Entering FMLA Leave Requests

Note:  For any field equipped with the repeat function, click the Repeat button or press the Ctrl+R keys to repeat the previous entry for the specified field.  The repeat function is only available after your initial entry.

  1. From the Payroll screen, select the Options menu, Leave Requests, and then Leave Request Entry - FMLA.

Note:  The Leave Requests submenu is only available to organizations that have licensed the Web Link module, and the Leave Request Entry - FMLA option is only enabled if the Allow FMLA Leave Requests field is selected on the FMLA tab within the Leave Request Options option (only applicable to organizations that have licensed the Human Resources module).

  1. If there are any unsubmitted FMLA leave requests previously entered and saved by the current user (or rejected or recalled FMLA leave requests not yet cancelled or deleted; or also any unsubmitted FMLA leave requests entered and saved for the current user by a different user with rights), the Leave Request Entry - FMLA Search screen will appear.  To continue working with an existing FMLA leave request, select the desired leave request by double-clicking on the entry; otherwise, to enter a new FMLA leave request entry, click the New Record button.  If there are not any unsubmitted FMLA leave requests (or rejected or recalled FMLA leave requests not yet cancelled or deleted), the Leave Request Entry - FMLA screen will appear immediately in order to enter a new FMLA leave request entry.

  2. Enter the ID of the employee making the FMLA leave request in the Employee ID field.  Only an employee that is tied to a user (within the User Security option), and included in the FMLA approval path as based on the specified employee group(s), can be entered here.  If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one, or press the Ctrl+F keys to access the search feature.  The ID of the employee tied to the user currently logged in appears as the default, but can be changed if needed.

Tip:  If submitting a FMLA leave request on behalf of another employee (not for yourself), once the FMLA leave request is posted, the system tracks the employee entered here as the actual submitter for the FMLA leave request, but does add an automatically generated comment for the user who completed the override submission stating the FMLA leave request was submitted on behalf of the employee.

  1. Enter the reason for the FMLA leave request (for example, Birth of a Child, Care of a Family Member, etc.) in the FMLA Reason field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.

  2. If desired, enter the ID of the leave to use for the FMLA leave request in the Leave ID field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.  Only active leaves set up for the employee can be entered here.

Tip:  If the FMLA leave request is only being entered to track the approval process and then add the FMLA leave on the FMLA screen in the Employee File, and it will not be processed as part of a Payroll calculation, leave this field blank; then any absence entries would need to be manually entered for Payroll in Employee Absences or Pay Period Entries as needed.

  1. The Unit of Tracking field displays the data entered in the Unit of Tracking field in the Leave File for the specified leave and cannot be changed.  The field is for informational purposes only (does not affect any entries for the leave).

  2. The Cancelled field will be disabled when entering a new FMLA leave request.

Note:  Once an FMLA leave request has been entered and submitted, if it is rejected (not approved) or recalled, the leave request can be edited and then cancelled by selecting this field, if desired.

  1. Enter the starting date for when the employee will be absent in the Start Date field.  Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date.

  2. If desired, enter the starting time for when the employee will be absent on the specified date in the Start Time field.  Use the hh:mm AMPM format (or hh:mm if military time is used).  This field is disabled if the All Day field is selected.

Note:  The colon does not have to be entered between the hour and the minutes; for example, enter 8 o’clock as 800 or 0800.  Also, the AM or PM does not have to be entered; if using regular time (not military time), the hours specified in the AM Range field in the Leave Request Options option will default to AM while the other hours will default to PM.  After advancing from the field, the time will be formatted to regular or military time as specified in the Time Display field in the Leave Request Options option; for example, if Regular is selected in the Time Display field and 1400 (or 14:00) is entered, the system will convert it to 2:00 PM.

  1. If the employee will be absent for the full day on the specified date(s), select the All Day field.  A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.

  2. If desired, enter the ending date for when the employee will be absent in the End Date field.  Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date.

Note:  If the date entered in this field is more than 30 days from the date entered in the Start Date field, a warning icon will appear to the right of the Start Date and End Date fields; verify the dates entered are correct.

  1. If desired, enter the ending time for when the employee will be absent on the specified date in the End Time field.  Use the hh:mm AMPM format (or hh:mm if military time is used).  This field is disabled if the All Day field is selected.

