryover Rule.

Carryover Type: Capped

Maximum Carryover Amount: 5 days

Carryover Calculation Date: Based on Balance Period End Date

The Balance Period End Date is defined in your Period Schedule (typically December 31 for calendar year plans).

What Happens to Excess: Forfeit

Balances above 5 days are lost.

Carryover Transfer Method: Automatic

Workday automatically processes carryover on the Balance Period End Date.

Example:
Sarah’s balance on December 31, 2024:

• Total balance: 18 days

On January 1, 2025:

• Carried over: 5 days
• Forfeited: 13 days
• New starting balance: 5 days (will accrue normally throughout 2025)

Optional: Carryover Expiration (Grace Period)

Enable Carryover Expiration: Yes (checkbox)

Carryover Expiration Date: March 31 of following year

If enabled, employees must use carried-over days by March 31st or they forfeit.

For this example, leave unchecked (no expiration on carried-over days).

Click OK to save.

Step 6: Configure Balance Upper Limit

Stop accruals when employees reach 30 days to prevent excessive hoarding.

From the Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Calculations tab.

Configure Time Off Plan Balance Upper Limit:

Scroll to Balance Upper Limit section.

Enable Balance Upper Limit: Yes (checkbox enabled)

Maximum Balance (Upper Limit): 30 days

Unit: Days (or Hours if you track time off in hours)

Accrual Behavior When Limit Reached: Stop accruals until balance drops below limit

Alternative option: Continue accruing but cap balance at limit (excess accruals are forfeited)

Resume Accruals When Balance Falls Below: 30 days

Example:
Mike has 30 days of vacation (at the cap). On June 1st, he doesn’t accrue his normal 1.25 days because he’s at the cap. In August, he takes a 10-day vacation. His balance drops to 20 days (below the cap). On September 1st, he resumes accruing 1.25 days per month.

Click OK to save.

Step 7: Configure Eligibility Rules

Define who gets assigned to this plan.

From the Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Eligibility tab and click Add Eligibility Rule.

Eligibility Rule Name: US Full-Time Employees

Eligibility Criteria:

Use the condition builder to define who qualifies:

Condition 1: Location = United States (any US location)
AND
Condition 2: Worker Type = Employee (exclude contractors)
AND
Condition 3: Time Type = Full-Time (exclude part-time)

Assignment Method: Automatic

Workday automatically assigns workers who meet the criteria.

Assignment Effective Date: Hire Date

The plan assigns to new hires on their first day.

Assignment Event: Hire (trigger assignment on hire event)

What about workers hired before the plan effective date?

If you’re implementing Workday mid-year with existing employees, you’ll need to load opening balances separately (covered in Part 4).

Click OK to save.

Step 8: Enable Team Absence Calendar Visibility (Optional)

Allow approved time off to appear on team calendars for coverage planning.

From the Time Off Plan screen, navigate to the Display tab.

Visible for Team Absence: Yes (checkbox enabled)

This makes approved time off visible on:

• Manager’s team calendar
• Department absence calendar (if configured)
• Organization absence calendar

Time Off Display Color: Select a color (e.g., blue for vacation, green for sick leave)

This helps differentiate time off types on visual calendars.

Click OK.

Step 9: Review and Activate

Your US Vacation Plan is now fully configured. Review the summary screen:

✅ Period Schedule: Calendar Monthly assigned
✅ Accrual Rules: 3 tenure tiers configured
✅ Waiting Period: 90-day usage wait
✅ Carryover: 5 days max
✅ Balance Upper Limit: 30 days
✅ Eligibility: US Full-Time Employees
✅ Team Absence Visibility: Enabled

Click Submit to save the Time Off Plan.

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Part 3: Test Before You Deploy

Never roll out a Time Off Plan without testing. Create test employees and validate calculations.

Test Scenario 1: New Hire on First of Month

Test Case: Employee hired January 1, 2025

Expected Results:

• February 1: Balance = 1.25 days
• March 1: Balance = 2.50 days
• April 1: Balance = 3.75 days
• April 2: Can request time off (90-day wait over)

How to Test:

1. Create a test employee with hire date January 1, 2025
2. Assign to US Vacation Plan
3. Navigate to View Time Off for the employee
4. Check Accrual History tab
5. Validate balance on February 1 matches expected (1.25 days)
6. Try to submit Request Time Off on January 15 (should be blocked by waiting period)
7. Try to submit Request Time Off on April 2 (should be allowed)

Test Scenario 2: Mid-Month Hire (Proration)

