---
title: The absence calendar
description: Use the absence calendar, understand who sees what and subscribe from a calendar app.
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-calendar/"
updated: "2026-11-01"
category: Absence Management
---

# The absence calendar

The absence calendar shows at a glance who is absent, when, and depending on your permissions, for what reason. This article describes the screen, what each person sees, subscribing from an external calendar and the setting for the types displayed. It is intended for all users, managers in particular.

## Before you start

- The calendar opens with "Calendar / Absences module — Access" and "View the absence calendar (team)", **Access** level: all roles have them by default.
- Filters require "Filter by department / team / office"; subscribing requires "Export the calendar".
- What you see of others depends on your role's **Colleagues' absences** card and on the "View the reason for absences across the role's population" permission (see below).

## Opening the calendar

Open **Calendar › Absence calendar**. The screen shows one row per employee with their absences as bars coloured by type. If you also have access to the attendance calendar, the **Presence** and **Absences** tabs let you switch between them.

- **Today** and the arrows move through time. A greyed-out arrow means a period beyond what your role can view.
- The **Week**, **Month**, **Quarter**, **Year** and **Period** views change the scale.
- The **Search employee...** box filters rows by name.
- The legend lists absence types; click a type to hide or show it. It also shows blackout periods and, depending on the active modules, training, scheduling and presence reasons.
- The **Balances** button chooses which balances are shown next to each name.

![The Illizeo absence calendar: one row per employee, absences by type, the legend and a blackout period](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/absences-calendar-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
The absence calendar in Month view, with the legend and a blackout period.

### Filtering

The **Filters** button opens the **Type**, **Department**, **Office**, **Team** and **Role** criteria. **Clear all** removes them. The status filter is only useful for approved and pending absences.

## Acting from the calendar

- **View details**: click a bar. The card shows the type (if you can see the reason), the dates, the status and the decision: "Approved by", "Rejected by", or "Automatically" with the reason.
- **Book an absence**: drag across an employee's row; the request form opens for them, with the chosen period. This requires the "Create an absence request" permission.
- **Decide**: the card of a pending request offers **Approve** and **Reject** to approvers. Enter the **Rejection reason** before rejecting.

## What each person sees

Illizeo distinguishes two pieces of information:

| Information | Who sees it |
| --- | --- |
| Presence: "this person is absent" | Everyone for their own absences; for others, according to the role's **Colleagues' absences** card. |
| Reason: the absence type, the comment, the supporting document | Only with "View the reason for absences across the role's population", over that role's population. By default: Administrator, Payroll Manager, Manager and HR Manager. |

Without the reason, the absence is shown as "Absent", in a neutral colour. The **Colleagues' absences** card is set in **Settings › Manage Employees › Employee Roles**, on the role's **Target population** tab. Its values:

- **No one (only their own absences)**;
- **Their team**;
- **Their department**;
- **Their office**;
- **Their sub-company**;
- **The whole company** (default for the All employees role).

Permissions are read role by role: one role's scope and another role's reason permission are not combined.

## Subscribing from an external calendar

1. Click **Sync**.
2. In **Subscribe to the calendar**, choose the **Content** (absences included) and the department.
3. Click **Create my link**, then **Copy link** to add it to your calendar (Outlook, Google, Apple), or **Download (.ics)**.

**Regenerate link** invalidates the old link, for example if it was shared by mistake. The subscription respects your visibility permissions.

## Writing to the employee's calendar

Separately from the subscription, an absence type can be written to the absent employee's connected Outlook or Google calendar (the type's **Outlook calendars** card, see [Configuring absence types](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/absences-types-and-policies/)). The event is created on final approval and removed on rejection, cancellation or return to pending.

## Choosing the types displayed

**Settings › Time Management › Calendar** offers **Choose absence types**: the ticked types are shown in the team calendar and in your balances. Select or clear the types, then save. This choice is saved for the signed-in person: it sets your own display, not the whole organisation's.

## Good to know

- The public holidays shown are those that apply to each employee (company, office or custom calendar).
- A pending absence is distinguished from an approved one on the bar and on the card.
- The calendar and its filters are available in French and English; other languages see English.

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