EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE · TIME OFF
Compensatory Off
Everything about comp-off — how it's earned, granted, requested, tracked, expired, and how it interacts with attendance and payroll.
👥 WHO USES THIS
▸ Employees who work weekends, holidays, or on-call shifts.
▸ Managers approving both grant and consumption requests.
▸ HR configuring rules, auditing usage, handling exceptions.
▸ Attendance teams syncing biometric / timesheet data.
✨ WHAT YOU'LL ACHIEVE
▸ Clear rules for how comp-off is earned and credited.
▸ Auditable grant and consumption workflows.
▸ Transparent balance, expiry, and carry-forward policy.
▸ Clean integration with attendance and payroll.
Overview of the Comp Off Framework
Compensatory Off (comp-off) is paid time off credited to an employee in lieu of work performed outside contracted hours — typically on weekends, public holidays, or declared non-working days. Unlike paid leave, comp-off is earned, not accrued: every hour of eligible extra work converts to a fractional comp-off day based on the organisation's conversion rule. WorkWisely manages the full lifecycle — automatic detection from attendance, manager-approved grant requests, balance tracking, consumption requests, expiry enforcement, and payroll integration for lapsed balances (if encashable).
Comp Off Rules Managed by WorkWisely
COMP OFF RULESET · 1
Grant Rules (How Comp Off Is Earned)
The earning side — which extra-hours events qualify, how they convert to comp-off days, and how the grant is triggered.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|
| Qualifying Events | Weekend work, public holiday work, work beyond scheduled shift, on-call callouts (configurable per policy) |
| Minimum Hours to Qualify | 4 hours for a half-day comp-off; 8 hours for a full-day (configurable) |
| Conversion Rule | 1:1 by default (8 hours worked = 1 day comp-off). Premium multipliers configurable for holidays / nights. |
| Trigger Source | Attendance sync (biometric/timesheet) auto-detects; manual grant request also supported |
| Approval for Grant | Reporting manager approval required before credit to balance |
| Eligibility | Confirmed employees on applicable shift plans; contractors configurable per policy |
| Backdating Window | Grant requests must be submitted within 14 days of the work date (configurable) |
COMP OFF RULESET · 2
Request Rules (How Comp Off Is Consumed)
The consumption side — how employees apply comp-off against their earned balance, and when it's allowed.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|
| Minimum Balance Required | Must have ≥ requested days in granted balance; negative balance disabled |
| Minimum Request Duration | 0.5 day (half-day request supported) |
| Maximum Consecutive | Up to 3 days (configurable) — longer consumption requires Annual Leave |
| Minimum Notice | 48 hours for planned use; emergency use at manager discretion |
| Clubbing Rules | Can be clubbed with weekends / holidays but not with Sick or Casual in the same request |
| Approval Workflow | Reporting manager (L1). Policy can add HR L2 for requests ≥ 3 days. |
| Documentation | None required for consumption |
COMP OFF RULESET · 3
Expiry & Carry-Forward Rules
The time-bound side — comp-off is a use-it-or-lose-it entitlement.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|
| Default Validity | 60 days from date of grant (configurable: 30 / 60 / 90 days) |
| Expiry Notification | Automated email at T-14, T-7, and T-1 days before expiry |
| Carry-Forward | Not allowed across financial year close; expired comp-off lapses |
| Encashment of Lapsed | Not allowed by default; can be enabled per policy (taxable if paid) |
| Extension Window | HR may manually extend expiry on approval — audit-logged |
| On Separation | All unused comp-off lapses; encashment requires explicit policy configuration |
COMP OFF RULESET · 4
Balance Management
How balances are calculated, displayed, and reconciled against attendance.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|
| Balance View | Employee dashboard shows: Granted / Consumed / Pending / Available / Expiring-soon |
| Grant Ledger | Every grant event logged with: Work date, hours worked, converted days, expiry date |
| Consumption Ledger | Every consumption logged with: Request date, approved-on, days debited, source grant |
| FIFO Consumption | Oldest grant consumed first — prevents mid-balance expiry traps |
| Reconciliation Cadence | Nightly reconciliation with attendance source; discrepancies flagged to HR |
COMP OFF RULESET · 5
Override & Exception Handling
When the default rules don't fit — HR-controlled overrides and audit trail.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|
| Override Scope | Grant credit / expiry extension / balance adjustment / retroactive approval |
| Who Can Override | HR Admin; Super Admin for cross-department overrides |
| Reason Required | Mandatory free-text reason; logged with timestamp and override-user |
| Audit Trail | All overrides surfaced in the Comp Off audit report; non-deletable |
| Approval for Override | Override itself requires L2 approval if total adjustment > 3 days (configurable) |
| Employee Notification | Automatic email to employee on every override action |
Comp Off Lifecycle
From extra-hours work to consumption, comp-off moves through seven stages. Each transition is audit-logged and visible on the employee dashboard.