Test Case: Employee hired March 15, 2025

Expected Results:

• April 1: Balance = 0.68 days (prorated: 1.25 × 17/31)
• May 1: Balance = 1.93 days (0.68 + 1.25)
• June 1: Balance = 3.18 days (1.93 + 1.25)
• June 14: Can request time off (90 days after March 15)

How to Test:

1. Create test employee hired March 15, 2025
2. Navigate to View Time Off
3. Check Accrual History on April 1
4. Validate proration calculation: 1.25 × (17 days worked ÷ 31 days in March) = 0.68 days
5. Confirm waiting period calculation (90 days from March 15 = June 13)

Test Scenario 3: Tenure Tier Transition

Test Case: Employee hired January 1, 2022 (approaching 3-year anniversary)

Expected Results:

• December 2024: Accruing 1.25 days/month (Tier 1: 0-2 years)
• January 1, 2025: Transitions to Tier 2 (3 years tenure)
• February 2025: Accrues 1.67 days/month (Tier 2: 3-5 years)

How to Test:

1. Create test employee with backdated hire date January 1, 2022
2. Navigate to View Time Off
3. Check Accrual History for December 2024 (should show 1.25 days)
4. Check January 2025 accrual (should NOT show accrual on January 1 because that’s the exact transition date)
5. Check February 1, 2025 (should show 1.67 days accrued at new Tier 2 rate)

Important: Workday transitions to the new tier on the anniversary date, but the first accrual at the new rate occurs on the next scheduled accrual date (February 1 in this case).

Test Scenario 4: Balance Upper Limit

Test Case: Employee with 28 days accrued takes no vacation

Expected Results:

• June 1: Balance = 28 days, accrues 1.25 → balance = 29.25 days
• July 1: Balance = 29.25 days, accrues 1.25 → balance = 30 days (at cap)
• August 1: Balance = 30 days, no accrual (capped)
• Employee takes 5 days off → balance = 25 days
• September 1: Accrues 1.25 days → balance = 26.25 days (cap no longer blocking)

How to Test:

1. Create test employee
2. Navigate to Enter Time Off Event
3. Manually add balance to 28 days using Balance Adjustment
4. Run accrual calculation (or wait for scheduled accrual processing)
5. Verify cap behavior in View Time Off > Accrual History

Test Scenario 5: Year-End Carryover

Test Case: Employee with 18 days balance on December 31

Expected Results:

• January 1: Balance = 5 days (carried over)
• Forfeited: 13 days

How to Test:

1. Create test employee with 18 days balance (use Enter Time Off Event to set balance)
2. Run Process Time Off Carryover task for year-end
3. Check balance on January 1
4. Navigate to View Time Off > Balance History
5. Verify:
   • Carryover event showing +5 days
   • Forfeiture event showing -13 days
   • New starting balance = 5 days

Record Your Test Results:

Test Scenario	Expected	Actual	Pass/Fail	Notes
New hire Feb 1 accrual	1.25 days	1.25 days	✅ Pass
Mid-month hire proration	0.68 days	0.68 days	✅ Pass
Tenure tier transition	1.67 days	1.67 days	✅ Pass	Transitions Feb 1, not Jan 1
Balance cap at 30 days	Stop accruing	Stopped	✅ Pass
Carryover 18 → 5 days	5 days	5 days	✅ Pass

All tests pass? You’re ready to deploy.

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Part 4: Build Additional Time Off Plans

Once your Vacation plan works perfectly, replicate the pattern for other time off types.

Sick Leave Plan

Key Differences from Vacation:

No Waiting Period: Employees can use sick leave immediately

Unlimited Carryover: Most sick leave plans allow unlimited carryover

Higher Balance Upper Limit: 60-90 days typical

Configuration Steps:

1. Navigate to Create Time Off Plan
2. Name: US Sick Leave Plan
3. Time Off Type: Sick
4. Period Schedule: Calendar Monthly Period Schedule
5. Accrual Rule:
   • Accrual Amount: 1 day
   • Accrual Period: Monthly
   • Accrual Period Timing: Beginning of Period
   • No tenure tiers (everyone accrues 12 days annually)
6. Waiting Period: None (delete or don’t configure)
7. Carryover:
   • Carryover Type: Unlimited (or very high cap like 999 days)
   • No forfeiture
8. Balance Upper Limit: 60 days
9. Eligibility: Same as vacation (US Full-Time Employees)
10. Team Absence Visibility: Typically disabled for sick leave (privacy)

