5. Leave

This guide explains how Leave works end-to-end in JobNext: Leave Types → Leave Eligibility & Balances → Leave Requests & Approvals → Attendance Integration → Leave Settlement.

1) How Leave Works in JobNext (Quick Overview)

In JobNext, every employee’s leave is managed using three connected concepts:

1. Leave Types (the rules)

2. Leave Requests (what the employee applies for, and what gets approved/rejected)

3. Leave Balance (the employee’s available leave, calculated from all leave transactions posted for that employee)

Once a leave request is approved, JobNext posts it into the employee’s leave balance records (so the balance reduces). The payroll process also posts leave entitlements/accruals (so the balance increases).

2) Leave Types (Setup & Rules)

Leave Types define the rules and limits for each type of leave (for example Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity, Hajj, Emergency Leave, LOP, etc.). Leave Types control:

2.1 Paid vs Unpaid

Each leave type can be configured as Paid or Unpaid. (Example: “Leave Without Pay” is typically unpaid; Annual Leave is typically paid.)

Important: Even if a leave type is configured as “Paid”, attendance/payroll rules can still mark some leave days as unpaid (LOP) in specific scenarios (see Section 6).

2.2 Carryover vs Non-Carryover

Leave types can be configured as either:

• Carryover leave: unused balance may carry forward to the next leave year (typical for Annual Leave)

• Non-carryover leave: balance typically resets/renews each leave year (typical for special leaves like New Year Leave, some festival leaves, etc.)

JobNext also supports a maximum carryover cap. If an employee’s carryover leave exceeds the allowed carryover, the excess will be reduced automatically as part of the payroll leave management process.

2.3 Limits (Key Constraints)

A leave type can have limits such as:

• Max leave at a time (maximum days allowed in one request)

• Max leave per year (annual entitlement / yearly cap)

• Max leave in service (lifetime cap within service period, if applicable)
  These fields are part of the leave type configuration.

2.4 Eligibility Restrictions (Who Can Apply)

A leave type can be restricted to specific employee groups such as:

• Gender

• Nationality

• Religion

If an employee does not match the eligibility rules, they will not be able to apply (or the system will reject/validate it).

2.5 Encashment (Converting Leave to Cash)

Some leave types allow encashment (convert unused leave into cash payment), depending on company policy and configuration.

3) Leave Eligibility (Who Gets How Many Days)

For some leave types (especially Annual Leave), entitlement can depend on Designation / Grade / Role.

Example:

• Engineers may be entitled to 30 days/year

• Supervisors may be entitled to 45 days/year

• Managers may be entitled to 60 days/year

This is configured as “Leave eligibility by designation” in the Leave setup, where you choose a designation and define the number of eligible leave days.

4) Leave Balance (What the Employee Has Available)

4.1 What is “Leave Balance” in JobNext?

An employee’s leave balance is calculated from all leave transactions posted for them:

• When leave is granted/accrued (balance increases)

• When approved leave is taken (balance decreases)

• When leave is encashed (balance decreases)

• When carryover caps are applied (balance may be reduced)

The system stores each change as a transaction entry (with leave type, date, employee, number of days).

4.2 Why balance sometimes looks “unexpected”

Common reasons:

• Leave is renewed only during payroll processing (so balance doesn’t update until payroll runs)

• Some leave types are non-carryover and reset at year start (or DOJ anniversary, depending on company setup)

• Carryover leave may be capped, and excess is reduced automatically

• Attendance validation/finalisation may convert leave into LOP in some cases (see Section 6)

5) Leave Requests (Apply, Approve, Track)

5.1 Creating a Leave Request (Employee / HR)

A leave request typically captures:

• Employee (staff)

• Leave Type

• From Date / To Date

• Reason

• Number of days

• Half-day (if applicable)

• Optional Job link (if the request is associated with a job/site)

These are core fields in the request form and stored with approval and status details.

Step-by-step: Apply for Leave

1. Open Leave Request

2. Select Leave Type

3. Enter From and To dates

4. Enter Reason

5. Tick Half Day if needed

6. Choose the employee (if HR is applying on behalf of staff)

7. Submit / Apply

Screenshot placement

• Paste Screenshot C (Apply for Leave screen) here.
  (Form showing Leave Type, Job, From, To, Reason, Half Day, Apply For Leave, and Staff Chosen.)

