Absence & Coverage Overview
An absence request says when a person is away. A substitution says who covers them. In Vitextra Absence & Coverage the two are separate records that can be linked: a substitution that was created for a request follows the fate of that request, while a substitution created on its own does not.
This article describes the lifecycle of both records step by step, so that employees, approvers and managers know what to expect after each action. It does not repeat the instructions for individual screens; links to them are in the last section.
What is linked and what is not
| Absence request | Substitution tied to the request | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is created | New request in the My Absences web part | Automatically, from the Substitute field of the request, or with Assign on the No substitute tab |
| Who has to agree | The approver (not needed for types without approval) | The substitute, who accepts or declines |
| Dates | Start and end of the absence | Copied from the request when the substitution is created; half days are not carried over |
| Kind | – | Always Temporary when created from the request |
| Responsibilities | – | Empty when created from the request; the text is entered only in the Assign a substitute panel |
| Link | – | The substitution stores the number of the request |
A substitution that is created with Assign a substitute in the toolbar of the Substitutions web part has no link to a request. It is called standalone in this article.
The link is one-directional. A request changes its substitutions; a substitution never changes the request. Accepting, declining or cancelling a substitution does not change the status of the request.
Lifecycle step by step
| Event | Request | Substitution | What people see |
|---|---|---|---|
| The employee submits a request of a type with approval and names a substitute | Pending approval | Not created yet. The name is only stored on the request | Substitute: with the name in the request row; the approver sees the same line in the Approvals tab |
| The approver selects Approve | Approved | A substitution is created with the status Waiting for confirmation and the dates of the request | The substitute gets a badge on the I cover tab |
| The employee submits a request of a type without approval, or the employee is their own approver, and names a substitute | Approved at once | The substitution is created immediately with the status Waiting for confirmation | The same as above, without the waiting time |
| The substitute selects Accept | No change | Accepted | The absence leaves the No substitute tab; the pill shows Planned or In progress |
| The substitute selects Decline | No change | Declined | The absence is on the No substitute tab with "declined" and the name; the manager can choose Assign |
| The approver selects Reject | Rejected | No substitution exists yet; if one did, it would become Cancelled. The substitute named in the request is never asked | The substitute does not see anything |
| The employee selects Cancel request | Cancelled | Every substitution of this request becomes Cancelled, including accepted and declined ones | The substitutions disappear from the lists of the substitute and the absent person |
| The absent person selects Cancel substitution | No change. The request stays Approved | Cancelled | The absence returns to the No substitute tab |
| The employee names no substitute | No change | None | An approved absence appears on the No substitute tab of the manager, unless its type has the category Remote |
📝 Note
The product does not send e-mail or Teams messages. Each person sees the changes when they open the web part: the badge on the Approvals tab for the approver, and the badge on the I cover tab for the substitute.
A typical flow
- Anna Berzina requests a vacation from 2 to 13 November 2026 and names Jonas Kalns as the substitute.
- The request is Pending approval. Peter Hansen, her manager, sees it on the Approvals tab together with the line "Substitute: Jonas Kalns".
- Peter selects Approve. The request becomes Approved, and a substitution from 2 to 13 November with the status Waiting for confirmation is created.
- Jonas opens the Substitutions web part, sees the badge on I cover and selects Accept. The substitution is now Planned.
- On 2 November the pill changes to In progress, and the Team Absence Calendar shows "Covered by Jonas Kalns" for Anna in the Away today block.
- If Anna cancels the vacation before it ends, the request becomes Cancelled and the substitution disappears.
Coverage gaps
The No substitute tab lists the approved absences of a manager's direct reports for the next 120 days (including those already in progress), except absences whose type has the category Remote. An absence stays on the tab until an Accepted substitution tied to that absence exists.
❗ Important
Only a substitution tied to the absence closes the gap. A standalone substitution for the same person and the same dates, created with Assign a substitute in the toolbar, is shown in the lists but does not remove the absence from the No substitute tab. To close a gap, use the Assign button in the row of the gap: it opens the panel with the person and the dates of the absence and ties the new substitution to it.
Standalone substitutions
Use a standalone substitution when no request exists: a handover of duties for an employee who leaves, a cover for a role, or a substitute who is agreed after the request was approved without one. Such a substitution:
- is valid for the dates you enter and is not affected when any request is rejected or cancelled;
- must still be accepted by the substitute;
- can be cancelled only by the absent person, with Cancel substitution;
- does not appear in the gap list, and does not close a gap.
For open-ended cover see KB10349. How to Hand Over Duties When an Employee Leaves (No End Date).
💡 Tip
If the employee forgot to name a substitute, the manager does not have to reject the request. The manager opens the No substitute tab, selects Assign in the row of the absence and picks the substitute there. The new substitution is tied to the request and follows it from then on.
