Complete Guide: Vacation Management

Vacation management is one of the most critical HR processes. It involves legal deadlines, financial calculations, scheduling, and, of course, employee well-being.

To transform this routine into something simple , transparent , and decentralized, Pontotel developed the Vacation Management Module . It allows employees to request their time off, managers to approve it with a view to the team's capacity, and HR to have complete control over the rules, all in one place.

💎 Exclusive Feature : The tools presented in this article are part of the " Vacation Management " add-on module. If your company doesn't yet have this module and you want to bring this advancement to your HR department, fill out this form to speak with our team.

1. Setting up vacation rules

Before initiating requests, it's crucial to define the "rules of the game." The Vacation Rule allows you to set limits and permissions according to your company's policy.

How to create a rule:

1. In the main menu, go to Admin and click on Vacation Rules .

2. Click on Create new rule .

3. Define the parameters:

• Rule name: Define a name for internal identification.
• Status : Define whether the rule will be active or inactive . If inactive, it will not be considered for vacation management.
• Deadline for starting vacation with advance payment of the 13th salary installment: Here you define the maximum deadline for the start of vacation leave that allows you to request an advance payment. Example: If you set "February 4th", the employee will only be able to select the option for advance payment of the 13th salary if their vacation starts before or on this date.
• Deadline month to request advance payment of the 13th salary installment: Defines until which month of the year the "request advance payment" option will be available. After the configured period, the advance payment cannot be requested.
• Allow requesting vacation time during the acquisition period:
• • Unchecked: The employee can only request vacation after completing 1 year of service (concession period).
  • Tagged: The employee can request accrued vacation time before completing 1 year of service (early vacation), according to company policy.
• When it is released (Target Audience):
• Define who should follow this rule. You can link by Work Locations , Employees , Groups , or Access Profiles .
• • Rule Hierarchy (Priority): If an employee is linked to more than one rule (e.g., one rule for their Workplace and another for their Group), the system will follow this order of priority to decide which one to apply:
  • • User Profile Rule (Highest priority).
    • Employee Rule .
    • Workplace Rules .
    • Group Rule (Lowest priority).

4. Finish by clicking Save.

2. The "Vacation Management" screen: Overview and navigation

This is the control center. Access to this screen ( Management > Vacation ) and what is displayed on it varies according to the user's permissions:

• User with access only to their own data (such as employee permission): Views the tabs "My vacation requests" and "My scheduled vacations".
• User with permission to access all or some locations (who does not have an employee linked): Views the tabs "Vacation requests" and "Vacations of my subordinates already scheduled".
• User with permission to access all or some locations (who has an employee linked): Has a complete view of all tabs and advanced filters.

For Managers and HR (Team Perspective)

• 'Vacation Requests' tab:
• • What it shows: All requests made by your team members that still need analysis.
  • Filters: You can search by location, employee, group, or profile.
  • Usage Tip: The search is not automatic! Select your desired filters and click Search . The system saves your last filter to speed up your next access.

• Tab 'Vacation plans for my team members already scheduled':
• • What it shows: Vacations that have already been approved and scheduled.
  • Filters: Same logic as the previous tab (location, employee, etc.). The default date is filled with the current month, but you can change it to see the entire year.

For Employees (Personal Perspective)

• Tab 'My vacation requests':
• • It shows the history of your orders and the status of each one (Pending, Approved, or Rejected).
  • The search is automatic when you enter the tab, bringing up data from the current year.

• Tab 'My already scheduled vacation':
• • This shows your already confirmed future vacations. This is where you can check when your next vacation will be.

3. How to schedule or request vacation (the workflow)

There are two main paths, depending on who is operating the system:

Scenario A: The employee or manager requests

1. On the Vacation Management screen, click the Request Vacation (or "Schedule Vacation" in the subordinates tab).
2. Enter the start date. The system automatically fills in the end date based on the requested days (default 30 days, but editable).

• • Note: The system automatically validates rules such as a minimum notice period of 30 days and a prohibition on starting on a weekly rest day/holiday.

3. If you wish, select the options for cash bonus (days sold) or advance payment of the 13th salary (if within the rule's deadline).
4. Clicking Save generates a Pending Request.

• • Status: Pending (awaiting approval).
  • Visualization: Appears in the requests tab and on the timesheet (as a pending item).

Scenario B: HR schedules (Administrative Permission)

1. Users with an HR profile follow the same completion process.
2. However, clicking Save does not generate a pending item .

• • Status: Vacation requests are automatically entered as Scheduled/Approved .
  • Visualization: They already appear in the "Scheduled Vacation" tab and on the timesheet as official working hours.

4. Approving and Rejecting Applications

If you are a manager or HR professional and need to approve team requests:

1. Requests screen ( Management > Requests ).
2. In Event Type , select " Vacation ".
3. Locate the vacation request with the status "Pending" .
4. Analyze the dates and select the corresponding order line.
5. In the menu that opens, click on Approve or Reject .

• If Approved: The request becomes "Scheduled Vacation" and updates the employee's schedule.
• If Rejected: The request is closed and does not impact payroll.

5. Plan Changes: Cancellation and Deletion

Understanding the difference between these two actions is vital for payroll organization:

Cancellation (For requests that have NOT YET been approved)

If the employee requested vacation but changed their mind before the manager approved it (status "Pending"):

• The employee, manager, or HR can access "Requests" and click Cancel .
• Result: The request disappears from the manager's to-do list. No approval action is required.

Exclusion (For vacations that are ALREADY scheduled/approved)

If the vacation is already scheduled and needs to be cancelled, the process is more rigorous:

1. The employee or manager accesses the "Scheduled Vacation" tab and clicks on the trash can (Delete).
2. This doesn't delete the vacation time immediately! It generates a Deletion Request .
3. Requests screen .

• • If you accept the exclusion: The vacation days are removed from the payroll and the balance is returned to the employee.
  • If the exclusion is denied: The vacation remains scheduled and the employee must take it.

6. View on the Timesheet

Once vacation time is marked as Scheduled/Approved , it ceases to be just a request and becomes the Official Time Off for that period.

When accessing the timesheet ( Timesheet > Timesheets ), you will see the corresponding days marked as "Vacation" in the work hours column. This exempts the employee from clocking in and out and ensures that payroll and benefits calculations are done correctly, without generating undue absences.

• Want to move beyond lists and have a clear view of who's leaving and who's staying, avoiding team shortages? Meet the new Vacation Calendar ! With it, you can visualize all absences on an interactive timeline and even have an AI Assistant to help you make the best decisions. Click here to see the full article!
• If you want to manage your team's vacations using the Pontotel Gestão App, check out this article for a step-by-step guide!

The Vacation Management module eliminates parallel spreadsheets and endless email exchanges, centralizing everything on the Pontotel platform with legal security and speed.

If you still have questions or need assistance, contact our Support team via the chat integrated into the Pontotel Gestão website or via WhatsApp !

Updated on: November 25, 2025