Personal Days Plan

Typical Configuration:

Annual Grant: 3-5 days per year (granted on January 1st, not monthly accrual)

Configuration:

1. Name: US Personal Days Plan
2. Time Off Type: Personal
3. Period Schedule: Calendar Yearly Period Schedule (not monthly)
4. Accrual Rule:
   • Accrual Method: Annual Grant
   • Accrual Amount: 3 days
   • Accrual Period: Yearly
   • Accrual Period Timing: Beginning of Period (January 1)
   • New Hire Proration: Yes
     • If hired in July, prorate: 3 days × (6 months remaining ÷ 12 months) = 1.5 days
5. Waiting Period: None (or 90 days if company policy requires)
6. Carryover: None (use-it-or-lose-it by December 31)
7. Balance Upper Limit: 3 days (can’t exceed annual grant)
8. Eligibility: US Full-Time Employees

Note: For annual grant plans, employees receive their full year allocation on January 1st (or prorated amount on hire date), not monthly accruals.

Unpaid Leave Plan

Configuration:

1. Name: Unpaid Leave Plan
2. Time Off Type: Unpaid
3. Period Schedule: Not required (no accruals)
4. Accrual Rules: None (no accruals, request-based only)
5. Waiting Period: None
6. Carryover: Not applicable (no balance to carry over)
7. Balance Upper Limit: Not applicable
8. Eligibility: All employees
9. Approval: Manager approval required (configure in Request Time Off business process)

How It Works:
Employees submit time off requests for unpaid leave. No balance tracking occurs. Manager approves based on business need. When approved, the absence is processed by payroll as unpaid time.

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Part 5: Configure the Request Time Off Workflow

Time Off Plans define balances and accruals. The Request Time Off Business Process defines how employees actually use their time off.

Step 1: Navigate to the Business Process

1. Search for View Business Process
2. Type: Request Time Off
3. Click to open the Business Process configuration

Step 2: Configure Security (Who Can Request)

Scroll to Security Policy Configuration and click Edit.

Initiators (Who Can Submit Time Off Requests):

• Employee as Self (employees request their own time off)
• Manager (managers can request time off on behalf of their team)
• HR Partner (HR can submit requests for workers in their assigned orgs)

Approvers (Who Can Approve Steps):

• Configure in process steps (next section)

Viewers (Who Can View Requests):

• Employee as Self (see their own requests)
• Manager (see their team’s requests)
• HR Partner (see all requests in their assigned orgs)

Cancel/Rescind Permissions:

• Rescind: Employee as Self (workers can cancel their own requests before approval)
• Cancel: Manager, HR Partner (managers and HR can cancel requests after approval)

Click OK to save.

Step 3: Configure Approval Routing

Click Edit Process (or Configure button) to configure workflow steps.

Step 1: Manager Approval

Click Add Step.

Step Type: Approval

Step Name: Manager Approval

Assignee Type: Manager

Routing: Supervisory Organization Manager

This routes to the employee’s direct manager based on their Supervisory Organization assignment.

Due Date: 3 business days

Manager has 3 days to approve or deny.

Allow Delegation: Yes (checkbox enabled)

If manager is out of office, they can delegate to another manager.

Step Required: Yes (transaction cannot complete without this approval)

Click OK to save the step.

Step 2: Notification to Employee (Approved)

Click Add Step.

Step Type: Notification

Step Name: Notify Employee – Approved

Assignee: Initiator (the employee who requested time off)

Step Activation Criteria:
Configure conditions: Only execute this step if Manager Approval step result = Approved

Notification Method: Email

Email Template: Use Workday default template or create custom template

Email Subject: “Your Time Off Request Was Approved”

Email Body: Include approved dates, time off type, remaining balance

Click OK.

Step 3: Notification to Employee (Denied)

Click Add Step.

Step Type: Notification

Step Name: Notify Employee – Denied

Assignee: Initiator

Step Activation Criteria:
Configure conditions: Only execute if Manager Approval step result = Denied

Notification Method: Email

Email Subject: “Your Time Off Request Was Denied”

Email Body: Include denial reason, instructions to contact manager

Click OK.

Your workflow now looks like this:

textStep 1: Manager Approval (Approver = Manager, Due Date = 3 days)
Step 2a: Notify Employee - Approved (if approved)
Step 2b: Notify Employee - Denied (if denied)

Click Done to save the Business Process configuration.

Step 4: Configure Notifications for Manager

From the View Business Process screen, scroll to Notifications section and click Configure.

