Understanding how the deduction is calculated
For employees with a fixed work schedule, Kenjo deducts the planned hours per day. For employees with irregular or rotating hours, the deduction varies by day of the week, unless the policy is configured differently.
The deduction is controlled by the Deduction based on setting in the policy. For employees with irregular hours, there are two relevant options:
Setting | How the deduction is calculated |
Work schedule (default) | Planned hours for that day from the work schedule or shift schedule |
Work schedule + toggle Use contract hours for time deduction active | Daily average from contract hours (weekly hours / working days), same amount every day |
You can find this setting under Time Off > Settings > [Policy] > Policy settings > Deduction.
For employees with a fixed work schedule, the default setting is sufficient. The planned hours per day are known, and Kenjo deducts the exact value for each day of the week.
For employees with an irregular work schedule (no fixed weekly pattern, hours vary by shift schedule), we recommend enabling the toggle Use contract hours for time deduction. Without a published shift schedule, Kenjo doesn't know which days are working days and will deduct 0 hours.
The toggle is also optional for fixed work schedules with different hours per day:
Situation | Toggle | Result |
Fixed schedule, same hours (e.g. Mon-Fri 8h) | Not needed | Deduction always the same |
Fixed schedule, different hours (e.g. Mon-Thu 8h, Fri 4h) | Optional | Off: exact deduction per day. On: uniform average |
Irregular schedule with shift plan | Recommended | Prevents 0-hour deduction without a published shift schedule |
Example for a fixed schedule with different hours: An employee works Mon-Thu 8h and Fri 4h (36h/week, 5 working days).
Toggle off: Monday = 8h deducted, Friday = 4h deducted.
Toggle on: each absence day = 7h 12min deducted (36h / 5 days).
Recommendation: For irregular work schedules, we recommend setting the time off entitlement in Settings > Time Off > [Policy] to Days and selecting Work schedule as the deduction basis.
How the deduction amount is calculated
When an employee takes time off, the system needs to know how many hours to deduct. This depends on the Use contract hours for time deduction toggle in Time Off > Settings > [Policy] > Policy settings > Deduction.
Toggle | How time off hours are deducted |
Off (default) | Planned hours on that day (from work schedule or shift schedule) |
On | Contractual daily average (contractual weekly hours / working days), same amount every day |
When to enable: Enable this toggle for time off types like Vacation when employees have irregular or rotating work schedules where hours vary by day. This makes the deduction uniform and predictable, regardless of which day the employee takes time off.
Example: An employee works Mon-Thu 8h and Fri 5h (37h/week, daily average: 7h 24min).
Toggle off: Monday absence = 8h of (paid) time off, Friday absence = 5h of (paid) time off
Toggle on: each absence day = 7h 24min of (paid) time off
Tip per policy: A company might use contract hours for Vacation (fair deduction across an irregular week), but planned hours for time off in lieu (to reflect the exact shift being compensated).
Case A: Time off request without a published shift schedule
When no shift schedule has been published yet, employees' ability to submit requests depends on the time off policy.
Example: Connie has 21 weekly hours and works flexibly (3-5 days per week). She wants to request a full week in advance, before any shift schedule exists.
Scenario 1: Deduction by work schedule (recommended)
Time off is calculated based on planned working time.
If Connie requests only Thu-Sat, the request will be declined — the system treats these days as non-working days without a shift schedule.
Instead, the system distributes the required hours across other days (e.g. Mon-Wed).
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✅ Correct: Connie should request the full week, and 21 hours / 3 absence days will be deducted automatically.
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Scenario 2: Deduction by calendar days
Connie requests Thu-Sat: 3 days deducted
Connie requests Mon-Sat: 6 days deducted
Case B: Time off request with a published shift schedule
When you record time off for an employee with a published shift schedule, delete shifts only after the time off request has been fully processed. Removing shifts too early means the system can no longer calculate the correct deduction.
Basic rule for deleting shifts
Request type | When to delete shifts |
Retroactive | Immediately after approval |
Future time off | Only after the first absence day at 00:00 |
Example: Michael has 30 contractual weekly hours, works 3-6 days, and is scheduled Mon-Thu in the published shift schedule. He calls in sick on Sunday evening for the full week.
Scenario 1: Deduction by work schedule
Michael submits a time off request for the full week (Mon-Sat) or just Mon-Thu.
Sunday: leave all shifts in the shift schedule so the system can calculate correctly.
Monday morning: once the deduction has been processed, the Mon-Thu shifts can be deleted.
Result: 4 sick days recorded (Mon-Thu) — only actually planned working days are counted.
Scenario 2: Deduction by calendar days
Shifts can be deleted or converted to open shifts at any time.
Mon-Thu: 4 sick days
Mon-Sat: 6 sick days
Note: For sick leave in Germany, we recommend not using calendar days — only actually planned working days should be counted for payroll purposes and correct reimbursement by the health insurance provider.
Quick reference
Deduction basis | When to use | How to request |
Work schedule (default) | Fixed or published shift schedule available | Request the full period |
Work schedule + toggle Contract hours enabled | Irregular or rotating working days | Request the full period |
Calendar days | When the full period must count by law | Request only actual absence days |
Frequently asked questions
Why didn't my time off request deduct any days from my balance?
If a time off request didn't deduct any days from the balance, this happens when the policy is set to deduct by work schedule and no shift schedule was published for the selected days. Kenjo treats those days as non-working days and deducts 0 hours. Request the full absence period instead, and Kenjo will automatically distribute the deduction across the actual working days.
Why does the deduction vary by day of the week?
When the Use contract hours for time deduction toggle is not active, Kenjo reads the planned hours per day from the work schedule or shift schedule. On a day with 8h, 8h are deducted; on a day with 5h, 5h are deducted. Enable the toggle to have Kenjo use the average from contract hours per day instead.
When can I delete shifts if an employee is sick?
For retroactive sick leave, you can delete shifts as an admin immediately after approval. For future absences, delete shifts only after the first absence day has started. Deleting shifts beforehand prevents Kenjo from calculating the correct hourly deduction.
Does this configuration only apply to employees with irregular work schedules?
No. The Deduction based on setting applies to all employees under the respective policy, regardless of the work schedule type. For employees with a fixed work schedule, the default setting is usually sufficient, since the planned hours per day are fixed.