If you’ve recently logged into Workday and noticed your absence calendar looks… different, you’re not imagining things. With the 2025R2 release, Workday has officially retired the old Unified Absence Calendar and rolled out the new Workday Absence Calendar as the standard for everyone.
We know change like this often brings a lot of “how do I…?” questions from employees, managers, and admins alike. That’s why we’ve compiled and answered all the key questions in one place, along with the complete Workday Absence Calendar Guide.
Think of it as your go-to playbook: whether you’re just trying to request a day off, approve team leave, or make sure your dashboards are configured correctly, we’ve got you covered.
Why FAQs Matter During Rollout
Every new feature in Workday is about adoption, clarity, simplicity and ease of use. Here’s why FAQs make such a big difference:
- Less confusion, faster adoption: Instead of guessing where to click, employees and managers get instant clarity.
- Empowered users: When people can answer their own questions, HR and support teams have more time to focus on strategic initiatives and high-value support.
- Smooth transition: FAQs help bridge the gap between “what used to work” and “how it works now.”
Quick Recap: The Unified Absence Calendar is no longer available. The new Absence Calendar is the default for everyone going forward: employees, managers, and admins.
For Employees
Q: How do I request time off in the new calendar?
A: It’s simple! From the Absence App, click Request Absence, pick your dates, choose the absence type (like vacation, sick leave, or personal day), and submit. The calendar will immediately reflect your request, so you can see it in context with your other absences.
Q: Can I correct or cancel absences?
A: Yes. If your request is still pending approval, you can cancel it yourself. If it’s already approved, you’ll need to submit a correction request. Both can be done directly from the Manage Absence Task.
Q: How do I see my absence balances?
A: On the right-hand side of your calendar, you’ll see a Balances panel. This shows your accruals (like how much vacation you’ve earned) and how many days you have left. You’ll always know if you have enough balance before submitting.
Q: Can I check if teammates are off on the same day?
A: Yes; one of the big upgrades! You can switch to the Team Absence Calendar view, which lets you see who else is off. This makes planning easier and helps avoid scheduling gaps.
For Managers
Q: Can I still request absence on behalf of my team?
A: Absolutely. Managers can still submit requests on behalf of their team members. This is especially useful if an employee is out unexpectedly and needs their manager to log the absence.
Q: How do I view and correct team absences?
A: Use the Team Absence Calendar. You can see all approved, pending, and corrected requests in one place. If you need to adjust, just click into the employee’s absence and submit the correction.
Q: Is the manager’s view different from the employee’s view?
A: For Managers, the view for “Request Absence” and “Manage Absence” is essentially the same as the employee view; the main difference is that managers also have the option to request an absence on behalf of a team member. Additionally, they only see team members’ absences layered on top of their own when they navigate to the “Team Absence Calendar” task.
For Admins
Q: What security updates are required?
A: Make sure all relevant absence-related security groups are updated on the relevant bps: Request Time Off, Correct Time Off, and Request Leave of Absence. This ensures that the right people maintain access to view, request, correct, and approve absences. (Configure absence is not related to the new experience.)
Q: Do I need to update delegations?
A: Yes. Any Workday delegation (like delegating the initiation of request absence and enter absence) should be reviewed and adjusted to align with the new calendar tasks.
Q: How do I update help text in the Micro Calendar?
A: The helptext in the micro-calendar will follow the helptext configured on the individual BPS. For the Manage Absence Calendar, it is possible to configure additional helptext using the task: Maintain Manage Absence Calendar Help Text
Q: Where do I add tasks on dashboards?
A: Admins can update the absence worklet on “configure Worklet” and replace the previous tasks with the new tasks: Request Absence and Manage Absence. This will reflect on the apps and any dashboards where the worklet is included. This keeps absence management front and center without users needing to search for it.
Bonus FAQs
Q: What happens to legacy Absence Calendar tasks?
A: They’re retired with the rollout. All tasks now redirect to the new tasks.
Q: How long will they be supported?
A: Legacy views will only be available for a short transition period until September 26. After that, all functionalities will live exclusively in the new calendar.
Q: Do preview tenants auto-update?
A: Yes. All preview tenants are automatically updated to the new Absence Calendar as part of the 2025R2 release.
Conclusion
The new Workday Absence Calendar is designed to take the guesswork out of managing leave. Whether you’re an employee planning time off, a manager balancing team schedules, or an admin ensuring compliance, the new calendar gives you more visibility and fewer steps to complete everyday tasks.
And remember: the more you explore it, the easier it becomes. Lean on this list as your quick reference, and you’ll be navigating the calendar like a pro in no time.
Still have questions? We’ve got you covered.
Grab the Complete Absence Calendar Guide and explore everything from setup to mobile features in one place.