Note:  The colon does not have to be entered between the hour and the minutes; for example, enter 8 o’clock as 800 or 0800.  Also, the AM or PM does not have to be entered; if using regular time (not military time), the system will default to use AM or PM based on the nearest one within a 12-hour period from the specified Start Time.  After advancing from the field, the time will be formatted to regular or military time as specified in the Time Display field in the Leave Request Options option; for example, if Regular is selected in the Time Display field and 1400 (or 14:00) is entered, the system will convert it to 2:00 PM.

  1. Enter the number of units of the leave for which the employee is requesting to use in the Number of Leave Units to Use field.  The number entered here must be a positive number, and can be up to 14 digits long (including the decimal point and comma(s) if applicable) and will be rounded to 4 decimal places by the system if capable.

Note:  If the leave for the entry has a negative balance (or the main leave has a negative balance, if applicable) and the Prohibit Entry if Negative Balance is selected in the Leave File for the leave, an error icon will appear by this field and the entry cannot be saved.

  1. In the Substitute Needed field, enter the correct response (Yes or No) for whether or not a substitute is needed in the employee's absence, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.

  2. If a leave is specified, the Leave Balances for the leave (and main leave, if applicable) for the employee appear below the Number of Leave Units to Use field.  The balances will only display if the dates for the FMLA leave request are within a fiscal year currently set up for the leave for the employee.  The Current Posted Balance reflects the total units of leave available after taking into account all posted entries.  The Unposted or Approved Entries reflects the total of all absence entries (including approved leave request entries) in unposted batches of Employee Absences, Pay Period Entries, and Time Cards, and approved leave request entries not yet brought into a batch.  The Pending Approval Entries reflects the total of all the leave request entries that have been submitted but not yet approved.  The Unsubmitted Entries reflects the total of all the leave request entries that have not yet been submitted (and leave requests that have been rejected or recalled and not yet cancelled or deleted).  The Total Balance reflects the Current Posted Balance, less the Unposted or Approved Entries, less the Pending Approval Entries, less the Unsubmitted Entries.  If the Total Balance is negative, a warning icon (or an error icon, if applicable) will appear to the right of the field; verify the number entered in the Number of Leave Units to Use field is correct.

  1. In the Comments List (located in the upper right-hand side of the screen), enter any additional information to track for the FMLA leave request in the Comments field, if desired.  The comment can be up to 1,000 characters long.  The system will automatically display the ID of the current user in the User ID field and the date the comment was entered (or updated) in the Date Updated field; the information in these two fields cannot be changed.  

Note:  Only one comment per user can be added for each FMLA leave request (not including the automatically generated comment for submitting an FMLA leave request on another employee's behalf).

  1. If additional sections and fields are defined (on the FMLA screen in the Leave Request Options option) to display when entering FMLA leave requests, the Additional Leave Request Fields section appears.  If applicable, complete the additional fields for the FMLA leave request as follows:

Tip:  Any field defined as required must be completed for the FMLA leave request.

Note:  If FMLA leave requests are defined to not display any additional sections and fields, the Additional Leave Request Fields section will not appear.

  1. The sequences from the FMLA approval path appear in the Approvals List and cannot be changed.  

  2. Click the Save button.

Note:  If the leave for the entry has a negative balance (or the main leave has a negative balance, if applicable) and the Warn if Negative Balance field is selected in the Leave File for the leave, a message will appear prompting to save the entry; click Yes to save the entry with the negative balance or click No to not save the entry in order to make changes.  If the leave request for the employee matches another entry that was previously saved and/or posted for that particular leave with the specified start date, a message will appear prompting to save the entry; click Yes to save the entry or click No to not save the entry in order to make changes.

  1. If desired, submit the FMLA leave request at this time, or wait until all FMLA leave requests have been entered, and then submit them all.

 Steps to Submit Leave Requests

  1. After all FMLA leave requests have been entered and submitted, click the X in the upper right-hand corner to close the Leave Request Entry - FMLA screen.

Tip:  The number of unsubmitted FMLA leave requests (for the current user) appears at the bottom of the screen.

  1. If designated to do so in the Email Manager option, notification emails for approval will be sent at this time to the appropriate users as based on the FMLA approval path.

Note:  If there were notification email messages that did not go through, a message will appear; click OK and then contact the Business Office in order to check the activity log file (System Log tab within the Activity Log option) and resolve the error(s).  If an email is rejected, the rejection notice will be sent to the appropriate address for the designated email address in the Email Manager option.