Leave types and rules
A leave type is a standard leave, a comp-off, unpaid leave or on-duty. A default set — casual, sick, earned, loss of pay, maternity, paternity and comp-off — can be created in one step and then changed to match company policy.
Each leave rule is versioned and effective-dated: it is drafted, approved and activated, and earlier versions stay on record. A rule can set:
- the entitlement and how often it is credited, with proration for people who join or leave mid-period;
- a balance ceiling, whether the balance may go negative, and a minimum length of service;
- notice and backdating limits, a maximum number of spells a year, and proof required beyond a number of days;
- half days (first or second half), and optionally quarter days and a monthly half-day cap;
- how holidays and weekly offs inside a leave are counted, including an optional sandwich rule.
Rules apply by filters — employee type, category, grade, branch, department, designation, a named list of employees, gender and age. An empty filter means everyone.
Balances as a ledger
A balance is never a number someone typed over. It is the sum of dated entries — opening, accrual, used, carry-forward, lapse, expiry, encashment, adjustment and cancellation — so any balance can be traced to how it was reached.
- Opening balances are entered or bulk-imported when a company starts.
- Credits are posted when HR runs the accrual for a period; running it twice does not credit twice.
- Closing the leave year carries forward, lapses and expires balances by the rule.
Applying and approvals
- The employee previews how many days the request will cost, then applies. Overlapping requests are refused. Nothing is deducted yet.
- The approval flow is chosen by leave type, department, branch or employee category. Without a configured flow, the reporting manager approves.
- Each step names its approver — the reporting manager, the department head, anyone holding a role, a named person, the manager's manager — and a step can apply only above a number of days, for example "more than five days also needs the plant head".
- The decision moves the balance: approval posts the leave; rejection leaves the balance untouched.
Nobody can approve their own leave, administrators included. Someone who is not the step's approver can decide only with an override permission and a written reason, and the override is recorded.
A pending request can be withdrawn. An approved one can be cancelled, which reverses its ledger entry.
Who sees whose leave
A manager sees their own record and their direct reports, widened only if their role is given a wider organisational scope. An HR user limited to a branch is refused other branches. Team leave can also be shown on the shared calendar, if the company turns that on, with either the name alone or the name and leave type.
Comp-off, on-duty and encashment
- Comp-off is claimed by the employee for a day worked off-schedule and decided by an approver; it is never credited automatically from punches. Approved credits become leave balance and can expire.
- Outdoor duty requests use the same approval engine.
- Encashment records the days surrendered in the ledger. The payment is made through a payroll adjustment; it is not added to salary automatically.
Leave, attendance and loss of pay
Only approved leave counts — a pending request has no effect on attendance or pay. Approved leave is part of each day's attendance record, and payroll counts paid leave, unpaid leave and loss-of-pay days from those records when it prorates salary. A leave decision that touches a month whose payroll is already frozen is checked against that lock.
Questions
How does leave approval work in HRMSMax?
Each request follows the approval flow configured for its leave type, department, branch or employee category — one or more steps, each naming its approver, optionally only above a number of days. With no flow configured, the reporting manager approves.
Can a manager approve their own leave?
No. Nobody can approve their own request, administrators included.
Can managers see only their own team?
Yes. A manager sees their direct reports unless their role is given a wider scope.
Does HRMSMax support carry-forward?
Yes. Closing the leave year carries forward, lapses or expires balances according to each leave rule.
Is leave encashment paid automatically?
No. HRMSMax records the encashed days against the balance; the amount is paid through a payroll adjustment.
How does leave affect payroll?
Approved paid leave counts as a paid day. Unpaid leave and unapproved absence become loss-of-pay days, which reduce the components that are set to prorate.