Creating an Absence

LIFE HAPPENS!

Whether you’re on vacation, traveling for work, or have a conflict, you can easily mark yourself as unavailable in The Club Schedule. This ensures you won’t be assigned roles during those dates.

What is an Absence?

An absence is a date range when you’re unavailable for club meetings or role assignments. When you create an absence:

✅ You won’t be assigned any roles during those dates

✅ The schedule algorithm automatically skips you

✅ Your club admins can see your absence dates (to plan accordingly)

✅ The absence applies immediately to future schedule generation

When to Create an Absence

✅ Vacation or holiday travel

✅ Business trips

✅ Family commitments

✅ Medical appointments

✅ Temporary unavailability

✅ Sabbaticals or extended leaves

💡 PRO TIP: Create absences as soon as you know your dates. This helps admins plan better schedules.

How to Create an Absence

Schedules move through three status levels:

Step #1: Navigate to Absences

  • 1. Log in to The Club Schedule
  • 2. Click your name in the top right corner
  • 3. Click “My Absences” from the dropdown menu

Step #2: Click “Add New Absence”

  • 1. You’ll see a list of your current absences
  • 2. Click the blue “Add New Absence” button (top right)

Step #3: Enter Absence Details

  • 1. Start Date (Required)
  •  1.1 Select the first day you’ll be unavailable
  •    1.2 Cannot select past dates
  •    1.3 Example: If you’re leaving Friday, select Friday
  • 2. End Date (Required)
  •    2.1 Select the last day you’ll be unavailable
  •    2.2 Must be same day or after Start Date
  •    2.3 Example: If you return Sunday, select Sunday
  • 3. Notes (Optional)
  •    3.1 Add context for your absence (e.g., “Family vacation in Hawaii”)
  •    3.2 Only club admins can see these notes
  •    3.3 Members cannot see each other’s absence notes

Step #3.1: Apply to Multiple Clubs (If Applicable)

  • If you’re a member of multiple clubs, you’ll see a checkbox:
  • ☑ Apply this absence to all my clubs
  • This saves time if you want the same absence across all memberships
  • You’ll see a list of your clubs below the checkbox

Step #4: Submit the Absence

  • Review your dates
  • Click “📅 Add Absence” button
  • You’ll see a confirmation message
  • You’ll be redirected to your absence list

What Happens After Submitting an Absence?

Immediately

  • Your absence is saved to the system
  • It appears in your “My Absences” list
  • Club admins can see it in their admin absence management view

Future Schedules

  • When admins create new schedules that include your absence dates, you won’t be assigned
  • The algorithm distributes roles fairly among available members

Existing Schedules

  • Published schedules are NOT changed
  • Draft schedules may still show your assignments (admins can manually adjust)

**Important**

If you’re already assigned to a role in a published schedule during your absence dates, you need to:

  • Decline the assignment in the schedule
  • Or contact your VP of Education to find a replacement

Managing Your Absences

Viewing Your Absences

  • Go to “My Absences” from your user menu
  • You’ll see all upcoming and past absences
  • Upcoming absences are highlighted

Editing an Absence

  • Find the absence in your list
  • Click the “Edit” button
  • Update dates or notes
  • Click “Update Absence”

Deleting an Absence

  • Find the absence in your list
  • Click the “Delete” button
  • Confirm deletion in the popup
  • The absence is removed

⚠️ **Note:** Editing or deleting an absence only affects FUTURE schedules, not existing published ones

⚠️ **Note:** This feature may work a little different during the Beta Test period.

Absence Best Practices

✅ Do:

  • – Add absences as early as possible
  • – Delete absences if you’ll actually be available
  • – Include helpful notes for admins (e.g., “Honeymoon – will be back April 15”)
  • – Update absences if plans change

Absence Best Practices

❌ Don’t:

  • Create absences for single meeting conflicts (just decline the assignment instead)
  • Forget to delete absences when you return early
  • Leave notes with sensitive personal information (admins can see them)

Privacy & Notes

Who can see what:

✅ **You** can see all your absences and notes

✅ **Club admins** (President, VP Ed, Secretary) can see your absence dates AND notes

❌ **Other members** cannot see your absences or notes

❌ **Other members** don’t see why you weren’t assigned

What Admins See:

  • Your name
  • Start and end dates
  • Your notes (if provided)
  • When you created/updated the absence

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I create an absence for just one meeting?

A: Yes! Just set the Start Date and End Date to the same day.

Q: What if I’m already assigned during my absence dates?

A: Absences only affect FUTURE schedule generation. For existing assignments, decline them or contact your VP of Education.

Q: Can I create overlapping absences?

A: Yes, the system allows it (in case you extend a trip). Both absences will be respected.

Q: Do absences expire automatically?

A: No, but past absences are kept for historical records. You can delete old absences anytime.

Q: I forgot to add an absence. Can I still decline roles?

A: Yes! You can always decline role assignments manually, even without a formal absence.