eBrigade Absence module
Paid leave, RTT and sick leave: no spreadsheets, balances always right
Every staff member has a CP and RTT balance updated the moment an absence is approved, including carry-over from the previous year. Your managers approve or decline in one click, the staff member is notified by email and mobile notification, and the absence feeds automatically into the schedule — no more balances recalculated by hand or invisible staffing gaps.
These buttons are about the full eBrigade subscription: this module is included at no extra cost in every plan.
HR management of absences: fully configurable types (paid leave, RTT days, sick leave, special leave, unpaid…), per-person leave balances with carry-over, half-days and hours, approval workflow by email and notification, electronic signature of requests and automatic feed into the schedule.
What is the eBrigade Absence module?
HR absence management: fully configurable types (CP paid leave, RTT time off in lieu, sickness, ASA special leave, unpaid leave…), CP/RTT balances per staff member with carry-over, half-days and hours, approval workflow by email and notification, electronic signature of requests and automatic feed into the schedule. It is included at no extra cost in every eBrigade plan.
Why your organisation needs a dedicated Absence module
Without a dedicated tool, CP and RTT requests arrive by email or messaging, carry-overs are recalculated by hand in a spreadsheet at year end and nobody is sure of a staff member’s exact balance mid-year. Sick leave cannot be traced, certificates go missing, and cancellation requests are settled by phone with no record at all. When a manager has to approve a request, they look for the spreadsheet, work out the remaining days and reply by email — never knowing whether the schedule still matches the absences granted, or who actually approved what.
What the Absence module changes in your day-to-day HR
Every staff member has an individual CP and RTT balance, calculated in real time as soon as an absence is approved, including carry-over from the previous year. Half-days and hourly absences are supported. The manager approves or declines in one click from their list of pending requests — they cannot approve their own request — and the staff member is notified by email and by mobile notification. Absence types can be configured freely (CP, RTT, sickness, ASA, unpaid leave, custom reason), each with its own rules: approval required, attachment required, cancellation by the staff member or subject to approval, hours recovery, colour. The CP and RTT reference period can be set per organisation (start of June, start of January…). Approved absences feed automatically into the shared schedule: no more invisible gaps in staffing.
What you can do with Absence
Each staff member’s record holds an annual CP and RTT allowance and a carry-over from the previous year. Balances are deducted automatically on each approval and re-credited on each cancellation, with no manual recalculation.
Create as many types as you need and set for each one: approval required or not, attachment required, cancellation by the staff member or subject to approval, counting as non-working time, hours recovery and display colour. The CP type is protected against deletion.
A submitted request is set to Pending, then Approved or Declined by an authorised manager — who cannot approve their own request. Each decision triggers an email and a mobile notification to the staff member and managers, and remains visible in the absence’s time-stamped history.
Record an absence for a full day, a half-day (morning or afternoon) or a specific time range. The same absence can be created in one go for several staff members, with automatic detection of duplicates on the same dates.
Each absence can be signed by the staff member and by the approver (reused profile signature or uploaded image), and accepts a certificate or supporting document stored directly in the staff member’s file — ideal for sick leave.
An approved absence automatically marks the staff member as absent on their upcoming activities and, for employees and civil servants, feeds their working hours in the case of sick leave. The absence summary exports to Excel for the period of your choice.
Step by step
Create as many absence types as you need (CP, RTT, sickness, ASA, unpaid leave…) and set the rules for each: approval required, attachment required, cancellation by the staff member or subject to approval, hours recovery, colour. Define the annual CP/RTT entitlements and carry-overs per staff member, as well as the organisation’s reference period.
Each staff member submits a request from their own area in a few seconds: type, dates (full day, half-day or hours) and comment, with a certificate attached if required. The manager receives an email and a mobile notification and approves or declines in one click — and the staff member is informed instantly.
Each staff member’s CP/RTT balances are recalculated automatically after every approval or cancellation, carry-over included. Approved absences feed into the shared schedule, and you export the summary for a staff member or a team to Excel for payroll or the supervisory authority.
Where this module really pays off
Employer associations & mixed organisations: manage CP, RTT and sick leave for permanent employees — individual balances, carry-over and one-click approval, with no year-end spreadsheet.
Fire and rescue services (SDIS) & professional firefighters: track CP and RTT for professional firefighters (SPP) with a reference period set per station, a traceable approval workflow and balances visible in real time.
Private security & patient transport: absences feed automatically into the schedule so you can spot coverage gaps before they become an operational problem.
HR departments managing employees and civil servants: sick leave feeds working hours automatically, and the Excel export by period goes straight to payroll.
Multi-section organisations: record group absences for several staff members at once, with automatic duplicate detection and notification of the managers concerned.
Frequently asked questions
Is approval of requests mandatory, or can it be optional depending on the absence type?
It is configurable per absence type. One type can require manager approval (Pending → Approved/Declined status) with an automatic email and mobile notification to the manager; another (sickness with a certificate, ASA) can be recorded directly without an approval process. Approval has a single level: an authorised manager approves, and they cannot approve their own request.
How does the CP and RTT balance work for each staff member?
Each staff member’s record holds an annual allowance of CP and RTT days and a carry-over from the previous year. Approved absences are deducted automatically and re-credited if cancelled, with half-days supported. The reference period (start of June, start of January…) can be set per organisation.
Can an attachment (medical certificate) be required for certain absence types?
Yes. Each absence type can be configured to make an attachment mandatory — useful for sick leave or justified absences. The file is stored in eBrigade and remains accessible from the staff member’s absence record.
Does an absence affect the schedule and hours recovery?
Yes. As soon as it is approved, the absence automatically marks the staff member as absent on their upcoming activities. For types marked “recoverable”, the corresponding hours are deducted from the hours-to-recover balance, and sick leave for employees and civil servants automatically feeds their working hours.
Can I enter an absence for several staff members at once?
Yes. The same absence (type, dates, comment) can be created in one go for several staff members, with permission checks per person and automatic detection of duplicates on the same dates to avoid double entries.
Can absences be extracted for payroll or the supervisory authority?
Yes. The absence summary for a staff member or an entire team exports to Excel for the period of your choice, ready to send to the payroll department or the supervisory authority.