The basics
Within the Scheduling page in Planbase, managers can approve or deny time-off requests for their employees. Time-off requests can be submitted independently or alongside schedule change requests.
Managers can review requests in two places:
The Schedule page – Shows time-off requests along with other schedule changes.
The Time-off page – Displays a list of all time-off requests, including pending, approved, and declined requests.
Permissions vary by organization, so not all managers will have the same access to time-off requests.
Viewing time-off requests in the schedule page
Time-off requests can be found within the Schedule page under Requested Changes in the left-hand sidebar.
Managers can approve or deny requests directly from this list. If a request includes both time off and a schedule change, both requests will appear together.
When approving or denying a request, managers can select how to notify the employee. Notifications can be sent via Slack, email, SMS, or calendar updates.
Viewing and managing time-off requests in the time-off page
For a dedicated view of all time-off requests, go to the Time-off page in the left-hand sidebar. This page provides a full list of time-off requests with filters to view:
Pending requests
Approved requests
Declined requests
Managers can toggle these filters to display specific request statuses.
Clicking the plus icon (+) next to a request expands grouped requests. If an employee submits multiple days off together, they will be grouped under one entry.
To the right of each request, managers can see the employee’s remaining time-off balance before making a decision.
Understanding automatic approvals and recommendations
Some time-off requests may be automatically approved based on company policies. The Recommendations column explains why a request was auto-approved or sent for manager review.
Possible recommendations include:
"Request passes all scheduling policies." (Auto-approved)
"Needs manager review due to coverage gaps."
"Needs manager review due to policy restrictions."
Approving or denying a request
When a request is approved:
A notification is sent to the employee.
A time-off block is added to their calendar.
(If enabled) The system removes any scheduled shifts that overlap with the approved time-off period.
When a request is denied:
A notification is sent to the employee explaining the denial.
No changes are made to their schedule.
Next steps
See guides on scheduling change requests