Holidays, PTO, and Absence Management

Bear Trax provides a comprehensive Holidays, PTO (Paid Time Off), and Absence Management system to track and manage employee time off efficiently. This system ensures that employee leave requests are handled smoothly, company-wide holidays are respected, and absences are logged and monitored accurately.

Core Features of Holidays, PTO, and Absence Management:

1. Company-Wide Holiday Settings:

   • Admins can define and manage Company-Wide Holidays, which are automatically visible on all employee calendars and schedules.
   • Key Properties of Holidays:
     • Holiday Name: (e.g., "New Year's Day")
     • Date: The specific date for the holiday. Holidays can be set as one-time or repeating annually.
     • Employee Exceptions: Certain employees or departments may not observe a particular holiday (e.g., international offices).
   • Employees will see these holidays in their schedules and timecards, and no work will be expected on these days unless exceptions apply.

2. PTO and Leave Types:

   • Bear Trax allows employees to request various types of time off, which are tracked in the system:
     • PTO (Paid Time Off): General leave for vacations or personal time.
     • Sick Days: Specific leave for illness or medical-related absences.
     • Absent Days: Automatically flagged when no attendance is recorded without a leave request.
     • Custom Leave Types: Organizations can define custom leave types, such as maternity leave or jury duty, based on company policy.

3. Employee Time Off Request Workflow:

   • Employees can submit time off requests directly through the Bear Trax interface, specifying the type of leave, dates, and any additional notes.
   • Approval Flow:
     • The leave request is routed to the employee’s Manager, Team Lead, or Admin for approval.
     • Managers can approve, reject, or request changes to the time off request, with options to add notes explaining their decision.
     • Once approved, the leave is automatically recorded in the employee’s schedule, timecard, and leave balance.
   • The system logs all requests, approvals, and rejections, allowing for a complete audit trail.

4. Leave Balances and Limits:

   • Employees’ leave balances for PTO and sick days are tracked automatically in Bear Trax, ensuring transparency and accountability.
   • Total Allowed Days:
     • PTO: Admins can set the maximum number of PTO days allowed per employee annually (e.g., 20 days).
     • Sick Days: Admins can define the number of sick days allowed per employee annually (e.g., 10 days).
     • Custom Days Off: Specific roles or teams may have customized leave entitlements, such as on-call time off or special observances.
   • The system automatically deducts from the employee's balance when time off is approved and adds it back when a request is canceled or rejected.

5. Absence Flagging and Notifications:

   • Bear Trax will automatically flag employees as absent if they fail to clock in for their scheduled shift without submitting a leave request.
   • Absence Notifications are sent to the employee and their manager, prompting them to either submit a leave request retroactively or justify their absence.
   • Absences are recorded in the employee’s timecard and flagged for review by their manager.

6. Holiday and Absence Tracking in Timecards:

   • Holidays and approved time off are integrated into the employee’s timecard to provide a clear view of working days and non-working days.
   • PTO, Sick Days, and Absences are clearly marked on the timecard, ensuring transparency in tracking and payroll calculations.

7. Leave Request Approval Process:

   • Approval Levels:
     • Time off requests are routed to appropriate Managers, Team Leads, or Admins based on the company’s hierarchy.
     • Managers can approve, reject, or request modifications to leave requests.
   • Notifications and Status Updates:
     • Employees are notified when their request is approved or rejected.
     • A full history of leave requests is maintained in Bear Trax, with timestamps for submission, approval, or rejection.

8. Reports and Auditing:

   • Managers and Admins can generate leave reportsto review all time off taken by employees, including:
     • PTO used vs. remaining balance.
     • Sick days used and remaining.
     • Absences and any justifications provided.
   • Reports can be filtered by employee, department, or date range, providing a comprehensive overview of the company's leave trends and ensuring compliance with labor policies.

Summary:

The Holidays, PTO, and Absence Management system in Bear Trax helps businesses efficiently track and manage employee time off, ensuring transparency in leave balances, smooth handling of requests, and clear communication between employees and managers. With integrated tracking and automatic flagging of absences, this system ensures that all employee time is properly accounted for and managed in line with company policies.