Manager Notification (When Request is Submitted):

Event Type: Step Assigned (Manager Approval step)

Recipient: Step Assignee (the manager)

Notification Method: Email

Email Subject: “Time Off Request from [Worker Name]”

Email Body Configuration:
Include these details:

• Worker name
• Time off type (Vacation, Sick, Personal)
• Requested dates
• Number of days requested
• Worker’s current balance
• Worker’s balance after request (if approved)

Include Action Links: Yes (include links to approve/deny directly from email)

Click OK to save.

Step 5: Activate Pending Security Policy Changes

After configuring the Business Process, you must activate your changes.

1. Search for Activate Pending Security Policy Changes
2. Review pending changes (your Business Process configuration updates)
3. Click OK to activate

Changes take effect immediately. All new time off requests will follow your configured workflow.

Step 6: Test the Workflow

1. Log in as a test employee
2. Search for Request Time Off
3. Select Time Off Type: Vacation
4. Select Dates: Next week, 3 days (e.g., June 15-17, 2025)
5. Workday displays:
   • Available Balance: (e.g., 18 days)
   • Balance After Request: (e.g., 15 days)
   • Waiting Period Status: Satisfied ✅
6. Click Submit

Expected Results:

• Request routes to your manager’s inbox
• Manager receives email notification with approve/deny links
• Manager can approve or deny from email or Workday inbox
• If approved, employee receives approval email
• If denied, employee receives denial email with reason
• Approved time off appears on Team Time Off Calendar
• Employee’s Scheduled Balance increases by 3 days (deducts from Available Balance)
• On the actual absence date (June 15), balance deducts from Total Balance

Workday Assistant Integration:

Employees can also request time off using natural language in the Workday search bar:

• “I need a day off”
• “Request vacation for next week”
• “What’s my PTO balance?”

Workday Assistant processes these requests and launches the Request Time Off task automatically.

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Part 6: Migrate Historical Balances

If you’re migrating from a legacy HR system, you need to load opening balances for existing employees.

Step 1: Extract Balances from Legacy System

Export current time off balances for all employees as of your Workday go-live date:

Required Fields:

• Employee ID (must match Workday Employee ID)
• Time Off Type (Vacation, Sick, Personal)
• Current Balance (in days or hours)
• As of Date (your Workday go-live date: e.g., January 1, 2025)

Save as CSV or Excel.

Example Export:

Employee ID	Time Off Type	Balance	As of Date
12345	Vacation	12.5	2025-01-01
12345	Sick	45.0	2025-01-01
67890	Vacation	8.0	2025-01-01
67890	Sick	30.0	2025-01-01

Step 2: Load Opening Balances

Option 1: Manual Entry (Small Populations Under 50 Employees)

For each employee:

1. Search for Enter Time Off Event
2. Select the employee
3. Fill in:
   • Time Off Plan: US Vacation Plan
   • Event Type: Balance Adjustment
   • Amount: +12.5 days (their current balance from legacy system)
   • Reason: “Opening balance migration from legacy system”
   • Effective Date: Go-live date (January 1, 2025)
4. Click Submit

Repeat for each employee and each time off type.

Option 2: Bulk Load via EIB (Large Populations Over 50 Employees)

1. Navigate to Create EIB
2. Select Inbound direction
3. Choose Enter Time Off Event web service
4. Click Download Template
5. Map your legacy data to the Workday template:
   • Employee ID → Worker
   • Time Off Type → Time Off Plan
   • Balance → Quantity
   • As of Date → Effective Date
   • Event Type → “Balance Adjustment”
6. Upload the populated template
7. Run the EIB
8. Monitor in View Integration Event

Result: All employees’ Workday balances now match their legacy system balances.

Step 3: Validate Migrated Balances

Spot-check 10% of employees (randomly selected):

1. Navigate to View Time Off for the employee
2. Check Current Balance
3. Compare to legacy system balance
4. Investigate discrepancies:
   • Was the balance loaded correctly?
   • Did proration or accruals process unexpectedly?
   • Was the effective date correct?
5. Correct as needed using Enter Time Off Event (Balance Adjustment)

Create Validation Report:

Employee ID	Legacy Balance	Workday Balance	Match?	Action Needed
12345	12.5	12.5	✅ Yes	None
67890	8.0	9.25	❌ No	Investigate
11122	45.0	45.0	✅ Yes	None

Resolve all mismatches before declaring migration complete.

