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    Setting Up Staff Leave - Frequently Asked Questions

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    Account Setup & Registration

    How do I create a StaffLeave account?

    You can create a StaffLeave account in just 5 minutes. All you need is:

    • Your email address
    • Your business or company name

    Visit www.staffleave.com/app to download the mobile app and complete registration. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

    Want desktop access? You can start a 7-day free trial of Plus Pack at www.staffleave.com/account/register to access both desktop and mobile features immediately.

    Is StaffLeave really free?

    Yes! The StaffLeave mobile app is completely free to use with unlimited users. There are no hidden fees or user limits on the mobile version.

    We offer an optional paid upgrade called Plus Pack at £1 per user per month (plus VAT) that provides desktop access and advanced features, including:

    • Expandable wall planner
    • Full historical leave data (mobile limited to 3 months on shared planner)
    • Future-year booking capabilities (mobile limited to 12 months ahead)
    • Set next year's allowances independently
    • Advanced privacy settings
    • Basic reporting and allowance snapshots
    The free mobile app provides full holiday management functionality for teams of any size. Plus Pack is only needed if you require desktop access or advanced administrative features.

    Do I need a credit or debit card to create an account?

    No. You can sign up for a free mobile account without entering any payment details. The free mobile app remains free, with no obligation to upgrade.

    Payment information is only required if you choose to subscribe to Plus Pack for desktop access and advanced features.

    Team Size & Organization

    Is there a limit to how many users I can have?

    The free mobile app has no user limits. You can add as many team members as you need at no cost.

    Best practice for large organizations: We recommend keeping each team size to 100 users unless you organize staff into specific departments. If you have multiple regional offices, create one team account per office for better organization and manageability.

    Inviting & Managing Staff

    How do I get my staff using StaffLeave?

    You can invite team members through the mobile app:

    1. Navigate to the People section in the StaffLeave app
    2. Tap to add a new user
    3. Enter their email address and details
    4. An invitation email will be sent automatically

    Your colleague will receive an email asking them to download the StaffLeave app and join your team. When they register using the invited email address, they'll automatically gain access to your team.

    Alternative method: You can authorize an email domain to allow all employees with that domain to automatically join your team. Access this feature via More > Company & App Settings > Employee Access. Learn more about email domain access.

    For bulk user imports, see the section below on importing data using Excel templates.

    Importing Data

    How do I import existing holiday data and users?

    StaffLeave provides Excel templates to help you quickly import both users and holiday records:

    Once you've populated the templates:

    1. Navigate to More > Company & App Settings > Import Data
    2. Select the appropriate upload option (Users or Holidays)
    3. Upload your completed file
    4. Review the verification summary
    5. Confirm the import
    Import users first! Every time a user record is imported, an invitation email is sent automatically. Make sure you've set up your company details and leave types before importing users. For holiday imports, all user records must already exist in your StaffLeave account.

    For detailed step-by-step instructions with screenshots, see our comprehensive guides:

    Privacy & Visibility Settings

    Some of my staff cannot see the leave of others on the planner. Why?

    By default, StaffLeave uses privacy settings to control who can view leave on the shared planner:

    • Staff members: Can only see leave for colleagues in their own department
    • Managers: Can see all leave for staff members in their own department
    • Administrators: Can see leave for all team members

    To change these privacy settings and make the planner visible to the entire team, you need to subscribe to Plus Pack, which provides access to advanced privacy controls via the desktop application.

    Learn more about configuring privacy settings in Holiday Settings (Admin Only)

    Holiday Allowances & Settings

    How do I update next year's holiday allowance for an employee?

    The mobile app has limitations when setting future-year allowances:

    • When you update a user's current year allowance, it automatically sets next year's allowance to the same value (if not previously set)
    • You cannot change next year's allowance independently via the mobile app until the first day of the new leave year
    Need to set different allowances for next year? Upgrade to Plus Pack (£1 per user per month + VAT) to unlock the ability to set current and next year's allowances independently, along with full historical leave access and future-year booking capabilities.

    Can I block out days from being bookable, such as public holidays?

    Yes! StaffLeave supports blocking UK public holidays and weekends to prevent staff from booking leave on those days.  

    Important: PlusPack is required to activate this feature.

    Platform Support:

    • iOS (iPhone and iPad): Supported
    • Android: Supported
    • Plus Pack Desktop: Fully supported with user-level controls

    For UK accounts:

    1. Subscribe to StaffLeave PlusPack to enable support.
    2. Goto Holiday Settings and turn on public holiday blocking
    3. Once enabled, UK bank holidays will be automatically blocked for all iOS users.

    For advanced control: Login to Plus Pack to:

    • Control public holiday blocking at the individual user level
    • Override blocking for specific employees who work on bank holidays
    • Block weekends in addition to public holidays
    Critical: When you block public holidays, adjust employee allowances to exclude those days. If allowances include bank holidays but they're blocked from being booked, employees will lose access to days they're entitled to.

    Example: If your allowance is 28 days (20 annual leave + 8 bank holidays) and you block the 8 bank holidays, reduce allowances to 20 days.

    Integrations & API Access

    Can I integrate StaffLeave with third-party software?

    StaffLeave is developing a powerful RESTful API that will allow integration with payroll, accounting platforms, and other HR software. The API is scheduled to launch in 2026 for paid accounts.

    Future capabilities will include:

    • Integration with payroll systems
    • Accounting platform connections
    • HR software integrations
    • Pre-built integrations via an App Store
    Available now: You can already export leave data to third-party calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar using live iCal feeds. Learn how in Holidays - Exporting Holidays via a Live Calendar (iCal) Feed.

    Desktop Access

    Is there a desktop version of StaffLeave?

    Yes! We offer desktop access through Plus Pack, starting at £1 per user per month (plus VAT) in the UK.

    Plus Pack provides:

    • Full desktop access via web browser
    • Expandable wall planner
    • Full historical leave lookback
    • Future-year booking capabilities
    • Advanced settings and controls
    • Basic reporting and allowance snapshots
    • Ability to set next year's allowances independently

    You can start a 7-day free trial at www.staffleave.com/account/register or visit the Plus Pack information page to learn more.

    Privacy, Security & Compliance

    What about GDPR and privacy?

    StaffLeave is fully GDPR-compliant. We take data protection and privacy seriously, ensuring all personal information is handled securely and in accordance with UK and EU data protection laws.

    You can review our full Privacy Policy for complete details on how we collect, use, and protect your data.

    If you require a GDPR Data Processing Agreement, this is available for custom account users. Contact our support team to discuss your requirements.

    Support & Help

    How do I get support?

    We offer multiple ways to get help:

    • Online form: Submit a request via our online support form
    • In-app support: Contact us directly through the iOS or Android app via More > Contact Support
    • Help center: Browse our comprehensive guides and articles in this knowledge base

    Your message will be sent directly to our helpdesk, and a team member will respond within our standard response times:

    • Plus Pack users: Priority support (4-24 hours during business days)
    • Free mobile users: Standard support (within 48 hours)
    Before contacting support: Check our StaffLeave Mobile App FAQ for quick answers to common questions. You can also use the AI powered search function within this knowledge base to get quick answers to your questions.

    What's Next

    Now that your account is set up, explore these helpful resources:

    Getting Help

    If you need additional assistance with setup or have questions not covered in this guide, please contact our support team. We're here to help you get the most out of StaffLeave.

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