| Stage | Owner | SLA | Next Action |
|---|
| 1. Extra Work Detected | Attendance System | Real-time | Sync from biometric/timesheet flags eligible hours |
| 2. Grant Request Raised | Employee / Auto | Within 14 days | Employee submits or system auto-creates grant request |
| 3. Grant Approval | Manager | 48 hours SLA | Manager approves / rejects; balance credited on approval |
| 4. Balance Available | System | Instant | Comp-off credited to balance with expiry date set |
| 5. Consumption Request | Employee | Min 48 hours notice | Employee applies comp-off against available balance |
| 6. Consumption Approval | Manager | 48 hours SLA | Manager approves; balance debited; calendar updated |
| 7. Expiry / Reconciliation | System | Nightly | Unused comp-off lapses at expiry; reconciliation runs |
Role & Permission Matrix
Who can do what across the comp-off module.
| Role | View Balance | Grant Request | Consumption Request | Policy Config | Expiry Extension | Balance Adjustment |
|---|
| Employee | Own only | Self-raise | Self-raise | No | No | No |
| Manager | Direct reports | Approve | Approve | No | No | Request (HR action) |
| HR Admin | All | Override | Override | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Super Admin | All (cross-dept) | Override | Override | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How Comp Off Integrates with Attendance & Payroll
Attendance → Grant: nightly attendance sync identifies qualifying work events (holiday/weekend work above the configured minimum hours) and either auto-creates grant requests or flags them for the employee to claim. Grant → Balance: approved grants convert to fractional comp-off days using the organisation's conversion rule (default 1:1) and land in the employee's balance with a fixed expiry date. Consumption → Payroll: comp-off consumption is payroll-neutral — it replaces what would otherwise be paid leave or LWP. Expiry → Encashment: if the policy enables encashment of lapsed comp-off, it posts as a one-time taxable earning in the next payroll cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions — Compensatory Off
Q. What counts as "extra work" for comp-off?
Weekend work (Saturday/Sunday per your work calendar), work on declared public holidays, and work beyond your scheduled shift hours — provided the total qualifying time crosses the minimum threshold (typically 4 hours for half-day, 8 hours for full-day).
Q. How is comp-off calculated for half-day weekend work?
If you work ≥4 hours on a non-working day, you earn 0.5 comp-off days. If you work ≥8 hours, you earn 1.0 comp-off day. Premium multipliers for holidays (e.g. 1.25x) are configurable.
Q. I worked Saturday but forgot to raise a grant request. Can I still claim it?
Yes, within the backdating window — by default 14 days from the work date. Beyond that, HR override is required with justification.
Q. Does comp-off expire? When?
Yes. Default validity is 60 days from the grant approval date (configurable 30/60/90 days). Automated reminders are sent at T-14, T-7, and T-1 days. Expired comp-off lapses unless your policy allows encashment.
Q. Can I carry comp-off into the next financial year?
No — comp-off is bound to its individual expiry date, and all unused balances lapse at financial year close unless an explicit policy exception exists.
Q. What happens to unused comp-off on separation?
By default, all unused comp-off lapses on your last working day. Encashment on separation requires explicit policy configuration — check with HR.
Q. Can I use comp-off for a half-day?
Yes — 0.5 day is the minimum consumption unit. Longer consecutive blocks follow the maximum consecutive rule (default 3 days).
Q. What if I disagree with the comp-off balance shown?
The nightly reconciliation with the attendance source usually corrects discrepancies. Persistent gaps should be raised with HR — overrides are logged and notified to you by email.
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