Part 7: Train Your Users

Employee Training

What Employees Need to Know:

1. How to check their balance

Navigate to View Time Off or use the Workday mobile app:

• Available Balance: Time you can request right now
• Scheduled Balance: Time already approved for future dates
• Pending Balance: Requests awaiting manager approval

2. How to request time off

Search Request Time Off:

• Select time off type (Vacation, Sick, Personal)
• Select dates
• Workday shows balance before/after request
• Submit for manager approval

3. How accruals work

• Vacation accrues monthly on the 1st of each month
• Amount depends on tenure (15, 20, or 25 days per year)
• New hires: accruals start immediately, can use after 90 days
• Sick leave accrues 1 day per month, can use immediately

4. What happens at year-end

• Maximum 5 days carryover to next year
• Balances exceeding 5 days forfeit on December 31st
• Plan vacation accordingly (use November/December to burn excess)

5. Using Workday Assistant

Type natural language queries in the search bar:

• “What’s my vacation balance?”
• “Request 3 days off next week”
• “Show my team’s time off calendar”

Workday Assistant launches the appropriate task automatically.

Training Delivery Methods:

• Email announcement with screenshots and step-by-step instructions
• Live webinar or recorded video tutorial
• Quick reference guide (1-page PDF)
• Office hours for questions (first two weeks after go-live)

Manager Training

What Managers Need to Know:

1. How to approve time off requests

Check inbox for Time Off Request approval tasks:

• Review requested dates
• Check team calendar for coverage conflicts
• Approve or deny with clear explanation

Managers can approve/deny from:

• Email notification (click approve/deny link)
• Workday inbox (Approval Tasks)
• Workday mobile app

2. How to view team balances

Navigate to Team Time Off Balances:

• See all team members’ current balances
• Identify employees with high balances (encourage them to take time off)
• Plan coverage for scheduled absences

3. How to view team absence calendar

Navigate to Team Absence Calendar:

• Visual calendar showing all approved time off
• Filter by team member, time off type, date range
• Identify coverage conflicts before approving new requests

4. How to handle delegation

When going on vacation, delegate approvals to another manager:

• Navigate to Delegate Workday Tasks
• Select tasks to delegate (e.g., Approve Time Off)
• Select delegate (backup manager)
• Set date range (your vacation dates)
• Delegated manager receives approval tasks during your absence

Training Delivery:

• Manager webinar (separate from employee training)
• Hands-on practice in sandbox tenant
• Manager quick reference guide
• One-on-one coaching for new managers

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Part 8: Month-End Monitoring

After go-live, monitor Absence Management closely for the first few months.

Week 1 Checklist

✅ Run Time Off Balances report for all employees
✅ Spot-check 20 employees (various hire dates, tenure levels)
✅ Validate balances match expected calculations:

• New hires: prorated first accrual correct?
• Mid-tenure employees: accruing at correct rate?
• Senior employees: correct tenure tier applied?

✅ Investigate zero balances or incorrect amounts:

• Is employee assigned to correct Time Off Plan?
• Did accrual process run successfully?
• Is waiting period blocking accruals?

✅ Check that waiting periods are working correctly:

• Can new hires under 90 days request time off? (should be blocked)
• Test with sample requests

Week 2 Checklist

✅ Review Outstanding Business Processes for stuck requests:

• Navigate to Business Process History
• Filter for Time Off Request processes
• Check for processes stuck in approval step

✅ Validate requests routing to correct managers:

• Sample 10 recent requests
• Verify they routed to worker’s Supervisory Organization manager
• Investigate misroutes (incorrect manager assignments?)

✅ Confirm email notifications sending:

• Check with sample managers: receiving approval emails?
• Check with sample employees: receiving approval/denial emails?
• Verify email templates displaying correctly

✅ Review denials (process working correctly?):

• Are managers providing denial reasons?
• Are employees resubmitting with corrected dates?

✅ Check for employee complaints or confusion:

• Monitor HR inbox for Absence Management questions
• Document common issues for training updates

Month 1 Checklist

✅ Validate first month accruals processed correctly:

• Run Time Off Balances report as of month-end
• All employees should show one month of accruals
• Check for employees with zero accruals (investigate)

✅ Check proration for mid-month hires:

• Identify all hires from previous month
• Validate first accrual was prorated correctly
• Common issue: proration not enabled in accrual rule

✅ Confirm tenure tier transitions working:

• Identify employees with anniversaries this month
• Check if accrual rate increased automatically
• Example: Employee hits 3 years, rate increases from 1.25 to 1.67 days/month

✅ Review balance cap behavior (anyone hitting caps?):

• Run report for employees with balance ≥ 25 days
• Are they approaching the 30-day cap?
• When they hit cap, do accruals stop correctly?

