Time Off Management

Corinne

Updated September 09, 2026 23:45

Efficient time-off management is crucial to effective workforce planning. This article will guide you through the various ways to manage agent time off in Dialpad WFM, whether by syncing automatically with your HRIS or external calendars or by adding it directly in WFM.

Who can use this
Dialpad WFM is available to all Dialpad users and as a standalone product.
Contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss adding Dialpad WFM to your plan.

You must be a Dialpad WFM Admin to manage time off in Dialpad WFM.

Time off management in WFM

Dialpad WFM offers multiple ways to manage and view agent time off:

Sync approved time off from your HRIS system or external calendar
Add time off directly into the schedule as an admin
Review (and approve) time off requests submitted by agents

You can choose either option or a combination, depending on your needs.

Time off is managed within the Shift view of the schedule and can also be viewed in the Activity view.

Time off requests are part of an approval workflow. Once approved, the time off is applied to the schedule.

Tip
Unlike shifts, time off events (whether synced or manually added/edited/deleted) are automatically shared with agents and do not require publishing.

Sync time off from HRIS or calendar

Dialpad WFM integrates with your existing HRIS or external calendars to pull approved time off directly into the schedule.

Visit our integration article for more information.

Note
Synced time off and agent-submitted time off requests are separate workflows. Calendar or HRIS integrations pull approved time off from the HRIS into Dialpad WFM, while agent time off requests are submitted and reviewed directly in WFM.

Add time off

You can manually add time off in the schedule, making it quick and easy to account for absences:

Select Shifts
Right-click into an empty space in an agent’s day
Select Add Time Off
Choose if it is a single or multi-day booking:
- For single-day bookings, you can either set ‘all day' (24 hours)
  - For partial time off, uncheck ‘All day’ and set the specific time range.
    For example:
    - Mid-shift time off: will split the shift into two shifts (e.g. 9–1 and 3–5)
    - Start of shift time off: will cause the shift to begin later (e.g. 1–5)
    - End of shift time off: will cause the shift to end earlier (e.g. 9–1)
    Tip
    Partial day time off that overlaps a shift will automatically adjust the shift by shortening or splitting it to reflect the remaining working hours.
  - For multi-day bookings, you can change the start day and time and the end day and time.
Select the type of time off
- FMLA
- Leave of absence
- Parental leave
- Sick
- Time off
- Vacation
- Public holiday
Select Save

Admin-added time off is useful when a manager or scheduler needs to create a time off booking directly on an agent's behalf. If agents in your organization can submit time-off requests, they can also start the process themselves in the agent experience in Dialpad WFM.

Edit time off

You can edit synced or manually added time off bookings from the schedule at any time:

Select Shifts
Select the time off booking you want to edit
Choose if it is a single or multi-day booking:
1. For single-day bookings, you can choose ‘all day' (24hrs), or specific start and end times.
2. For partial time off, uncheck ‘All day’ and set the specific time range.
  For example:
  - Mid-shift time off: will split the shift into two shifts (e.g. 9–1 and 3–5)
  - Start of shift time off: will cause the shift to begin later (e.g. 1–5)
  - End of shift time off: will cause the shift to end earlier (e.g. 9–1)
  Tip
  Partial day time off that overlaps a shift will automatically adjust the shift by shortening or splitting it to reflect the remaining working hours.
3. For multi-day bookings, you can change the start day and time and end day time.
Select the type of time off
- FMLA
- Leave of absence
- Parental leave
- Sick
- Time off
- Vacation
Select Save

Delete time off

You can delete synced or manually added time off from the schedule that are no longer needed:

Select Shifts
Right-click the time off booking you want to delete
Select Delete

Tip
If a shift was previously scheduled before time off was added, then the shift will be reinstated once the time off is deleted.

Add time off in bulk

Bulk time off management makes it easier to add time off to WFM.

You can:

Add the same type and duration of time off for multiple agents.
- This is best for use cases such as public holidays
Add the same time with different durations for a single agent.
- This is best when you want to add several entries for a single agent in one go.

To make bulk changes to time off, go to the Schedule tab in Dialpad WFM and ensure you’re in the shifts view.

Select Bulk Edit
Select + Add time off

To add time off of the same type, different duration for a single agent

Select the agent
Select the timezone
Select the time off type
Add the different entries
- Use ‘Add another’ for each new entry of the same time off type
Select Save

To add time off of the same type and the same duration, for multiple agents

Select the agents or teams
Select the timezone
Select the time off type
Add the entry
Select Save

Frequently asked questions

What do I do if an agent calls out during their shift?

You can easily account for agents calling out sick during their shift.

Adding time off directly into the shift schedule is the fastest way to do this.

Tip
When a partial day time off overlaps with part of a shift, the shift is automatically adjusted.

To fix a conflict issue, start here:

Select the time off booking
Select Hide Time Off to hide this from the schedule

The existing shift will now be restored, now follow the steps below.

To add time off manually, start here:

Select Shifts
Select the shift you want to end early
Enter the time the agent ended their shift
Select Save
Now, right click the space in their day and select Add Time Off
Set the start time as the time the agent went home and the end time as their scheduled end of shift
Select Save
Right click on the shift you edited and select Publish Day

Why isn’t my shift adjusting automatically?

This usually happens when the time off information isn’t syncing correctly from the HRIS.

Visit our Time Off FAQs for more details.

Why isn’t time off syncing from my HRIS or calendar?

There can be several reasons why time off isn’t syncing from your HRIS or calendar.

Read our Synced Time Off Troubleshooting Guide for more information.

What happens if time off is manually added and then synced later?

Synced time-off bookings have a higher priority than manually added time-off. This means that if manually added and synced time off clash, then the synced time off will be displayed.

Can I use an activity to add time off within a shift?

No, time off has to be added with a time off block in the shift schedule. If you create a custom activity, the system will not be able to identify and treat it as a time-off block correctly, which can affect the accuracy of reporting.

How does time off affect an agent’s adherence or performance?

Adherence and performance metrics automatically adjust based on updated shift hours. Time-off periods are excluded, so agents are only measured during their remaining scheduled shift.

Do I need to publish time off?

No, time off bookings (whether synced or manually added/edited/deleted) are automatically shared with agents and do not require publishing.

Will manually added time off sync into my HRIS system?

No, Dialpad WFM only pulls data from HRIS systems. Manually added time off will not write to your HRIS system.

How can I track time off added in Dialpad WFM?

You can export and track agents’ time off using Dialpad WFM’s timesheets. Exported timesheets include the booked time off, as well as any shifts that were overwritten, allowing you to correctly measure the hours the agent did not work.

Please note that Dialpad WFM does not provide a time-off balance that can be referenced within the tool.

Can agents request or book time off in Dialpad WFM?

Yes. Agents can submit time off requests directly in Dialpad WFM for a manager or scheduler to review.

Once the request is reviewed, the agent receives an email indicating whether it was approved or declined.

Does Dialpad WFM track leave balances or accruals?

No. Dialpad WFM does not track leave balances or accruals.

It supports the time off request and approval workflow, but it does not provide a balance management or accrual calculator.