Minimum balance setting in absence type [Internal]

In absence type there is a new setting called Minimum balance allowed. In this field you can set the minimum balance an absence can reach where the days are treated as paid. This setting can be used to allow employees to use more days than they have accrued, and depending on the amount you set those days can result in a negative available balance or self paid days.

Minimum balance set to zero

If you set minimum balance to zero and the user is allowed to spend more than available balance (saved-up special rule is not set or enabled) the days exceeding the minimum balance will be treated as self-paid days and will not be deducted from the available balance.

Example: Marie Curie has an available balance of zero

If Marie Curie spends more vacation days, they will result in self-paid days

Minimum balance set to negative amount

If the minimum balance is set to a negative amount, for example -2 days, the days exceeding the available balance and up to - 2 days (minimum balance) will be treated as paid vacation days while the days exceeding the minimum balance will be result in self paid days.

Example: Marie Curie has an available balance of zero days and the minimum balance is set to -2 days, the user will be able to use up to 2 paid days and the available balance will become negative. When and if the user will accrue more days the negative amount will be balanced off by the new accruals.

If Marie Curie spends more days than the number set in minimum balance, the days exceeding the minimum balance will be treated as self-paid and will not be deducted from the available balance. Let's say she spends 2 more days, thus a total of 3 days that are spent without being accrued yet. The amount up to minimum balance will make the available balance negative while the days exceeding the minimum balance will result in unpaid and will not be deducted from the balance.

N.B.: at the moment there is no rule that prevents the user to exceed the minimum balance. If you are using the saved-up special rule it will give you a warning as soon as the user is trying to use an amount that results in negative availability at any day, as a result of applying that absence, even though the minimum balance allows to have a negative balance. The reason is that the special rule only checks if the availability stays positive at all times, but does not evaluate it against minimum balance. In other words, if you do not want the user to exceed the minimum balance there is no rule to prevent it.

Client does not use self paid days

If the client uses monthly accrual with release on accrual period end or after accrual period and employees are not allowed to use self paid days the minimum balance should be set to -999. In this way if the user uses more days than available balance those days will be deducted from the vacation balance and treated as paid days. If employees should never use days not accrued then saved up special rule should be enabled and enforced.

However, keep in mind that there might be a situation where the employer allows to use days/hours before being accrued but doesn't want the employees to exceed the annual amount set in vacation settings. At the moment as mentioned above there is no rule to prevent it.

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Date: 23-07-2021