Documentation
Setup & configuration
Time-off policies
Usage plugins
Allow open-ended

Allow open-ended

Let employees start time off without specifying an end date — useful for sick leave and other absences with uncertain duration.

Overview

By default, all time-off requests require both a start date and an end date. When you add the Allow open-ended periods plugin to a policy, employees can start an absence without knowing when it will end.

Open-ended absences:

  • Must start today (cannot be scheduled for the future)
  • Stay active until explicitly interrupted
  • Consume balance progressively, one period at a time, rather than all at once

This is typically used for sick leave where the end date is unknown at the start.

How employees use it

Open-ended absences are started from the Dashboard, not from the standard time-off request form.

When a policy with open-ended support is exposed as a dashboard shortcut:

  1. The dashboard shows a quick-action button (for example, I'm sick )
  2. Click the button to start the absence — it begins today with no end date
  3. The dashboard shows the ongoing absence and a I'm back button
  4. Click I'm back to end the absence from today

While an open-ended absence is active, the employee cannot clock in or start a new overlapping absence.

Configuration

  1. Go to Settings › Policies and open a time-off policy
  2. In the Usage section, add the Allow open-ended periods plugin
  3. Optionally, turn on Dashboard shortcut and set a tooltip (for example, “Report sick leave”) so it appears as a quick action on the dashboard
  4. Click Save

Then assign the policy to the relevant employment terms so employees can use it.

Related

Conditional Approval