This article will explain how to capture when a worker is on leave, how Lookout helps you action any visits that fall within that period, and how workers can request leave through the app.
An access role with 'Workforce compliance' or 'Worker management' permission is required to access the helper leave tab.
Worker leave is managed from the 'Leave' tab for each Helper. It provides a comprehensive history of worker leave, including:
Start date
End date
Visit conflicts
Duration
Reason for leave
Leave note (Helpers)
Action note (Staffers)
Actioned by
Adding worker leave
How admins create leave periods for helpers
Staffers with the appropriate permission can directly add a helper's leave through the admin app.
To add a new leave period:
Open the helper's page and select the Leave tab. Click the 'New leave' button.
Specify the start and end of the leave period. You can choose All-day or set a specific start and end time. If the leave is ongoing or open-ended, you can leave the end time blank.
Select the Reason for Leave from the dropdown menu. If needed, add an Action Note, which will be visible to the helper in the Care App.
You can also choose to action visit conflicts while adding the leave or return to them later. To manage conflicts, tick the visit you want to action and select whether to cancel, vacate, or find a new helper.
To act on the conflicts later, click the three dots next to the leave period and select Visit conflicts.
Click Save to finalise the changes.
How workers can apply for leave through the care app
Employees and contracted helpers can also apply for a leave through the care app. Helper leave settings allow you to control when you can make this functionality available to your workers. While this is off, you can still create, edit and remove leave through the admin side on behalf of a worker using the Leave tab on the helper's page.
To enable this feature:
Set up worker leave request ticket templates and ensure there are assignees. Contact our Support team if you do not have this ticket template in your instance.
From the general Settings page, go to Helper Leave under the Rostering submenu. Click the Helper Leave Reasons Settings button to enable the leave request feature in the care app.
A warning will be raised if ticket templates for worker leave requests have not been set up.
To submit a leave through the care app:
Tap on your avatar to open the Account actions menu and press the Leave button.
From the Leave page, select the Request Leave button. A Leave history section can also be accessed from this page.
Complete the request leave form with the start and end dates, the reason for leave, and an optional note. Helpers can apply for all-day leaves or set a specific start and end time.
Submit the leave request by pressing the Request leave button again
Helpers can view the status of their request after submitting the leave. They can also update or delete the leave request.
To edit or delete the leave, tap the requested leave and make the required changes.
Helpers cannot create leave requests if the requested dates overlap with any existing approved leave.
Helpers will be notified once their leave request is approved or denied.
To approve a helper requested leave:
Once a helper submits a leave through the care app, a worker leave request ticket gets created for them in the admin app. The assignees for the ticket will be notified in the app or through email (based on their settings).
Click on the notification to be redirected to the ticket. Admin staff can view, deny, and approve the leave through the ticket.
Admin can also add an action note visible to the helper in the care app and action any visit conflicts before approving the leave.
After actioning the leave request, admin will be redirected to the Helper's Leave tab showing the leave history and who actioned the request.
Further actions, such as editing and cancelling the leave, can be done through the Leave History by clicking the three dots next to the leave period.
If a helper requests a change to their leave, a new ticket will be raised.
Approving the change request will automatically cancel the previous leave request.
The helper's leave history will also be updated in the care app. Any action notes the admin staff leaves will be visible to the helper.
Helpers will not be able to update cancelled leave requests.
What happens to visits during a leave period?
When adding a Helper leave period, visits will likely fall into that leave period and need to be actioned. When adding or approving a leave request, Lookout will show a list of visit conflicts and allow the staffer to select visits for which they would like to bulk action accordingly.
By default, schedule rules will stay active and generate vacant visits that can be reassigned when a Helper is on leave if the recurring visits have not been added to the roster before the leave was approved. Otherwise, the recurring visits will also be shown as a visit conflict that must be manually actioned.
If you disable this setting, the schedule rule will be paused, and no new recurring visits will be generated during the Helper's leave period.
If you update a schedule rule before actioning the visit conflict, the recurring visit that overlaps with the leave period will either become vacant or not be generated (it will drop off from the list of visit conflicts), depending on your rostering settings.
If you create a new schedule rule that overlaps with the helper leave period, the recurring visits will either be skipped or generated as vacant visits, depending on your rostering settings.
To update this feature, go to Settings > Rostering.
What happens when a Helper is away on leave?
Helpers on leave will have an "AWAY" status displayed on their avatar throughout Lookout.
Their roster will also be greyed out, and the type of leave they are on will be shown.
They are deprioritised from the scheduling view in favour of available Helpers.
The AWAY status will also appear on Tickets and Ticket templates and when a staffer is mentioned in a ticket discussion.
Creating a new ticket
Assignees on Existing Tickets
Mentioning a Staffer on a Ticket Discussion
Adding an Assignee to a Ticket Template
Assignees Previously Added to an Existing Ticket Template
Can I still roster a Helper on leave?
You can still roster a Helper who is on leave, but Lookout makes it clear through a confirmation process, that the Helper is on leave or will be on leave during that period.
A Helper Leave Periods Report is available in the reports section to export all Helper leave periods within a date range.
A custom helper leave report can also be created using the Data Exporter.
FAQs
Can I customise the 'Reason for Leave' options?
Yes. By default, Lookout includes five leave reasons: Annual leave, Carer's leave, Compassionate leave, Parental leave, and Personal leave.
To edit or add new reasons for leave:
Click the three dots next to your name on the navigation bar, and choose Settings.
From the Settings page, open Helper Leave under the Rostering submenu. Click the add 'New reason' button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
Fill out the form and specify whether the new leave reason applies to helpers with an employee, contractor, or all engagement types. Click Save to finalise the changes.
To edit an existing leave reason, click the pencil icon.
