An employee can request time away through either the web, the mobile app, or through Slack. Managers can approve requests via either the web or the app.
Requesting via the web
On the web, an employee can choose to "Book Time Away" under the "Time Management" tab in their profile. They can pick the reason, the dates, and write an explanation if needed.
You can use the Balance Calculator to anticipate your future balance and plan ahead. For example:
Check what your balance will be at the end of the year.
See how many days you’ll have available.
Understand how many days you might lose due to the carry-over policy.
The employee's manager will receive an email notification regarding the requested days, and in their "assigned task" section.
In the Assigned Tasks section, the manager can choose to approve or deny the time away request. Once it has been approved, the employee will be notified, and the booking will be approved in the Time Away section.
Requesting via the mobile app
The mobile app follows very similar steps to the web. In the Home page, the employee will see the option to "Book Time Away". They can pick the reason, the dates, and write an explanation if needed.
The managers can approve the request in the mobile app too. In the Assigned Tasks section, the manager can choose to approve or deny the time away request. Once it has been approved, the employee will be notified, and the booking will be approved in the Time Away section.
Requesting via Slack
You can book time off directly from any Slack channel using the /book-time-away command.
Slack will automatically suggest the command as you begin typing. Press Enter to open the Time Away pop-up.
Note: This will not send a message to the channel.
A pop-up window will appear asking you to choose the type of time away you’re booking — for example, Vacation, Sick Leave, or any other available category.
Select the appropriate option and click Continue.
You’ll now be asked to enter:
Start date
End date
Whether the start date is a full day or a partial day
Your total days booked and remaining balance (automatically calculated)
Once everything looks correct, click Continue.
You can add a note or explanation for your manager if needed. This field is optional. Click Book time away to send your request.
Managers will receive a notification via email and Slack to approve the request. They can manage the booking from the web, mobile app, or directly within Slack.
If you have integrated with Slack before December 2025, you’ll need to reconnect your Slack integration.
Navigate to Account Settings > Integrations > Slack
Click Disconnect, then Connect again
FAQ
Who can approve a request?
All direct Managers, Admins with the correct permissions, and Super Admins.
Batch Booking
Super Admins and Admins with Time Management permissions to manage employees can book time off for multiple employees in batch.
All batch bookings will be automatically approved (regardless of policy).
The bookings will not notify other Admins, Super Admins, or Managers.
Policies will be overridden, for example:
Employees can go into negative balances.
No documents are required.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to support@shapes.co