✅ Prepare year-end carryover communications (if Q4 go-live):

• If you went live in October-December, employees may have balances at risk
• Send early warning: “Use vacation before December 31 or lose it”
• Provide Time Off Projections report to employees

Month 3 Checklist

✅ Run Absence Tracking report (usage trends):

• Are employees actually using their time off?
• Or are balances growing without usage? (burnout risk)
• Average days used per employee?

✅ Identify employees not taking time off (burnout risk):

• Filter for employees with high balances (20+ days) and zero usage
• Encourage managers to remind these employees to take vacation

✅ Check for any balance discrepancies:

• Compare Workday balances to payroll system
• Investigate mismatches (manual adjustments? processing errors?)

✅ Gather feedback from employees and managers:

• Send brief survey: “How is Absence Management working for you?”
• Common pain points? Confusing features?
• Use feedback to improve training and documentation

✅ Document lessons learned for future improvements:

• What configuration issues surfaced?
• What training gaps exist?
• What would you do differently next time?

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Part 9: Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: Employee Balance Shows Zero

Symptoms:
Employee checks balance, sees 0.00 days despite being employed for several months.

Debug Steps:

Step 1: Check Plan Assignment

1. Navigate to View Time Off for the employee
2. Look for Plan Assignments section
3. Is the employee assigned to the correct Time Off Plan?
   • If No plan assigned: Eligibility rule may not match employee
   • If Wrong plan assigned: Eligibility rule needs correction

Step 2: Check Accrual History

1. In View Time Off, navigate to Accrual History tab
2. Has any accrual processed?
   • If No accruals at all: Check accrual start date configuration
   • If Accruals stopped: Check balance upper limit (may be capped)

Step 3: Review Accrual Start Date

1. Navigate to Edit Time Off Plan > Accruals tab
2. Check Accrual Start Date Calculation Rule
   • If set to “First Day of Month Following Hire,” employee hired March 15 doesn’t accrue until April 1
   • Change to “Hire Date” if you want immediate accrual

Step 4: Check Waiting Period

1. In Edit Time Off Plan, check Waiting Periods tab
2. Is there an Accrual Waiting Period (blocks accrual entirely)?
   • If yes, employee won’t accrue until waiting period ends
   • Change to Usage Waiting Period to allow accrual but block usage

Resolution:

• If not assigned, check eligibility rule criteria (Location, Worker Type, Time Type)
• If accrual start date wrong, correct in plan configuration or manually adjust balance
• If waiting period blocking, inform employee when accruals will start

Issue: Accrual Amount Incorrect

Symptoms:
Employee accrued 0.85 days but policy says 1.25 days per month.

Debug Steps:

Step 1: Calculate Expected Accrual Manually

Example: Employee hired March 15, 2025

• March has 31 days
• Employee worked 17 days (March 15-31)
• Expected first accrual (if prorated): 1.25 days × (17 ÷ 31) = 0.68 days

Step 2: Check Actual Accrual

1. Navigate to View Time Off > Accrual History
2. Check accrual amount on April 1
3. Does it match expected calculation?

Step 3: Review Proration Settings

1. Navigate to Edit Time Off Plan > Accruals tab
2. Select the accrual rule
3. Check:
   • Prorate First Period: Is it enabled?
   • Proration Method: Is it “Calendar Days in Period”?
   • Other methods: “Pay Period Days,” “Custom Formula”

Step 4: Check Period Schedule

1. Navigate to View Period Schedule (the one assigned to your Time Off Plan)
2. Verify period boundaries:
   • Does March period run March 1-31?
   • Or does it run March 16-April 15? (could cause unexpected proration)

Resolution:

• Correct proration configuration if wrong
• Manually adjust balance if needed using Enter Time Off Event (Balance Adjustment)
• Document resolution for future reference

Issue: Employee Can’t Request Time Off

Symptoms:
Employee tries to submit Request Time Off, receives error or validation message.

Debug Steps:

Step 1: Check Available Balance

1. Navigate to View Time Off for the employee
2. Check Available Balance (not Total Balance)
3. Available Balance = Total – Scheduled – Pending
4. Does employee have enough available balance for the request?