5.2 Approval Workflow (Manager / HR / Approver)

Leave requests can be approved/rejected based on company approval rules. A request contains:

• Approver

• Approval date

• Approved/Rejected status

• Approver notes / rejection comments

What happens after approval?
When the request is approved, JobNext posts the leave into the employee’s leave transactions so the balance reduces (see Section 4).

6) Attendance Integration (Auto Leave Requests + Paid/Unpaid Decisions)

JobNext supports two important integrations with attendance:

6.1 Attendance Upload Can Create Leave Requests Automatically

When attendance is uploaded and then finalised, JobNext can auto-generate missing leave requests for leave days recorded in attendance (so the records stay consistent).

6.2 Attendance Validation Checks Leave Rules

When attendance is uploaded, JobNext runs validations such as:

• Leave/LOP totals not exceeding the number of days in the month

• Preventing conflicts like “leave recorded on one job” but “attendance recorded on another job” for the same day

6.3 Paid vs Unpaid Can Change During Finalisation

Even if a leave type is configured as “paid”, attendance finalisation can still result in some leave days becoming unpaid/LOP depending on company rules and attendance conditions (e.g., missing eligibility, missing balance, policy-driven rules, etc.).

Practical takeaway for business users:

• Leave Type (Paid/Unpaid) is the default policy

• Attendance Finalisation applies the operational rules and may override paid/unpaid on specific days

7) Payroll Leave Entitlement (How Leave Gets Added Automatically)

Leave balances are not only reduced by leave taken—JobNext also adds leave entitlement as part of payroll processing.

7.1 Non-Carryover Leave (Annual Reset / Renewal)

For leave types that do not carry forward, JobNext renews the leave balance each leave year (or according to company setup) by adding the yearly entitlement into the leave balance transactions.

For new joiners, the entitlement may be pro-rated (depending on how your company configured leave year rules).

7.2 Carryover Leave (e.g., Annual Leave)

For carryover leave, JobNext:

• Accrues/maintains the balance through payroll logic

• Enforces the maximum carryover cap if configured, reducing the excess automatically.

7.3 Financial Year vs Joining Date Anniversary

Some companies configure leave reset based on:

• Financial year, or

• Employee’s joining date anniversary

If your company uses DOJ anniversary rules, renewal and carryover checks apply on the anniversary cycle rather than the financial year cycle.

8) Leave Settlement (Leave Salary, Encashment, Air Tickets)

Leave Settlement is used when leave is being “closed out” financially. Common settlement components include:

• Leave Salary payment

• Leave encashment (pay cash instead of days)

• Air ticket / airfare payments or encashment (if applicable)

• Recovery / pending salary adjustments (depending on employee situation)

Settlement postings are calculated and then posted into payroll/accounting entries as part of the settlement approval process.

8.1 Typical Leave Settlement Process (Business Flow)

1. Open Leave Settlement

2. Select the employee

3. Select the leave request being settled

4. Review leave balances, eligible encashment, leave salary, and airfare eligibility

5. Enter “Pay From” account (cash/bank) if required

6. Submit for approval / approve settlement

9) Common Questions (Clearing Up Confusion)

Q1: “Why can’t the employee apply for a leave type?”

Most common causes:

• The leave type is restricted by gender/nationality/religion

• The leave type is inactive

• The request exceeds “max at a time” or yearly/service limits.

Q2: “Why is the leave balance not updated after I create a leave request?”

Because balance reduces only when the leave request is approved and posted into leave balance transactions.

Q3: “Why did Annual Leave reduce / disappear at year end?”

Because carryover caps may be applied and excess is reduced automatically, based on company policy.

Q4: “Why did a paid leave become unpaid (LOP)?”

Attendance finalisation can apply operational rules and may mark some days as unpaid depending on policy and eligibility checks.

10) Recommended “Good Practice” for Users

• Always check the employee’s Leave Balance before applying

• Apply leave early so approvals can be completed before payroll cut-off

• If leave was captured via attendance upload, confirm the leave request exists and is approved

• For settlement, confirm eligibility for encashment and air tickets before requesting approval