Please note: The following feature is available as part of Birdie’s Core, Advanced and Plus packages. Please get in touch if interested in more information on this feature!
You can now view and book time off for a Carer via the Agency Hub. These absences will sync to the Birdie app reducing the need for frequent office inquiries and eliminating the time-consuming process of using emails and calls to confirm a Carer's absence.
This feature will help your team maintain a balanced workload while ensuring Carers have visibility of booked holidays and past absences.
How to view time off for a specific Carer
Start by selecting the Carer from the Team tab and going to their Time off tab.
Here you will be able to see:
Upcoming time off
Past time off
Declined time off
Cancelled time off
You can use the date selector to search through past and future years. This helps you to keep track of past time off and aids in scheduling leave in the future.
To view more information about a Carer's time off, click on the dates.
Here you will be able to see:
Absence type (Annual leave, appointment, sick leave, other etc.)
Description (visible to Carers)
Period of Absence
Office notes (visible to Carers)
You will be able to edit these details at any time or cancel the time off by clicking Cancel time off.
How to book time off for a Carer
On the Time off tab click the Book time off button.
Here you will be able to add details about the absence such as:
Absence type (Annual leave, appointment, sick leave, other etc.)
Description (visible to Carers)
Period of Absence
Office notes (visible to Carers)
When you are done filling in the information, click the Book time off button. You will then see a pop-up message asking you to review and confirm the time off.
You will have the option to unallocate visits that are assigned to a Carer during their time off, to do this tick the box that says Unallocate visits impacted by this absence. This ensures that the visits can be assigned to someone else who is available.
You can untick this box if you want to keep the visits assigned to the Carer. Click Confirm to save this absence.
Absences will be surfaced and colour-coded in the Roster tab so that you can see who is off and why.
How to cancel an absence
If you need to cancel an absence that you have booked for a Carer, click on the absence in their Time off section. There, you will be able to either view the absence details or delete the absence.
This change will automatically reflect in your weekly rota, and you will be able to assign the Carer to visits once more. When you navigate back to the Roster screen, you will be able to see the absences colour-coded.
How to view the time off audit trail
You will be able to see the audit trail of an absence per individual Carer via the Timeline tab. Start by going to the Carers Time off tab and select the absence.
From here, click on the Timeline tab, this timeline displays:
The history of action
Any changes associated with the booking
Who made the change
When the change was made
This allows you to keep track of all events related to a particular absence
How to view time off requests from your team
Please note: The following feature is available as part of Birdie’s Advanced and Plus packages. Please get in touch if you are interested in more information on this feature!
Go to the Team tab and click the Time off requests tab.
Here you will be able to see all of the requests that your Carers have submitted via their app. You will be alerted of new requests by a red icon on the Time off requests tab.
Click on the request to view more information, here you will be able to:
Edit the absence type
Add a description (optional)
Edit the absence period
Add an office note (optional)
Approve or Decline the absence request
See who else is off
Once you have approved or declined the absence this will be removed from the Time off requests tab and can be viewed on the individual Carer's Time off tab.
What will my Carer see?
Your carer will be able to:
Request an absence (Advanced and Plus packages)
View upcoming absences
View past absences
View declined absences
View Cancelled absences
For more information on how to view this, please see this article - How to View Absences on the Birdie app.
Birdie Academy Video
Time off FAQS
Can I book multiple absences during the same time?
No, you cannot book or overlap different types of absences, e.g. you cannot book an appointment during annual leave. if you need to add another type of absence you will need to cancel the original one.
What is the maximum amount of time that can be booked off?
The maximum length of an absence is limited to 1 year. If you need to book an absence longer than a year please split this up into two separate absence periods.
Can I record past absences?
Yes, you can record past absences. You have the option to record absences that have already taken place and cancel an absence recorded in the past by clicking on the absence and clicking cancel time-off.
Who can see the absence description?
This note is visible to the carer and agency admin team. This ensures everyone is on the same page regarding the absence.
Can all admins approve and decline time off? (Advanced and Plus packages)
Yes, anyone with admin status on the Agency Hub will be able to approve and decline time off.
Can I approve a previously denied request in the Agency Hub? (Advanced and Plus packages)
Yes, you can reinstate any request that has been denied, whether it is for future or past dates via the Agency Hub. This gives you the flexibility to change decisions as required.
Can Carers request a half day via the app?
No, it is not possible to book half days directly from the app. However, when the carers submit their request they can indicate this in the note and the duration can be adjusted in the Agency Hub by a manager. If you are using Birdie's holiday pay calculations, holidays are only calculated in full days and therefore you may not want to permit requests for partial days.