Example:
Employee has:

• Total Balance: 10 days
• Scheduled (approved future vacation): 7 days
• Pending (awaiting approval): 2 days
• Available Balance: 10 – 7 – 2 = 1 day

Employee tries to request 3 days → Workday rejects (only 1 day available).

Step 2: Check Waiting Period

1. Navigate to View Time Off > Plan Assignments
2. Check Waiting Period Status
3. Has usage waiting period ended?
   • If employee hired April 1, waiting period = 90 days
   • Waiting period ends June 30
   • Employee cannot request time off until July 1

Step 3: Check Business Process Security

1. Navigate to View Business Process > Request Time Off
2. Check Security Policy Configuration > Initiators
3. Can employee initiate Request Time Off?
   • Should include Employee as Self security group
   • If missing, add and activate pending security policy changes

Step 4: Check for Blackout Dates

1. Navigate to Edit Time Off Plan > Restrictions tab (if applicable)
2. Are there blackout dates configured?
   • Example: December 20-31 blocked for year-end processing
   • Employee trying to request time during blackout → rejected

Resolution:

• If insufficient balance, explain available balance calculation to employee
• If waiting period active, inform employee when they can request (waiting period end date)
• If security issue, grant appropriate permissions and activate
• If blackout dates, employee must select different dates

Issue: Carryover Didn’t Process Correctly

Symptoms:
December 31 passed, but employee balances didn’t carry over (or carried over incorrectly).

Debug Steps:

Step 1: Verify Carryover Rule Configuration

1. Navigate to Edit Time Off Plan > Carryover tab
2. Check:
   • Carryover Type: Capped, Unlimited, or None?
   • Maximum Carryover Amount: Correct? (e.g., 5 days)
   • Carryover Calculation Date: Based on Balance Period End Date

Step 2: Check Period Schedule End Date

1. Navigate to View Period Schedule (assigned to your Time Off Plan)
2. Check Balance Period End Date
   • For calendar year plans, should be December 31
   • For fiscal year plans, might be June 30 or September 30
3. Carryover processes on this date

Step 3: Check if Carryover Process Ran

1. Navigate to View Time Off for affected employees
2. Check Balance History tab
3. Look for carryover events on January 1:
   • “Carryover from Prior Year” (+5 days)
   • “Year-End Forfeiture” (-13 days)
4. If no carryover events, process didn’t run

Step 4: Manually Process Carryover (If Needed)

1. Navigate to Process Time Off Carryover task
2. Select the Time Off Plan
3. Select the Balance Period End Date (December 31, 2024)
4. Click OK to run carryover calculation

Resolution:

• If carryover rule was missing, add it and manually process carryover
• If carryover cap was wrong, correct and reprocess
• If process didn’t run automatically, investigate scheduled job configuration
• Communicate with affected employees about corrected balances

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Part 10: Advanced Configuration Scenarios

Scenario 1: Allow Negative Balances (Borrowing)

Some companies let employees borrow against future accruals (go negative).

Business Case:
New hire plans a vacation 60 days after starting. Has only accrued 2 days. Needs 5 days. Allow them to borrow 3 days, which will be recovered through future accruals.

Configuration:

1. Navigate to Edit Time Off Plan > Calculations tab
2. Scroll to Balance Lower Limit section
3. Enable Balance Lower Limit: Yes (checkbox)
4. Minimum Balance (Lower Limit): -5 days
5. Recovery Method: Automatic (future accruals repay the debt)

How It Works:

• Employee has 2 days accrued
• Requests 7 days off
• Balance goes to -5 days (borrowed 5 days)
• Over next 4 months, monthly accruals (1.25 days each) repay the negative balance:
  • Month 1: -5 + 1.25 = -3.75
  • Month 2: -3.75 + 1.25 = -2.50
  • Month 3: -2.50 + 1.25 = -1.25
  • Month 4: -1.25 + 1.25 = 0
  • Month 5: Normal accruals resume (0 + 1.25 = 1.25)

Use Case:
Common for new hires with pre-planned vacations (weddings, family commitments).

Scenario 2: Different Plans for Different Locations

US employees get 15-25 days (tenure-based). UK employees get 28 days (statutory minimum).

Configuration:

Plan 1: US Vacation Plan

• Eligibility: Location = United States
• Accrual: 15-25 days annually (tenure-based tiers)
• Accrual Method: Monthly
• Carryover: Maximum 5 days

Plan 2: UK Holiday Plan

• Eligibility: Location = United Kingdom
• Accrual: 28 days annually
• Accrual Method: Annual Grant (all 28 days granted January 1)
• No tenure tiers (statutory minimum applies to all)
• Carryover: None (use-it-or-lose-it by December 31, per UK custom)
• Note: Some UK employers allow unlimited carryover

Each employee automatically gets assigned to the correct plan based on their Location field.

