How to use Penrose Leave

Getting started

1. Tap Sign in with Microsoft and use your Penrose Microsoft account. Your manager or a director needs to have added your work email first.
2. Put it on your phone’s home screen so it opens like an app. iPhone: open it in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Android: in Chrome, tap ⋮ then Add to Home screen.

You stay signed in for 30 days on each device.

Your holiday balance

The top of the Calendar and your Me page show how many days you have left, your next time off, and a bar of what’s used, waiting for approval and free to book.

What counts as a day

• Only holiday comes off your allowance. Sickness, training and unpaid leave don’t.
• Only days you normally work count. If you work Monday to Wednesday, a week off uses 3 days.
• Bank holidays are never counted. If you work one, your manager adds the day back as a day in lieu.
• Days the office is closed, such as between Christmas and New Year, come off everyone’s allowance automatically.
• A Saturday you’re on the rota for counts as a working day.
• A half day uses half a day.

The balance follows the year you’re looking at, so in December move the calendar to January to book next year.

Booking time off

1. Tap Book (on a computer, + Book time off at the top left).
2. Pick your first and last day. For a single day you can choose Morning only or Afternoon only.
3. Pick the type: Holiday, Sick, Training, Unpaid or Other.
4. Say who’s covering your viewings, valuations and callbacks. It shows on the calendar and the office screen.
5. Add a note for your manager if it helps, then Send request.

The form shows how many days it uses, how many you’d have left, and who else is off then. Directors’ own leave is approved straight away.

Reporting sickness

Tap Book, choose Sick, and pick the days. It’s recorded straight away with no approval. Only you and your managers can see that it was sickness; colleagues just see that you’re off.

Still let your manager know in person or by phone, as usual.

Reading the calendar

Switch between Day, Week and Month, and pick an office to see just that one. Use the arrows, or swipe on a phone, to move. Tap a day to see who’s off and who’s in.

Your requests

Requests lists everything you’ve booked. Me shows your balance, what’s coming up, your Saturdays and who signs off your leave.

You can cancel a request while it’s still waiting. To cancel approved leave, ask your manager.

Saturdays and swaps

If you’re on the Saturday rota, your Saturdays are listed under Me → My Saturdays.

1. Tap Swap next to the Saturday.
2. Pick who works it instead. If you’re doing one of their Saturdays in return, pick it too.
3. It shows as Waiting on your Me page, and on theirs with Accept and Decline.
4. Once they accept, the rota updates for both of you. Until then nothing changes, and you can cancel it.

Signing in and devices

• Can’t sign in? Your Microsoft password is your normal Penrose one; IT resets it, not the planner. If it says you’re not set up, ask your manager or a director to add you.
• Lost your phone? On another device, go to Me → Sign out on my other devices, or ask your manager to do it for you.

Approving leave Managers

When something is waiting for you, a red number shows on Requests. Open Waiting for you and tap Approve or Decline. Each request shows who else is off then, so you can spot clashes.

To book for someone in your team, use Book, pick them under Who for, and tick Approve it now. To remove approved leave, tap ••• on it, then Delete this booking.

Who signs off what Managers

Your team Managers

Team lists your team with their holiday left, sick days, lateness and absence score (directors see everyone). Tap a person to see their year and change their office, holiday days or works on days. Set works on for part-timers so their holiday counts correctly.

To add people, use Add person, or Add several to paste a list (one per line: name, email). They then sign in with Microsoft using that email. Managers can add employees; directors can add anyone.

Sickness, lateness and absence Managers

Use Book, pick the person, then the type:

• Sick: the days they were off sick. Staff can also report their own.
• Late: the date and how many minutes late.
• Unauthorised absence: days off without permission.
• Day in lieu: pick a bank holiday they worked, and it adds the day back to their holiday.

Records are saved straight away. The absence score (Bradford factor) rises faster for many short sicknesses than one long one, and turns amber at 51.

Running the Saturday Rota Managers

Open Saturday Rota (on a phone: Team → Saturday Rota) and tick who works each Saturday. It saves as you tick. Managers set their own team; directors set anyone.

A rota Saturday counts as a working day for holiday. Swaps are between colleagues: the person asked accepts it and the rota updates. You don’t need to approve them.

Deputy and team limit Managers

Deputy. Open yourself in Team and pick a Deputy while they’re off. On days you’re off, they can sign off your team’s leave.

Team limit. A director can set Most of their team off at once. Staff can’t book past it, but you can book it for them.

Offices, closures and busy periods Directors

Open Offices (on a phone: Team → Offices). Managers can look; only directors can change things.

• Offices: add a new one before anyone works there. An office can be removed once it’s empty.
• Minimum cover: the fewest people who must be in. Only directors can book below it.
• Office privacy: tick Staff only see their own office to hide other offices’ leave from staff.

To add a closure or busy period, pick the kind, name it and choose the dates:

The Org Chart page Directors

Org Chart (on a computer) shows who reports to whom and how many requests each manager has waiting. Click anyone to change who they report to.

To make someone a manager or director, open them in Team and change Access.

The branch screen Directors

A “Who’s off this week” board for a TV in the office. Sign in on the office computer, go to Me, choose open the branch screen and make it full screen. It updates itself every 5 minutes.

Who sees what

* Only their own office if a director has switched on office privacy.

Common questions

My balance looks wrong

Check the calendar is on the right year. Then ask your manager to check your Holiday days and Works on days.

I booked the wrong dates

If it’s still waiting, cancel it in Requests and book again. If it’s approved, ask your manager to delete it.

It says I already have leave booked

You can’t book the same day twice. Check Requests for an earlier booking. A morning and an afternoon on the same day is fine.

My request has been waiting a long time

Your Me page says who signs off your leave. Remind them, or ask a director, who can approve anyone’s leave.

I can’t see someone from the other office

If office privacy is on, you only see your own office. If someone from your own office is missing, ask a director to check their Office in Team.

Something isn’t working

Check your signal and try again. If it keeps happening, tell your manager what you were doing and what the message said.