How to Approve or Deny a Leave Request
As a manager, one of your key responsibilities is actioning leave requests.
Approving a Request
- Navigate to the 'Approvals' page. Any pending requests for your direct reports will be shown here.
- Click the green checkmark ('Approve') button on the request you want to action.
- You can optionally add a note, then click 'Confirm Approval'.
Denying a Request
- Click the red 'X' ('Deny') button on the request.
- You must add a note providing the reason for the denial.
- Click 'Confirm Denial'. The employee will be notified of the decision and your notes via email.
Understanding the Manager Notes Requirement
Manager notes are a critical part of the approval workflow.
Why are notes required for denials?
A denial without an explanation can cause frustration and confusion. Requiring notes ensures that:
- Employees receive clear reasoning.
- Communication remains transparent.
- A record is kept of the decision-making process.
How It Works
When denying a request, the 'Notes' text field is mandatory. The information you enter here will be included in the email notification sent to the employee.
How to View Your Team's Live Work Status
The Team Status screen gives you a real-time overview of your team's activity.
Accessing the Screen
Simply click 'Team Status' in the sidebar. This page is only visible to managers and admins.
Understanding the Statuses
- Clocked In: The employee is actively working.
- On Break: The employee has started a break.
- Clocked Out: The employee has finished work for the day.
- On Leave: The employee has an approved leave request for today.
How to Invite a New User to ClockWell
Growing your team in ClockWell is straightforward.
Steps to Invite
- Navigate to the 'Team Members' page.
- Click the 'Invite User' button.
- Fill in the new user's name, email, title, and optionally assign them a manager.
- Click 'Send Invite'. The user will receive an email to set up their account.
- Note: Invited users will show up on the team members page with an 'Invited' status until they activate their account.
How to Assign or Change a Manager for an Employee
Assigning a manager is critical for the leave request approval workflow. If an employee does not have an assigned manager, their leave requests will be routed to the first company administrator for approval.
Steps to Assign a Manager
- Navigate to the 'Team Members' page.
- Find the employee you wish to update and click the 'Actions' menu (three dots).
- Select 'Set Manager'.
- Choose the new manager from the dropdown list, or select 'No Manager' to remove them, and click 'Save'.
How to Set a Custom Holiday Calendar for an Employee
Sometimes employees in different regions need to follow different holiday schedules.
Steps to Set a Calendar
- Navigate to the 'Team Members' page.
- Click the 'Actions' menu (three dots) for the desired employee.
- Select 'Set Holiday Calendar'.
- You can either keep the 'Company Default' or choose 'Assign Specific Calendar' to select a different calendar by country and region.
- Click 'Save Changes'.
- Note: Choosing 'Company Default' will remove any specific override for that user.
How to Set Initial Leave Balances for an Employee
When a new employee joins mid-year, you need to set their starting leave balance for the current year. This is a one-time setup action.
When to Use This
- When onboarding a new employee who has a pro-rated leave allowance for their first year.
- To correct an employee's starting balance if it was missed during their initial setup.
Steps to Set Initial Balances
- Navigate to the 'Team Members' page. You will see a 'Needs Setup' badge next to any new employee who requires this action.
- Click the 'Actions' menu (three dots) for the employee and select 'Set Initial Balances'.
- Enter the number of days they should have remaining for each leave type for the rest of the current year and click 'Save'.
- Note: This only sets the balance for the current year. Future years will use the default or custom annual allowance.
How to Manage Custom Leave Allowances for an Employee
You can override the company-wide default leave allowances for individual employees. This sets a permanent new annual total for them.
When to Use This
- Long-tenured employees with more vacation days than the standard.
- Executives or other roles with different contract terms.
- Part-time employees who have a specific, pro-rated annual entitlement.
Steps to Manage Allowances
- Navigate to the 'Team Members' page.
- Click the 'Actions' menu (three dots) for the desired employee.
- Select 'Manage Leave Allowances'.
- Toggle the 'Custom' switch for any policy you wish to override and enter the new total number of annual days. Click 'Save'.
How to Change the Company-Wide Holiday Calendar
Set the default holiday calendar that applies to all employees who don't have an individual override.
Steps to Change the Calendar
- Navigate to 'Settings > Holidays'.
- Select the country and region you want to set as the default.
- Click 'View Holidays' to review the list.
- Once you are satisfied, click 'Use as Default Company Calendar'.
- Note: This change will affect future leave calculations for all users without a custom calendar.
How to Create or Edit a Leave Policy
Define and manage your company's types of leave.
Creating a New Policy
- Navigate to 'Settings > Leave Policies'.
- Click 'Add New Policy'.
- Enter a name (e.g., 'Personal Day'), the number of annual days, and carry-over rules.
- You can also set an initial balance for existing employees for this new policy. Click 'Add Policy'.
Editing an Existing Policy
- Click the 'Edit' button next to a policy in the list.
- Adjust the number of annual days or the carry-over rules.
- Click 'Save Changes'.
- Note: Be careful: reducing the days will immediately affect all employees' current balances.
How to Manage Your Subscription and Billing
Update your plan, change your payment method, and view invoices.
Accessing the Billing Portal
- Navigate to 'Settings > Subscription'. This tab is only visible to administrators.
- Review your current plan details.
- Click 'Manage Subscription'. You will be securely redirected to the Stripe customer portal.
In the Stripe Portal, you can:
All billing tasks are handled securely via our partner, Stripe.
- Change your plan (upgrade or downgrade).
- Update your payment method.
- View your billing history and download invoices.
- Cancel your subscription.