Testing:
Create test employees in both US and UK locations, verify correct plan assignment.

Scenario 3: Part-Time Proration by FTE

Part-time employees get prorated time off based on FTE (Full-Time Equivalency).

Example:
0.5 FTE employee gets 50% of full-time vacation accrual.

Configuration Option 1: Separate Plan

Create: US Vacation – Part-Time Plan

• Accrual Amount: 0.625 days/month (50% of full-time 1.25 days)
• Eligibility: Time Type = Part-Time AND FTE = 0.5

Pros: Simple, clear separation
Cons: Need separate plans for each FTE level (0.5, 0.6, 0.75, etc.)

Configuration Option 2: FTE-Based Calculated Accrual

Use a calculated field in the accrual rule to dynamically adjust accrual by FTE.

Accrual Rule Configuration:

• Accrual Amount: Use formula: 1.25 × FTE
• 1.0 FTE employee accrues: 1.25 × 1.0 = 1.25 days/month
• 0.5 FTE employee accrues: 1.25 × 0.5 = 0.625 days/month
• 0.75 FTE employee accrues: 1.25 × 0.75 = 0.9375 days/month

Pros: Single plan handles all FTE levels
Cons: More complex configuration, requires calculated field setup

Recommended: Option 2 for scalability (handles any FTE without creating new plans).

Scenario 4: Different Accrual Frequencies for Different Employee Types

Salaried employees: Monthly accruals
Hourly employees: Per-pay-period accruals based on hours worked

Configuration:

Plan 1: US Vacation – Salaried

• Eligibility: Pay Rate Type = Salary
• Accrual Period: Monthly
• Accrual Amount: 1.25 days per month

Plan 2: US Vacation – Hourly

• Eligibility: Pay Rate Type = Hourly
• Accrual Period: Per Pay Period
• Accrual Method: Hours-Based
• Accrual Rate: 0.0385 days per hour worked
  • Full-time (40 hours/week, 2,080 hours/year) accrues: 0.0385 × 2,080 = 80 hours (10 days)
  • Part-time (20 hours/week) accrues half

Integration with Time Tracking:

• Hourly plan integrates with Time Tracking
• Accruals based on actual hours worked (from timesheets)
• No accrual if employee doesn’t work (unpaid leave)

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Final Checklist: Is Your Absence Management Ready?

Before you declare Absence Management “done,” verify:

✅ All Time Off Plans configured (Vacation, Sick, Personal, etc.)
✅ Period Schedules assigned to all plans
✅ Accrual rules tested (new hires, mid-month, tenure transitions, proration)
✅ Waiting periods working (employees can’t use time too early)
✅ Carryover rules tested (year-end simulation completed, balances carry over correctly)
✅ Balance Upper Limits working (employees stop accruing at cap)
✅ Eligibility rules correct (right employees assigned to right plans)
✅ Request Time Off workflow tested (approval routing works, notifications send)
✅ Team Absence Calendar visibility configured (approved time off visible for planning)
✅ Historical balances migrated (legacy balances loaded and validated)
✅ Employees trained (know how to check balance, request time, use Workday Assistant)
✅ Managers trained (know how to approve, view team calendar, delegate tasks)
✅ Monitoring in place (weekly balance checks, request tracking, issue escalation process)
✅ Integration with Payroll tested (time off flows to payroll correctly, earnings codes mapped)
✅ Documentation complete (configuration guide, training materials, troubleshooting runbook)

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What You’ve Accomplished

If you’ve followed this guide, you now have:

• Fully configured Time Off Plans for each time off type with proper Period Schedules
• Accurate accrual calculations that handle tenure, proration, and balance upper limits
• Carryover rules that protect balances or enforce use-it-or-lose-it policies based on Balance Period End Dates
• Working approval workflows that route to managers and notify employees via email
• Team Absence Calendar visibility for coverage planning
• Migrated historical balances from your legacy system
• Trained users who understand how to request and approve time off using Workday Assistant
• Monitoring processes to catch issues early

Your employees can now check their balances with confidence. Managers can approve time off knowing coverage is planned. Payroll can process leave accurately using mapped earnings codes. And HR isn’t buried in manual balance adjustments.

That’s a successful Absence Management implementation.