Lesson #144
Connect – Approve Time-Off function
If you allow it, resources can submit time-off requests through RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile (RBCM). Requests can be for any time frame, from a few hours for a doctor’s appointment, to a personal day, a long vacation, or a semester of classes that repeat at a specific time for a set period. Resources can provide all the details needed for you to make a decision in their requests. Use the Approve Time-Off function to manage these requests.
Give resources access to the Availability function in RB Connect; then set preferences for how soon in advance resources must make their requests, what your email responses to requests say, and who on your staff will be alerted when a time-off request comes in. The staff you list here can use this function whenever they are alerted to a request or as fits their work process to view and approve or deny time-off requests received online.
Manage online time-off requests
The default view is all outstanding requests, so you can quickly get to work resolving time-off requests. You can restrict the results to see requests pending from a single resource, and/or requests for a specific time period. You can also view requests with other statuses: Approved, Cancelled (by resource), and/or Denied.
The results list all requests that fit your search criteria. Each listing includes the resource’s name, the type of request, its current status, the date(s) and times the resource is requesting, the resource’s reason for the request and any further explanation, when the request was made, and who last acted on the request and at what time. You can sort your results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB will revert back to the default order). Export the results as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, share, print, or use in other applications.
To grant a resource’s request, you click the resource’s hyperlinked name, then Approve. If there is a schedule conflict —you tried to approve a resource’s time-off request for a time when the resource has already been assigned a task — a warning window appears and RB9 does not allow you to approve the request. If no warning appears, the request is approved, RB9 updates the request’s status, and notifies the resource via email and in their RB Connect Availability window’s Time-Off panel.
If you select Deny instead — to turn down the resource’s request —RB9 requires you to enter a comment/explanation before you can complete the denial. Then RB9 updates the request’s status, and notifies the resource via email and in RB Connect.
The Approve Time-Off function is limited to viewing, approving, and denying time-off requests made through RB Connect/RBCM only. If you need to make any changes to a time-off schedule or want to manage/monitor all time-off requests, use Resource Availability. You can view any resource’s schedule and planned time off, and change their schedule — adding or reducing hours of availability and time off.
If you have RB Connect and allow resources to use it to request time off, Approve Time-Off is a faster way to approve/deny requests than Resource Availability because the resource has already entered all of the request details, plus RB9 will notify you as soon as a request is made.
NOTE: This is an RB9-only function and requires RB Connect. It is not included in RB Lite.
TL;DR: When resources request time off through RB Connect or RB Connect Mobile, approve or deny their requests and have RB9 automatically notify them of their status through email and RB Connect/RBCM.
RB concepts in this lesson
RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >
RB Connect Mobile: Clients and resources can access your RB Connect on their smartphones and tablets in an interface optimized for mobile devices. More >
Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service.
