Time Off Requests

The time-off system in Argonautas supports two paths: staff members submit requests that managers approve or deny, and managers can directly block dates for staff members. Approved time off appears as visual overlays on the schedule calendar and prevents overlapping requests.

Submitting a Request (Staff)

1. Open Staff Portal > My Schedule and scroll to My Time Off.
2. Click Request Time Off.
3. Select the start date and end date (full days only).
4. Add an optional reason (free text -- no categories or dropdown).
5. Submit.

The request appears as "Pending" in your list. You are notified when the manager approves or denies it.

Managing Your Requests

• Pending requests can be cancelled from the My Time Off section.
• Approved requests cannot be cancelled by staff -- contact your manager.
• Denied requests include the manager's note explaining why, if one was provided.

Approving Requests (Manager)

1. Navigate to Admin > Staff > Schedule.
2. Open the Time Off tab. A badge shows the pending request count.
3. Review pending requests. Each card shows:
   • Staff member name and position
   • Date range and day count
   • Reason (if provided)
   • Conflict warning if shifts exist on the requested dates
4. Click Approve or Deny. When denying, you can add a note.

The staff member is notified of the decision via their preferred channel (WhatsApp, SMS, or email).

What Happens to Conflicting Shifts

Approving time off that overlaps existing shifts does not cancel or reassign those shifts. The system warns you about the conflict, and you handle reassignment separately from the Schedule tab. This lets you approve the time off now and deal with coverage on your own timeline.

Manager Blocks

Property managers can block time off directly without waiting for a request. This is useful for training days, company holidays, or scheduling decisions made on behalf of the team.

1. On the Time Off tab, click Block Time Off.
2. Select the staff member, date range, and optional reason.
3. The block is immediately approved -- no review step.

Manager blocks appear in the list with a "PM Block" badge to distinguish them from staff-initiated requests.

Cancelling Time Off

• Staff can cancel their own pending requests from the staff portal.
• Managers can cancel any pending or approved request. If a previously approved request is cancelled, the staff member is notified.

Calendar Integration

Approved time off appears on the schedule calendar:

• Row overlays -- hatched blocks across the staff member's row on affected days, with an "Off" label.
• Shift conflicts -- shifts on time-off days are shown with reduced opacity and strikethrough.
• Coverage gaps -- the overlays make it easy to spot which days have reduced staffing.

Overlap Protection

The system prevents overlapping time-off periods for the same staff member:

• At request time -- a new request that overlaps an existing approved or pending request is rejected.
• At approval time -- if two pending requests overlap and one is approved first, the second cannot be approved.

Cancelled and denied requests do not block new requests for the same dates.

Filter Options

The Time Off tab supports three filter modes:

Filter	Shows
Pending	Requests awaiting review (default view)
Approved	All approved requests and manager blocks
All	Every request regardless of status

Common Questions

Can staff cancel an approved time-off request? No. Only managers can cancel approved requests. Staff can cancel their own pending requests before a decision is made.

Is there a limit on time-off requests? The system does not enforce limits. Set time-off policies through your company's employee handbook.

Can I request half days? Not currently. Time off is full-day only. For partial-day changes, adjust shifts directly on the Schedule tab.

Are there time-off categories (vacation, sick, personal)? No. Requests have a free-text reason field. Categories may be added in a future release if operators need workforce analytics by type.

What about blackout periods? The system does not currently support blackout periods. Managers make coverage decisions on a per-request basis.

Related

• Staff Scheduling -- Full scheduling guide including shift types and recurring patterns.
• Staff Roles -- Role-based access and permissions.
• Staff Management -- Overall staff administration.