---
title: Entering an absence for a whole population
description: Create the same absence, approved straight away, for many employees at once, and read the report of absences created and rejected.
url: "http://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/hr-access-collective-absence-entry/"
updated: "2026-11-11"
category: Core HR services / HR access
---

# Entering an absence for a whole population

**Collective absence entry** records the same absence (same type, same dates, same comment) for a whole population in a single operation: the company closing between two public holidays, an imposed bridge day, a day off for an entire site. Absences are created already approved, without going through approval. Each employee still goes through the same checks as an individual entry, and those who fail them are listed with the reason. This article explains how to define the population, describe the absence, confirm and read the report. It is intended for HR teams and administrators.

## Before you start

- The Absence management module must be installed and open to you. The screen opens from **HR access › Collective entry**.
- Two permissions are required, both at Execute level: **Approve an absence directly (bypass approval)** and **Create an absence request**. The supplied Administrator and HR Manager roles carry them. With only one of the two, the screen says so and stays empty.
- Scope: only employees within your scope are targeted, as if you entered their absences one by one. Hiring drafts and inactive employees are left out. See [Defining a role’s target population](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/roles-target-population/).
- One operation targets at most 500 employees. Beyond that, split the population into several entries.

## Defining the population

The **Population** card combines two ways of targeting employees. Employees matching the criteria and those added by hand add up, without duplicates.

### By criteria

1. Click **Criteria**. The **Custom Filters** window opens.
2. Click **Add Filter**, then choose a **Field** (for example sub-company, office, department, teams, contract type or manager), an **Operator** (for example **Equals to**) and a **Value**.
3. Add further conditions with **Add Another Filter**, then click **Save Filters**. The button then shows the number of criteria, for example **Criteria (1)**. **Clear criteria** removes them all.

![Custom Filters window with Filter #1: Field Department, Operator Equals to, Value Finance; below, the Add Another Filter button, then the Cancel and Save Filters buttons.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/acces-rh-13.en_.png?resize=768%2C344&quality=80&ssl=1)
One criterion: every employee in the Finance department.

### By chosen employees

1. Under **Or chosen employees**, open the **Choose an employee** list and type the start of a name to find them.
2. Click **Add**. The person appears under the list, with a cross to remove them.
3. Repeat for each employee.

### Checking the population

Click **Preview the population**. The screen shows the number of employees targeted and lists the first names. If the population exceeds 500 employees, the counter turns red and asks you to narrow it. Nothing has been created at this stage.

Any change to the population (a criterion, an employee added or removed) clears this preview: click **Preview the population** again before confirming.

## Describing the absence

1. In **Absence type**, choose the type. The list only offers the types that one of your roles allows you to enter for others.
2. Choose the **From** and **To** dates in the calendar. Dates outside the allowed entry window are greyed out there.
3. For a single-day absence, if the type accepts half days, choose the **Duration**: **Full day**, **Morning** or **Afternoon**.
4. Add a **Comment** if needed: it goes with each employee’s absence.

![Collective absence entry screen filled in: in the Population card, four employees added (Jonas KELLER, Luca BIANCHI, Felix VON ARX, Mélanie SCHMID), the Preview the population button followed by “4 employee(s) targeted” and their names; in the Absence card, the Paid vacation type, From 24/12/2026 To 24/12/2026, Duration Full day selected and the comment “Company closed on Christmas Eve”; at the bottom right, the Create and approve for 4 employee(s) button.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/acces-rh-12.en_.png?resize=800%2C662&quality=80&ssl=1)
A one-day absence for four employees, ready to be created.

If remote work is managed in Flex Office for your workspace, a box at the top of the screen says so: imposed remote work is not entered here but in Flex Office (Remote work tab, collective booking), with an **Open Flex Office** link.

## Creating and approving

1. Once the population is checked and the type and start date are chosen, the button becomes **Create and approve for N employee(s)**. Click it.
2. Before anything is written, the dates are checked for every targeted employee: if they fall outside the entry window of any of them, nothing is created and a message says so.
3. Otherwise, the absence is recorded for each employee, one by one, with the checks of an individual entry: balance, overlap with another absence, closed payroll period, contract, working day, supporting document and so on. A message sums up the number of absences created and rejected.

## Reading the report

The **Report** card appears below the form:

- the sentence “N absence(s) created out of M targeted employee(s).”;
- **Created with a warning**: absences created despite a check that your role lets through as a mere warning, with the warning message for each employee;
- **Rejections**: employees for whom the absence was not created, with the **Reason**, that is, the message an individual entry would have shown.

If you are part of the targeted population, your own absence is not approved automatically: it remains subject to approval, and the report says so.

## Good to know

- Employees receive the same notifications as for an absence entered for them individually.
- A rejection leaves nothing behind and does not prevent creation for the other employees.
- Each collective entry is logged: who made it, for how many employees, with the report.
- The absences created are ordinary, approved absences: they appear in each employee’s calendar and counters. See [Absence management: overview and vocabulary](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-overview/) and [Approving absence requests](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-approve/).

## Frequently asked questions

### The Create and approve button stays greyed out.

You need a population checked with **Preview the population** (at least one employee, at most 500), an absence type and a start date. After changing the population, click **Preview the population** again.

### An absence type is missing from the list.

Only active types that one of your roles allows you to enter for others are offered. Some types are recorded elsewhere: imposed remote work in Flex Office when your workspace manages it there, for example.

### Why is an employee rejected for an insufficient balance?

Collective entry applies exactly the rules of individual entry: if their balance does not cover the absence and their policy does not allow a negative balance, the absence is not created for them.

### *Similaire*