How does HRLocker calculate the leave duration for each request?

HRLocker enables you to request leave by entering a start date/time and an end date/time. The system then calculates the total number of working days or hours between these dates. Both the start and end dates are included in the calculation. For example, if you book leave that starts and ends on the same day, it counts as 1 day of leave. If leave starts today and ends tomorrow, it counts as 2 days.

What is Considered a Working Day?

In HRLocker, a working day is any day that is not a public holiday (as recorded in your office settings) and is part of the employee's assigned work pattern. For example, if an employee's work pattern is Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday will not count as working days for leave calculation purposes.

What are Considered Working Hours?

Working hours are defined by the hours set in the work pattern assigned to each working day. In some cases, the workday may span past midnight. For instance, if an employee works from 6 PM to 2 AM on a Friday, their Friday workday actually ends at 2 AM on Saturday.

Daily vs. Hourly Leave:

Most HRLocker users track their leave by the day. Daily leave allows requests for either full or half days. When half-day leave is accrued as the year progresses, pro-rata leave entitlement is rounded up to the next half day, benefitting the employee. However, leave is deducted in either full or half-day increments, regardless of the number of working hours in each day.

For employees using hourly leave, half-day requests are not available. Instead, you can specify a custom duration for each leave request by entering exact start and end times. The deducted working hours will depend on the employee’s work pattern and are calculated daily.

Switching between daily and hourly leave may cause slight differences in leave calculations due to rounding. Manual adjustments and carryover are recalculated based on the employee's standard workweek when switching leave types.

Why Don't HRLocker’s Leave Calculations Match Mine?

If HRLocker's leave calculations differ from your own, consider the following:

1. Does the leave overlap with filters?
   HRLocker’s time-off logs and reports include filters. If an employee’s leave spans across different leave years, your calculations may differ. Adjust the filter by clicking on the filter icon or running the report with different dates.

2. Does the leave overlap with the employee's Employment Start Date or End Date?
   Only leave that begins on or after the employee's start date, and ends before the employee's end date are included as deductible leave (please note the end date is not included in this calculation as the HRLocker system considers the termination date to be the first date of unemployment, rather than the last date of employment.)

3. Work Pattern Considerations:
   Ensure the employee’s work pattern is correctly assigned and matches your leave calculations. If long-term leave overlaps multiple work patterns, calculations may be affected.

4. Public Holidays:
   Public holidays are set in the employee’s office time-off settings and can also be viewed in the "Who's Off" calendar. Verify that the public holidays match the employee’s country of residence, and check whether the office has modified or imported a public holidays list.

5. Start and End Date Inclusion:
   HRLocker includes both the start and end dates in its calculations, so be sure to do the same in your own calculations.

6. Rostered Off Days:
   HRLocker allows leave to be booked on top of "Rostered Off" days, which are non-deductible and excluded from leave duration calculations.

7. Check the logs
   Editing an employee's working pattern or some other change to the employee's profile, such as changing their employment start date or end date will change their leave calculations even if this leave was in the past. Check the logs to see if any changes were made that my affect your leave calculations by downloading the log file at the bottom of the time off page

To cross-check your leave calculations, you can use third-party tools like TimeandDate.com’s Workday Calculator. Just ensure the correct country, working days, and the inclusion of the end date are selected.