How to Manage, Configure, and Utilize Overspend Limits for Holiday Allowances
Managing overspend limits in Rotaready provides flexibility for employees to book holidays even before they have fully accrued time. This functionality is particularly beneficial for accommodating advanced bookings while maintaining control over allowances. Below, we cover all you need to know about overspend limits, from understanding how they work to setting them up and troubleshooting.
Understanding Overspend Limits
An overspend limit allows employees to use a set number of hours or days beyond their accrued or predicted holiday allowance by the booking date. It functions as a temporary "overdraft":
Flexibility: Employees can book holidays before accruing sufficient entitlement.
Doesn’t Increase Annual Allowance: The overspend limit does not modify or increase the total yearly entitlement. It only enables early access to already-allocated holidays.
Predicted Accrual vs. Overspend: Rotaready predicts holiday allowances based on expected hours worked. If this prediction meets the booking requirements, employees can book holidays up to this predicted figure. When insufficient, an overspend limit can bridge the gap.
Setting Up Overspend Limits
Adding or Adjusting Overspend
Navigate to User Profile > Absence > Allowances.
Identify the active allowance and click Options > Edit.
Locate the field labeled "Overspend" and input the desired value in hours (for hourly employees) or days. The overspend amount has to be a whole number.
Click Save.
This setting applies to individual employees and must be configured per profile.
Capping Allowances or Removing Overspend
Cap Accrual: In cases where accrual hours need to be capped, navigate to Profile > Absence > Allowances > Options > Edit and fill in the "Maximum to accrue" field.
Remove Overspend: Follow the same steps for editing an allowance, set the overspend value to "0," and save. This won’t affect any already-booked holidays.
Key Use Cases and Tips
Booking Holidays with Negative Balances
If insufficient balances block holiday bookings, ensure that the overspend limit covers both any negative amount and the required booking period. For example, booking 1 day may require adding sufficient hours to account for the shortfall.
When Overspend Isn’t Allowed
If there is no configured overspend, leave bookings beyond accrued balances are blocked. Overspend must first be added for flexibility.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Holiday Still Not Bookable After Updating Overspend: - Confirm no overlapping or conflicting allowance settings. - Once holidays are successfully booked, consider removing overspend to prevent excess requests.
Negative Balances/Accrual Discrepancies: - Predicted accruals are based on working patterns. Employees working fewer hours may see unexpected negative balances.
Permissions to Adjust Overspend: - Any changes to permission levels must be handled internally by your organization. Head Office controls these permissions.
Related Topics
Managing Predicted Accrual Options
Adjusting Leave Allowance Thresholds
Accrual-based Holiday Management Techniques