> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.charle.agency/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Annual Leave

> Managing time off and leave requests

The Annual Leave system tracks team member time off, manages leave requests, and maintains leave balances throughout the year.

## What is Annual Leave?

CharleOS handles all types of time off:

* Annual leave (holiday entitlement)
* Birthday leave (extra day off)
* Sick leave
* Unpaid leave
* Compassionate leave
* Other types

The system tracks balances, manages approvals, and integrates with scheduling to adjust capacity automatically.

## Who uses Annual Leave

### Delivery Team

All team members can:

* View leave balance
* Request leave
* See team leave calendar
* Check pending requests
* Edit pending requests
* Cancel approved leave

### Managers

Managers can:

* Review team leave requests
* Approve or reject requests
* See direct reports' leave
* View team calendar
* Manage leave balances
* Override or adjust as needed

<Note>
  Managers only see leave requests for their direct reports, not the entire company.
</Note>

## Leave types

| Type                    | Description                | Requires Balance |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------- | ---------------- |
| **Annual Leave**        | Holiday entitlement        | Yes              |
| **Birthday Leave**      | Extra day off for birthday | Yes (1 day/year) |
| **Sick Leave**          | Illness or injury          | No (unlimited)   |
| **Unpaid Leave**        | Time off without pay       | No               |
| **Compassionate Leave** | Bereavement or emergency   | No               |
| **Other**               | Miscellaneous leave        | No               |

<Info>
  Annual leave and birthday leave count against your allowance. Other types don't deduct from your balance.
</Info>

## Day types

Leave can be requested as:

**Full Day**

* Entire working day off
* Deducts 1 day from balance

**Half Day (AM)**

* Morning off, work afternoon
* Deducts 0.5 days from balance

**Half Day (PM)**

* Work morning, afternoon off
* Deducts 0.5 days from balance

<Tip>
  Half days must be a single day. Multi-day requests must use full day type.
</Tip>

## Leave status

All leave requests progress through statuses:

**Pending**

* Just submitted
* Awaiting manager review
* Can be edited or cancelled

**Approved**

* Manager approved
* Confirmed time off
* Deducted from balance
* Shows in schedule
* Can still be cancelled

**Rejected**

* Manager declined request
* Not deducted from balance
* Review notes explain why

**Cancelled**

* Request withdrawn
* Balance restored (if applicable)
* Could be cancelled by requester or manager

<Warning>
  Approved leave can be cancelled, but balance is only restored if the cancellation happens before the leave starts.
</Warning>

## Leave balance

### Annual leave allowance

Your annual leave allowance is set based on your employment terms and may increase with tenure. Check your profile or speak with your manager to confirm your current allowance.

### Birthday leave

Everyone gets:

* **1 extra day** for birthday
* Available once per year
* Refreshes on birthday
* Use any time after birthday

### Balance calculation

Your remaining balance considers:

* Annual allowance
* Approved leave (deducted)
* Pending leave (not deducted yet)
* Taken leave (already occurred)

**Example:**

* Allowance: 25 days
* Approved future leave: 5 days
* Remaining balance: 20 days

<Note>
  Pending leave doesn't deduct from balance until approved. This lets you see your actual available days.
</Note>

## Leave calendar

### Personal calendar

View your own leave:

* All your requests
* Approved dates highlighted
* Pending dates shown differently
* Past leave visible

### Team calendar

See team leave:

* All team members' approved leave
* Plan around team availability
* Coordinate time off
* Avoid conflicts

<Info>
  Only approved leave shows on team calendar. Pending requests remain private until approved.
</Info>

## Key features

### Ask Alan

You can manage your leave through Alan, the AI assistant:

* "How much annual leave do I have left?"
* "Book next Friday off"
* "Show me my leave requests"
* "Cancel my leave for next week"

Alan shows confirmation prompts before submitting or cancelling requests, and warns you if your request is within the 30-day notice period.

