Overview

This article explains how to record an absence with an open end date in People First. You must complete these steps for each role the employee has.

If you use People First Payroll (HRIS for Payroll), do not record family leave yourself. Select one of the following types of family leave to view further guidance: Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental Leave, Paternity Leave or Neonatal Leave.

Instructions

Follow these steps to record an absence with an open end date:

1. Select Org chart:

   

2. From the Organisation Chart, select the employee for whom you want to record absence.
3. From the employee's Profile, select the Absence & Calendar tab:
   

4. Select Book Absence:
   

   Only full-time, 52-week support staff have bookable leave. Their entitlement is set up against their employment record. To book annual Leave for 52-week support staff, when creating the absence request, select Leave as the Reason (below). 

5. Using the calendar:
   
   1. Select the start date for the absence.
   2. Select the first day of the following month as the estimated end date on the calendar.

   3. Select the Absence type.

      The following guidance should be adhered to when selecting an Absence type:

      Absence type	Notes
      Sickness	Select to record sickness / illness.
      Absence types relating to family leave	If you use People First Payroll (HRIS for Payroll), do not record family leave yourself.  Select one of the following types of family leave for further guidance: Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental Leave, Paternity Leave or Neonatal Leave.
      Other Absence types	If the leave you are reporting does not fall into one of the previously listed Absence types, select the most appropriate reason for the absence, for example, compassionate leave, jury service and strike action.  Where applicable, select the appropriate Paid or Unpaid option.

   4. Select Next.
6. From the Book absence for window:
   
   1. Review the start date and change the absence as required from whole day (All Day) to starting in the afternoon (PM).
   2. Select This is an estimated end date.
   3. Optionally, select / enter a Reason for the absence.
   4. Add any supporting attachment(s).
   5. Select Book Absence.
7. When completed, select Submit.

Outcome

A message is displayed confirming that the absence has been recorded:

The absence is listed in the Absence list in the Absence & Calendar tab (you will need to scroll down to see this):

Checking the absence

A notification will be released on the 1^st of the following month that the absence is ending:

1. The open absence must be reviewed and actioned accordingly.
2. Failure to extend the absence could result in an employee receiving the incorrect absence pay (i.e. if employee reaches the end of their full pay or half pay entitlement).

This process must be repeated each month until the absence closes.

Extending the open-ended absence

To extend the absence:

1. Select the absence. 
2. From the Absence details for window, select Edit. 
3. Change the estimated end date to the 1st of the following month. 
4. Select Save Changes. 
5. In Key Actions, select Re-evaluate absence.

Closing an open-ended absence

When an employee returns to work, to close the absence:

1. Select the absence. 
2. From the Absence details for window, select Edit. 
3. Change the end date to the actual end date.
4. Select the option This is the actual end date. 
5. Select Save Changes. 

Deleting an open-ended absence

To delete the absence:

1. Select the absence. 
2. From the Absence details for window, select Delete. 
3. When prompted, select Yes to confirm the deletion.

Related information

• People First Payroll: How do I record absence with a confirmed end date?
• People First: How do I report / record maternity leave?
• People First: How do I report / record adoption leave?
• People First: How do I report / record paternity leave?
• People First: How do I report / record shared paternity leave?
• People First: How do I record / report neonatal absence?

Updated 05 February 2026 09:04