---
title: Administering the Absence management module
description: Permissions by role, collective entry, notifications, traceability, languages and FAQ.
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-administer/"
updated: "2026-11-01"
category: Absence Management
---

# Administering the Absence management module

This article brings together the module's cross-cutting topics: permissions by role, collective absence entry, notifications and emails, traceability, languages and the most frequent questions. It is intended for administrators and HR staff.

## Before you start

- Permissions are set in **Settings › Manage Employees › Employee Roles**, Time module (TIME MANAGEMENT) of the role matrix, with three levels: **Access**, **Execute**, **Admin**.
- Collective entry requires "Create an absence request" and "Approve an absence directly (bypass approval)", at the Execute level.

## Module permissions

| Permission (role matrix) | What it allows | By default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Absence request | Access: view your absences page; Execute: submit a request | Execute: All employees, Manager, HR Manager, Administrator |
| Create / Edit / Delete an absence request | Submit, edit, withdraw or cancel an absence | All employees, Manager, HR Manager, Administrator |
| Approve an absence directly (bypass approval) | Enter an already approved absence for an employee; collective entry | HR Manager, Administrator |
| View requests pending approval; Approve / reject / delegate a request | Handle requests in Workflows › Absences | Manager, HR Manager, Payroll Manager, Administrator |
| Respond to a substitution request | Accept or refuse to act as replacement | All employees, Manager, HR Manager, Administrator |
| View the absence calendar (team) | Open the absence calendar | All roles |
| View the reason for absences across the role's population | See other people's absence type, comment and supporting document | Manager, HR Manager, Payroll Manager, Administrator |
| Adjust a time counter | Edit an entitlement, change an employee's policy | HR Manager, Payroll Manager, Administrator |
| View / Create / Edit / Delete an absence type; Configure policies | Configure types and policies | Administrator |
| Manage public holidays; Create / Edit / Delete a public holiday calendar | View and edit holiday calendars | Administrator |

The **Colleagues' absences** card (the role's **Target population** tab) also sets whose presence the role can see: no one, their team, their department, their office, their sub-company or the whole company. See [The absence calendar](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-calendar/).

## Collective entry

To book the same absence for a whole population (year-end closure, group training, a day off granted), open **HR access › Collective entry**. The absences are created **approved**.

1. In **Population**, define **Criteria**, add employees one by one (**Or chosen employees**), or both. Only employees within your scope are included.
2. Click **Preview the population**: the number of employees concerned is shown (500 at most per operation).
3. In the absence block, choose the **Absence type**, the **From** and **To** dates, the duration (full day, morning or afternoon, for a single day and a type that allows it) and a **Comment**.
4. Click **Create and approve for n employee(s)**.

![The Collective absence entry page: Population block with criteria and chosen employees, Absence block with type, dates and comment](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/absences-administer-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
HR access › Collective entry.

Each employee goes through the same checks as an individual entry (balance, overlap, closed payroll period…). The **Report** lists the absences created, those created with an alert and the rejections with their reason. If you are part of the population, your own absence remains subject to approval.

## Notifications and emails

| Event | Recipient |
| --- | --- |
| Absence request to approve (with one reminder after one working day) | Approver |
| Request approved or rejected (with the reason) | Employee |
| Absence created by someone else | Employee |
| Cancellation request, then cancellation approved or rejected | Approver, then employee |
| Replacement request, then replacement accepted | Replacement, then requester |
| Medical certificate pending | Approver |
| Holiday days given back after sick leave | Employee and manager |
| Sickness alerts (long absence, Bradford factor) | HR only |

Email templates can be customised in **Settings › Manage Illizeo › Email**, "Absences & Time" category. Each user chooses their channels (dashboard, email, Slack, push, Teams) for the **Absences** event in their personal settings, notifications tab. Approvers connected to Teams or Slack can decide from the card they receive; the absence type only appears for those allowed to see the reason.

## Traceability

- The user log records absence policy assignments (scheduled ones included) and each collective entry.
- Each balance keeps its movements (accrual, carryover, adjustment, leave taken), with the balance after each movement.
- Each request keeps its approval history: who decided, when, with what reason, or whether the decision was automatic.

## Personal data

The reason for an absence (sickness, maternity…) is sensitive data. By default, an employee only sees their colleagues' presence ("Absent"), never the reason; the reason is reserved for roles that hold the corresponding permission, over their population. Sickness alerts are sent to HR only.

## Languages

The names of absence types and policies can be translated into French, English, German and Italian from the globe next to the name (with an AI translation suggestion to review). Some screens of the module (absences page, calendar, company rules) are in French and English: a user working in German or Italian sees English there.

## FAQ

### An employee only sees "Paid vacation" in their request. Why?

A type is only offered if a policy of that type is assigned to the employee. Assign the policy from the type (**Assign**) or from the employee's balance.

### A request was rejected without anyone seeing it.

This is an automatic rejection: team quota exceeded, notice not respected, maximum length or day limit exceeded. The reason is in the history. The employee can ask for a human review from their personal settings.

### The manager cannot see the reason for their team's absences.

Check that their role holds "View the reason for absences across the role's population" and that the role's target population includes the team.

### A request went to the line manager although no circuit has been set up.

That is the fallback circuit: without an active circuit for absences, the request goes to the employee's line manager. Set up a circuit in **Settings › Manage Employees › Workflows**.

### The balance does not match "Granted − Used − Planned".

The difference usually comes from carryover or an adjustment: open the balance details to see the calculation line and the movements.

### *Similaire*