How to create and configure a PTO calendar to use for open selection.

Create a new calendar partition

Navigate to Plan, hover over All Things Time Off, hover over PTO calendars, then click Calendar partitions.

This screen will show any previously created calendar partitions.

To create a new one, select Click here to create a new PTO calendar.

 

Name: Required. Be sure to use a descriptive specific name such as Fall 2025 full-time. This name will appear in reports and in agent notifications.

Description: Optional.

Calendar start date: Default is today’s date. Maximum duration for a calendar is one year.

Calendar end date (inclusive): Default is one year after start date.

Include accrual transactions from days prior to start: Refers to start of calendar. For example, if your calendar starts on January 6, 2025 (Monday of your work week), and your accruals begin on January 1, you would include transactions for 5 days prior to the start to make sure it includes those accruals.
Ignore accrual transactions from days prior to end: If the calendar ends on a date after additional accruals happen, you can tell the calendar to ignore the days at the end when additional accruals occur.

Participant selection type:  Select Open selection from the drop-down.

Include prior accruals when validating bid round selections: This will allow the calendar to include rollover hours (if allowed).

Minimum role to view block selections and Ranking profile selection only apply when doing bids. You can leave the defaults.

Restrict PTO classifications by shrinkage type:  You may restrict the calendar to use PTO classifications with discretionary shrinkage, non-discretionary shrinkage, or both.

After making all of your selections, click Save.

Add PTO Classifications

Click Set up PTO Classifications in the tile or PTO Classifications in the navigation pane. The pop-up shows all eligible classifications, based on the shrinkage restrictions selected in the previous step. 

Configure PTO Classifications for this PTO Calendar: Select which classifications to include in the calendar partition. This determines the accrued hours eligible for allocation to the calendar.

Click Include for each classification to include in this calendar partition.

Add Participants

Click Set up calendar participants in the tile or Participants in the navigation pane.

Currently assigned people: Click Add people to select who will participate in this PTO calendar.

You can select from the Enterprise Model, Supervisor Group, Custom Group, etc. Agents with a green bar are already included. If a person is listed as Not eligible, you will not be able to include them. Hover over Not eligible to view the reason. 

Reasons why an agent may not be eligible:

• The agent’s source of time off rules is set to Legacy AutoApprove Rules.
• The agent is on a restricted activity plan that specifies not allowing time off requests.
• The agent is participating in/assigned to another PTO Calendar.

Click Show the workflow dialog in the tile or Workflow navigation in the navigation pane to advance to the next step.

Add Rules

You can import rules or set up new ones that apply only to this calendar. You may import the same rule into multiple calendars.

The PTO calendar worksheet displays a calendar where you can add special events such as holidays, add, remove, or edit time off rules (blackout, brownout days or minimum request interval rule), and confirm your final selections.

Special Calendar Events

Import special calendar events. Note: You cannot add new special calendar days directly to the time off rules calendar; create them in Plan > Special Calendar Events then import them into the calendar partition here.

Time Off Rules

You can add specific rules that will apply only to this calendar. You may import existing rules or create new rules. Note: Rules created within a calendar cannot be exported.

Import

Click each rule you wish to include, and it will be immediately imported. Rules already imported are not available. You cannot “un-import” them here. To remove rules, go to Edit or delete existing calendar time off rules.

When finished, close this window.

Apply New

Rules added here will apply only to this calendar. Options include blackout dates, brownout dates, and minimum request interval rules.

For each rule type, you can change who the rule applies to by including or excluding user groups or restrict enforcement by PTO Classification or shrinkage type. You can apply these settings to blackout days, brownout days, or minimum request interval.

Blackout dates: Select the activity then click Choose dates to launch a selection calendar.

Brownout dates: Select the activity the set the parameters for the brownout. You may limit by number of requests, percentage of total people, or fixed number of hours.

Edit or delete

This is the area to delete or edit any existing rules. If you don’t see recently added rules, click Refresh.

Return to the Rules page to view the color-coded calendar with your rules applied. Use the menu at the top to filter the view to display or hide the different types of rules. You can filter for types of rules and display all or none.

Review and confirm

You must confirm your rules before moving to the next step.

The pop-up shows the number of special days, the number of activity time off rules, and the number of supervisor time off rules.

Click Yes, confirm these settings to accept your rules.

Next, click Show the workflow dialog.

Click Advance to this step under Rounds. Because we selected open selection, it will skip the rounds and take you to the option to mark the calendar as open for selection.

To open the calendar, check the box Yes, mark the calendar as open for selection and notify participants.

You can select the date when open selection will end or leave the default of the calendar end date.

Click Advance to Open Selection.

The calendar is now open, and the system will send a notification to participants that they may proceed with making their time off requests.