Answering your questions about taking time off
Read below for some of the most common questions about informing your managers of when you are unavailable or taking time away from work. This includes:
- Checking your Availability
- Availability types
- Leave balances
- Applying for Leave
- Leave for casuals
Availability
What is Ongoing and Once off Availability?
Availability is a way to inform your employer when you are or are not available to be rostered to work. In foundU, we use two types of availability in slightly different ways, so it's best to understand them!
- Ongoing Availability - This is your regular recurring availability, the times you are free to work or not work each week.
- Once off Availability - This is for requesting time off for any one-off changes outside your usual schedule, such as weekend trips or holidays.
For more details on the differences between Ongoing and Once off Availability, check out our guide, Availability in foundU.
How can I be sure I've submitted my availability correctly and that I'm not indicating I'm unavailable when I actually am?
With so many options for setting your availability, it's easy to accidentally mark yourself as unavailable for a whole week when you're really free.
When you update your availability or send a request, double-check it! You can do this from the bottom of your screen. The requested times will be colour-coded to help you identify your changes.
- Changes that inform you are unavailable and are displayed in red.
- Changes that inform you are available and are displayed in green.
For more details on updating your Availability and sending requests, check out our guide here.
I am trying to update my availability for next week, but those dates are greyed out. How do I resolve this?
For example, if you're looking to change your availability on March 1st, any dates up to March 14th may be greyed out and therefore unavailable for selection. If you still need to make updates, you should contact your manager.
I updated my Ongoing Availability to begin in 2 months. Now, I need to change it to start next fortnight, but all the dates are greyed out. How can I fix this?
In this case, since your availability change takes effect in 2 months, all dates before that will be unselectable. To rectify this, cancel the current update, submit your availability changes for the upcoming fortnight, and finally, make the changes that start in 2 months.
This will not prevent you from submitting Once off Availability requests.
Leave
Why can't I see my leave balance?
If you cannot see a balance in your App and it says 'BALANCE NOT VISIBLE', this does not mean you don't have a balance; it simply means it is hidden from view, and you'll need to contact your manager directly to find your balance.
To learn more about creating a leave application, refer to our guide here.
What if I don't have enough leave for the days I have requested?
What if the leave type I would like to use is not available?
If you do not see the leave type that you're after, you'll need to speak with your manager. Not every leave type is accessible to every employee by default.
For example, if you are attempting to use compassionate leave or parental leave, you will need to speak with your manager to set this leave type up for you.
Can I use personal leave & annual leave on the same day?
Absolutely, simply submit separate applications! When submitting your leave applications, use the partial leave toggles and specify the number of hours for each; both will be sent to your manager.
To learn more about submitting partial-day leave applications, see our guide here.
Why can't I edit my leave application? I need to make a change, but I'm unable to.
You won't be able to make changes to a leave application if:
- The leave application has been approved, and your leave has started.
- The leave application has been paid or partially paid.
You can make changes to a leave application when:
- The leave application is still pending approval from your manager.
- The leave application has been approved, but has not yet started. Keep in mind, in this instance, if you make an edit, your application will need re-approval from your manager.
If I need to take a month off, do I need to put in a separate leave application for each week I am away?
No, you can request leave for the entire month with the same leave application, provided it is all one leave type. To request multiple leave types, you will need to submit an application per leave type requested.
For example, if you are looking to take all of July off.
- If all of July is Annual Leave, submit 1 leave application.
- If half of July is Annual Leave and the other half is Personal Leave, submit 2 leave applications.
My leave application says 7.6 hours, but I work 10-hour shifts. What can I do here?
7.6 hours is the default value (7.6 hours x 5 days is 38 hours per week) per day. We understand that not everyone works these hours, and some employees have very varied times.
You can adjust your hours on a day-by-day basis using the leave application. In the last step, you can edit the hours (hours in blue) of each day to reflect the shifts you'd normally work.
For more details on submitting and editing leave applications, please see our guide here.
Can casual employees submit leave applications?
Your employer may apply leave entitlements to their casual staff. These can include types of leave such as:
- Unpaid Compassionate Leave
- Leave without Pay
- Long Service Leave
If this is the case, then casual employees can submit leave applications for approval.
For more details on how casual employees can submit leave applications here.
How do I see and apply for long service leave?
Long Service Leave is a special type of leave that you can accumulate over time. However, you can only use it after working for your employer for at least 10 years (or 7 years in ACT and VIC).
While you're still accruing it, this leave might not appear on your profile because you're not yet eligible to take it.
Once you qualify, you can apply for it the same way as other leave. If you're having trouble accessing it after becoming eligible, please contact your manager.
For further information about long service leave, please refer to Fair Work here, or consult your state's specific website.