<Tip>
  Use Alan in the sidebar or Slack for quick leave queries without navigating to the Annual Leave page.
</Tip>

### Request workflow

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Submit" icon="paper-plane">
    Select dates and submit request
  </Card>

  <Card title="Review" icon="eye">
    Manager reviews and decides
  </Card>

  <Card title="Confirmed" icon="check">
    Approval confirmed, leave scheduled
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Balance tracking

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Real-time" icon="gauge">
    Always see current balance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Forecast" icon="chart-line">
    Preview balance after booking
  </Card>

  <Card title="Allowance" icon="wallet">
    Track remaining entitlement
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Schedule integration

Leave automatically:

* Reduces daily capacity
* Blocks scheduling on those days
* Shows in timeline view
* Updates team availability
* Adjusts client schedules

### Bank holidays

System handles bank holidays:

* Not counted as leave days
* Excluded from calculations
* Calendar shows holidays
* No deduction from balance

## Common scenarios

### Scenario 1: Week-long holiday

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check balance">
    View current leave balance (20 days remaining)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select dates">
    Choose Monday-Friday week off (5 days)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preview">
    System shows: "After booking: 15 days remaining"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    Request submitted to manager
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approved">
    Manager approves, balance now 15 days
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Scenario 2: Birthday leave

<Steps>
  <Step title="Birthday occurs">
    System grants 1 birthday leave day
  </Step>

  <Step title="Request when convenient">
    Use anytime after birthday (same year)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select birthday type">
    Choose "Birthday" leave type
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    Request approval
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enjoy day off">
    Take your birthday day
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Scenario 3: Sick day

<Steps>
  <Step title="Call in sick">
    Notify manager as per company policy
  </Step>

  <Step title="Log in system">
    Manager creates sick leave entry
  </Step>

  <Step title="No balance impact">
    Sick leave doesn't deduct from annual leave
  </Step>

  <Step title="Schedule updates">
    Capacity blocked automatically
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Sick leave is typically managed by managers, not self-service, to ensure proper tracking and compliance.
</Note>

## Best practices

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Request early" icon="calendar-clock">
    Submit requests well in advance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Check team calendar" icon="users">
    Coordinate with team availability
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monitor balance" icon="chart-bar">
    Track remaining leave throughout year
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use it" icon="umbrella-beach">
    Don't save all leave until year-end
  </Card>

  <Card title="Half days" icon="clock">
    Consider half days for flexibility
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan around projects" icon="calendar-check">
    Avoid leave during critical deadlines
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Access control

### What you can do

**All users:**

* View own leave balance
* Request annual, unpaid, birthday leave
* See team leave calendar
* Edit pending requests
* Cancel approved leave (future dates)

**Managers:**

* Review direct reports' requests
* Approve or reject leave
* View team leave overview
* Create leave for sick/compassionate
* Adjust balances if needed

### What you can't do

**Team members:**

* Can't approve own leave
* Can't see pending requests of others
* Can't create sick/compassionate leave (manager does this)
* Can't modify past leave

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can't submit leave request">
    Check you have enough balance for annual leave. Ensure dates are in the future. Verify half days are single day only.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Balance seems wrong">
    Balance shows approved leave only. Pending requests don't deduct until approved. Check your requests table for pending items.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can't find birthday leave option">
    Birthday leave only available after your birthday has occurred this year. Check birthday is set correctly in your profile.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Manager hasn't responded">
    Requests may take 1-3 days for review. Send a reminder message if urgent. Check request is still pending (not accidentally cancelled).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Need to change approved leave">
    Cancel the approved leave and submit a new request with correct dates. Do this as soon as possible.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Requesting Leave" icon="paper-plane" href="/user-guide/annual-leave/requesting-leave">
    Learn how to submit leave requests
  </Card>

  <Card title="Leave Calendar" icon="calendar" href="/user-guide/annual-leave/leave-calendar">
    View and manage your leave calendar
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ask Alan" icon="sparkles" href="/user-guide/alan/what-you-can-ask#annual-leave">
    Book leave through Alan AI assistant
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule" icon="calendar-days" href="/user-guide/schedule">
    See how leave affects your schedule
  </Card>
</CardGroup>