PTO Overview: Understanding the PTO Feature in VeriClock

Learn how the PTO feature works in VeriClock, including how PTO types are created, tracked, and assigned to employees. This article highlights how PTO balances are calculated and what users can expect from the PTO system within VeriClock for efficient time off tracking.

PTO can be used to track both paid and unpaid time off. This feature allows you to track how much time employees have taken off, any time off they have earned vs used, and to pay out employees for any paid time off. Requested time off can be tracked, approved, or declined.

Follow these steps to setup and use the PTO feature in VeriClock:

1) Enable Time Off Tracking in Your Account - To use the PTO feature, you will first need to enable it in your VeriClock account. Setup options include:

• Custom colour on the schedule for all time off requests.
• Setting to disable PTO notifications, send to admin, managers, or both.
• Setting to send PTO notifications by email and/or push screen notification.
• Only Admins can access the PTO settings page.

2) How to Create a Time Off Type - Create multiple time off types as needed, and enable on a per employee basis.

• Track time off types internally, or allow employees to view and/or request time off directly.
• Track time off in hours or days.
• Require comments when requesting time off.
• Block backdated and short notice PTO requests
• Enable option to create clock events directly from time off requests, or set to approve only.
• Setting to link time off request with corresponding time event (ie. editing/deleting).
• Option to pre-approve time event created from time off request using manager/admin approvals.
• Map time type to default to a specified job and/or service item.
• Force a job and/or service item when approving a time off request.
• Only Admins can create a time off type or edit time off type settings.

3a) Accrue Time Off Using PTO - Create accrual rules and assign employees to a rule.

• Unlimited accrual rules can be created as needed. 
• Time can be accrued annually, per pay period, or based on hours worked.
• Balances can reset annually on a set date, or an employee's hire date.
• Accrual rule settings include: balance reset on an anniversary date, balance carryover, and a balance limit.
• When based on hours worked, exemptions are available for different time types, jobs, and service items. Time types can also be set to accrue with a multiplier.
• Only Admins can create accrual rules.

3b) PTO - Seniority Based Accrual Rules - Create accrual rules to trigger based on an employee's employment length.

• Accrual rules can be created with day/month/year increments to trigger based on an employee's hire date.
• Each employment period tier has separate rules on whether a balance resets, the maximum carryover allowed, and any balance limit.
• Only Admins can access seniority accrual rules.

4) How to Assign PTO to Employees  - To request or view time off, each employee must be assigned either an accrual rule

• Assign each group/employee to one of the following: a manual rule, custom rule, or not applicable (disabled for the non-applicable employee).
• Rules can be assigned per group or per employee.
• Only Admins can assign accrual rules or edit accrual rule assignments.

5) PTO Simulator - Calculate possible accrual balances based on an employee's assigned accrual rule.

• Possible balances can be simulated for a custom date range.
• Can be used to determine the pay period dates when each accrual rule could trigger for both past and future date ranges.
• Use a simulated balance history to manually adjust an employee's PTO balance. See next step # 5
• Admin access only.

6) How to Adjust a PTO Balance - Manually adjust PTO balances as needed, or add starting balances.

• Balance adjustments can be done in batch, or on a per employee basis.
• Balances can be adjusted with corrections as needed.
• Balance history can be downloaded on a per type/per employee basis.
• Full admin access. Managers (with permission) have access to PTO balances for employees they manage.

7) Requesting PTO - This is the only portion of PTO that employees have access to.

• Employees can request time off on their own with date/hours requested off, and any comments relevant to the request.
• Employees can edit or cancel their time off requests up until the requested date.
• Employees can access their balance history to view when they took time off, how much time off, and how much time is remaining.
• Employees can view their time off requests on the schedule if scheduling is enabled in the account.
• Admin/managers/employees can view/request time off for any time off types assigned to them.

8) Approving PTO Requests - Approve or decline individual time off requests.

• Filter time off requests by date request was made/date off requested, employee, time off type, and/or request status. 
• PTO requests displayed on the page can be exported in CSV format.
• Admin/managers can request time off on behalf of the employee.
• Admin/managers can approve or decline time off requests and can add comments when changing the request status.
• Time off requests can be reviewed on the schedule by an employee on the date requested off.
• Full admin access. Managers (with permission) can only view/approve requests for employees they manage.

9a) Adding PTO time events - To Pay Out PTO - Create time events to pay employees for paid time off.

• Time events can be created directly from a time off request. (Recommended)
• Time off being paid out can be totaled in reports if a corresponding PTO job and/or service item is selected for PTO clock events.
• Admin full access. Managers (with permission) can create time off requests for employees they manage. Employees (with edit permission OR with access to PTO jobs/service items) can create time off clock events by clocking in real-time to PTO jobs, or by manually creating clock events independent from PTO feature. (Not recommended for employees to access PTO jobs or service items)

9b) Manually Create PTO Time Event - Portion Out PTO Time Being Paid Out Per Job/Service Item - Manually creating time events outside of time off requests would only be done if the time being paid out needs to be portioned out to multiple jobs and/or service items.

• Time events can be manually created independently from PTO feature. (Not recommended, except when time being paid out differs from time requested off, OR if the time being paid out needs to be broken down into multiple jobs and/or service items)

See the full list of Time Off Tracking Guides