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How to manage leave requests

Review leave requests, approve, reject or cancel them, and check the full history of each one.

When a worker requests leave, or your team records leave for them, it arrives in Leave Requests for a decision. Nothing is confirmed until someone acts on it, so this screen is where you balance what your workers need against the shifts you have to cover.

 

Before you begin

  • Leave Management is available on Agency Accelerator Pro.
  • You will need a user access level that allows you to approve leave.
  • Check the worker's remaining balance and the dates requested before deciding. Paid leave cannot be requested if it would take a worker over their remaining balance.
  • Rejecting or cancelling leave needs a reason, so have your thinking clear.

 

Finding your leave requests

  1. Select Leaves in the left hand menu.
  2. Choose Leave Requests.

The list opens on Pending. Use the status dropdown to switch between:

  • Pending: waiting for a decision
  • Approved: agreed and confirmed
  • Rejected: declined
  • Cancelled: cancelled after being approved

Use Search by Employee ID/Name to find a particular worker, and RESET FILTERS to return to the default view. Use the page numbers at the bottom, and the dropdown beside Showing 10 of 30 results to change how many rows show.

The Upcoming Holidays panel on the right lists the year's bank holidays (BH) and special holidays (SH), which is useful context when a request falls near one.

 

Reading the list

Each row shows:

  • Employee: the worker's name and reference number
  • Start Date and End Date: the period requested
  • Leave Type: the type, and whether it is Paid or Unpaid
  • Reason: select the eye icon to see the reason given
  • Status: where the request has reached
  • Created On: when the request was made
  • Action: what you can do next

The Action column depends on the status:

  • Pending: APPROVE, plus the ⋮ menu
  • Approved: CANCEL, plus the ⋮ menu
  • Rejected and Cancelled: the ⋮ menu only

The ⋮ menu has two options: View Details, which opens the full request, and View Audit, which opens its history.

 

Reviewing a request in full

Select the ⋮ menu on the request, then View Details. The Leave History panel opens.

  • Leave Breakdown: every date in the request, with its Start Date, Duration and Availability, for example Full day (1D)
  • Leave Type/Reason: the type, whether it is paid or unpaid, and the reason given, with View Document for any attachment such as a fit note
  • For a pending request: REJECT LEAVE and APPROVE LEAVE at the bottom of the panel
  • For an approved request: who approved it and when, for example Approved on 03/11/2026 by the person who approved it

Tip: Open the breakdown rather than relying on the start and end dates alone. A request from the 12th to the 26th does not necessarily mean ten working days off, as some days may be half days.

 

Approving a request

  1. Select APPROVE on the request's row, or APPROVE LEAVE in the Leave History panel.
  2. A message explains that approving will notify the employee and update their leave records.
  3. Select APPROVE to confirm.

Once approved, the status changes to Approved, the worker is notified, paid leave comes off their balance, and the leave shows in Leave Summary. The worker is not offered shifts at those times.

 

Rejecting a request

Requests are rejected from the Leave History panel, and every rejection needs a reason.

  1. Select the ⋮ menu on the request, then View Details.
  2. Select REJECT LEAVE. The Why are you rejecting this request? window opens.
  3. Choose a reason from Select reason. The reason is required, and the REJECT button stays unavailable until you have chosen one.
  4. Add a Description explaining the decision in your own words.
  5. Select REJECT.

Choose the reason that fits best:

  • Insufficient leave balance: the worker does not have enough paid leave left
  • Not eligible for leave: the worker is not entitled to this type of leave
  • Policy violation: the request goes against your leave policy, such as notice periods
  • Other: any other reason, such as shift cover

The status changes to Rejected and the worker is sent an email to let them know. Their balance is not affected.

Tip: Write the description as if the worker will read it. Where you are rejecting because of shift cover rather than entitlement, choose Other, say so, and suggest alternative dates. It turns a refusal into a conversation.

 

Cancelling approved leave

Plans change. Approved leave can be cancelled from the list, and this also needs a reason.

  1. Set the status dropdown to Approved.
  2. Select CANCEL on the request's row. The Are you sure you want to cancel this leave? window opens.
  3. Choose a reason from Select reason. This is required.
  4. Add a Description explaining why.
  5. Select CANCEL to confirm.

The request moves to Cancelled. Paid leave goes back into the worker's balance, and the worker becomes available for shifts again based on their availability and your schedule.

Please note: Let the worker know before you cancel leave they are expecting to take, as they may be offered shifts on those dates.

 

Changing leave that is wrong

Leave cannot be edited once it has been recorded. To change the dates, the duration or the type:

  • If it is still pending: reject it, choosing Other and noting that it was recorded incorrectly, then record the correct leave.
  • If it has been approved: cancel it, then record the correct leave.

To record the correct leave, select Leaves, then Add Leave. See How to add leave on behalf of a worker.

Tip: Use the description to link the two, for example "Replaced by leave from 5 to 7 November". It makes the history easy to follow later.

 

Checking a request's audit log

Select the ⋮ menu on the request, then View Audit. The Audit log lists everything that has happened to the request, grouped by date, with the time and who did it, for example Leave created by the person who recorded it. Use it when you need to know who added, approved, rejected or cancelled a request.

 

Viewing a worker's leave history

For audits, disputes or year end reviews, you can see all of a worker's leave in two places:

  • Leave Requests: search for the worker and switch the status dropdown between Pending, Approved, Rejected and Cancelled. The list shows one status at a time.
  • Leave Summary: select Leaves, then Leave Summary, find the worker and select the chevron beside their name. Their record lists every leave entry with its dates, duration, type, reason and status, alongside their leave balance.

For changes to the worker's balance, see the balance audit log in How to set up leave allowances.

Please note: Leave history cannot be exported. Use Leave Requests and Leave Summary to review it on screen.

 

If something looks wrong

  • A request does not appear. Check the status filter, as a colleague may already have acted on it, and clear your search with RESET FILTERS. Use View Audit to see who acted on it.
  • The REJECT or CANCEL button will not respond. Choose a reason from Select reason first.
  • There is no CANCEL button. Only approved leave can be cancelled. Set the status dropdown to Approved.
  • A balance does not update after you approve or cancel leave. Check the worker's balance audit log in Leave Allowance.

If a request cannot be actioned, or you approved, rejected or cancelled leave by mistake, contact our Support Team with the worker's reference number and the dates of the request.