Glossary
Leave management glossary
Plain-English definitions of the leave, PTO, and absence-management terms that come up when you run a team — accrual, carry-over, TOIL, the Bradford Factor, pro-rata holiday, FTE, and more. 32 terms, each with a short answer and a worked example.
Leave types
Annual Leave Annual leave is the paid time off employees accrue each year for rest and holidays, separate from sick leave or public holidays. Bereavement Leave Bereavement (compassionate) leave is time off following the death of a close family member or another personal emergency. Garden Leave Garden leave is a paid period during a notice period when an employee stays away from work but remains employed and under contract. Maternity Leave Maternity leave is protected time off for a person before and after giving birth, with pay and duration set by statute and often enhanced by employers. Parental Leave Parental leave is time off for parents to care for a child, covering maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental arrangements. Paternity Leave Paternity leave is time off for the non-birthing parent or partner around the birth or adoption of a child. PTO (Paid Time Off) PTO (paid time off) is a pooled bank of paid days employees can use for any reason — holiday, sick, or personal — without separate categories. Public Holiday A public holiday is a nationally or regionally observed day off, such as a bank holiday, that is typically separate from an employee's annual-leave allowance. Sabbatical Leave A sabbatical is an extended period of leave — paid or unpaid — usually offered to long-tenured employees for rest, study, or travel. Sick Leave Sick leave is paid or unpaid time off for illness or medical appointments, often governed by statutory sick pay rules and a reporting process. TOIL (Time Off in Lieu) TOIL (time off in lieu) is paid time off given to employees in exchange for extra hours worked, instead of overtime pay. Unpaid Leave Unpaid leave is approved time off during which the employee receives no pay but keeps their job and (usually) their benefits.
Entitlement
FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) FTE (full-time equivalent) expresses headcount or workload as a fraction of a full-time schedule, used to pro-rate leave and plan staffing. Leave Entitlement Leave entitlement is the total amount of leave an employee is allowed in a leave year, set by contract and statutory minimums. Pro-Rata Leave Pro-rata leave is entitlement scaled to the proportion of the year worked or hours contracted — used for part-timers and mid-year joiners. Statutory Leave Statutory leave is the minimum paid leave an employer must grant by law; contractual leave can exceed it but not fall below.
Accrual & balances
Accrual Cap An accrual cap is the maximum leave balance an employee can build up; once reached, no further leave accrues until some is used. Leave Accrual Leave accrual is the gradual build-up of leave over time — for example a set number of hours earned each month — rather than granting the full allowance upfront. Leave Balance A leave balance is the amount of leave an employee currently has available — entitlement plus carry-over and accrual, minus leave taken and booked.
Policy
Blackout Period A blackout period is a date range during which leave requests are restricted or blocked because the business needs full staffing. Carry-Over Carry-over is leave left unused at the end of a leave year that an employee is allowed to roll into the next year, often subject to a cap and expiry. Leave Policy A leave policy is the documented set of rules governing how employees accrue, request, and take each type of leave. Leave Year The leave year is the 12-month period an employer uses to allocate and track annual-leave entitlement; it doesn't have to match the calendar year. Notice Period A notice period is the advance warning required either to end employment or, in leave terms, to request time off so managers can plan cover. Probation Period A probation period is the initial phase of employment during which leave may be limited and either party can end the contract with shorter notice. Unlimited PTO Unlimited PTO lets employees take as much paid time off as they want, subject to approval and performance, with no fixed annual allowance. Use-It-or-Lose-It A use-it-or-lose-it policy forfeits any leave not taken by the end of the leave year, with no carry-over.
Process
Absence Management Absence management is the process and tooling used to track, approve, and analyse all employee time away from work — planned and unplanned. Half-Day Leave Half-day leave is time off booked for part of a working day — typically a morning or afternoon — deducting half a day from the balance.
Analytics
Absenteeism Absenteeism is the pattern of frequent or habitual unplanned absence from work, often measured to spot wellbeing or engagement problems. Bradford Factor The Bradford Factor is a score that weighs the disruption of absence by giving frequent short absences far more weight than occasional long ones. Presenteeism Presenteeism is when employees work while unwell or disengaged, reducing productivity — the often-hidden counterpart to absenteeism.
Put the theory into practice
Absenca applies accrual, carry-over, pro-rata, and public-holiday rules automatically, so balances are always right. Free for up to 15 people.