Understanding Leave Hours — Contracted vs Calendar Days
The Dual Leave-Hours Model
Intelligent Roster calculates leave hours in two different ways, depending on whether you're tracking pay/balance or staffing coverage:
1. Deduction Basis — Your Contracted Days (Pay & Balance)
Used for: Leave balances, pay deductions, leave ledger, timesheets
Example: If you have a 5-day contract (Mon–Fri):
- 1 day of leave = 8 hours deducted from your balance
- Your contracted days are Monday through Friday
- Weekend leave (Saturday/Sunday) does not consume contracted days, so you cannot take leave on weekends
Formula:
- Daily deduction rate = (total hours in your contract period) ÷ (contracted days per week × 2 weeks)
- For a 40-hour per week, 5-day contract: 40 ÷ (5 × 2) = 4 hours per day
2. Coverage Basis — Calendar Days (Staffing Impact)
Used for: Leave Calendar, coverage analysis, capacity planning, open shift generation
Example: If the organization runs 7 days a week:
- Any staff member on leave on any calendar day (including Saturday/Sunday) counts as unavailable for that day
- Leave on a weekday affects coverage the same way leave on a weekend does
- The system can generate open shifts for weekend leave even if the staff member's contract doesn't normally include weekends
Formula:
- Daily coverage rate = (total hours in the period) ÷ (operating days per week × 2 weeks)
- For 7 days per week: 40 hours ÷ (7 × 2) = 2.86 hours per day
Why Two Models?
Leave balances must respect your employment contract (you can't take leave on days you don't work, hence the 5-day basis).
Staffing coverage looks at the full operational week (the organization runs 7 days, so coverage impact should reflect all calendar days, even when a staff member's contract is only 5 days).
How to Check Your Leave
Leave Ledger (Sidebar → Leave Ledger):
- Shows leave deducted from your balance using contracted days
- Displays total hours based on your actual contract
Leave Calendar (Sidebar → Leave Calendar):
- Shows leave coverage impact across all calendar days
- A day highlighted means your organization is operating short-staffed that day
Tips & Common Questions
Q: I'm contracted Mon-Fri. Can I take leave on Saturday? A: No — your contracted days are Mon-Fri, so you can only request leave for those days.
Q: Why does the Leave Calendar show my leave on the weekend? A: The Leave Calendar uses calendar-day coverage. If you're approved for leave that spans a weekend (e.g., Friday–Monday, where Friday is your last contracted day), the coverage view includes those calendar days to show the full period. Your actual deduction is still based on contracted days (just Friday in this example).
Q: How do I know how much leave I have left? A: Contact your HR/payroll team — Intelligent Roster doesn't track balances or accruals. The Leave Ledger shows usage, not entitlements.
Q: Does my organization have to run 7 days a week? A: No — your Org Admin sets the "operating days per week". A 5-day operation would use a 5-day coverage basis.
Admin Note: Configuration
Organization Admins can configure:
- Contracted Days Per Week — e.g., 5 for Mon-Fri, 6 for Mon-Sat (Sidebar → Organization Settings → Leave Configuration)
- Operating Days Per Week — e.g., 7 for 7-day operation (Sidebar → Organization Settings → Leave Configuration)
These settings affect:
- How leave deduction is calculated for payroll
- How coverage impact is displayed in calendars and analytics
- How many days a staff member can request leave for