Introduction
In Dynamics 365 Human Resources (D365 HR), the term “open-ended leave” typically refers to leave requests that do not have a predefined end date. These leave requests are often associated with situations where an employee needs to take an indefinite or extended period of leave, such as for medical reasons, family emergencies, or other personal circumstances. Setting up open-ended leave in D365 HR involves configuring leave and absence policies and using the system to manage these types of requests.
This feature is related to the management of Leave of Absence (LOA) and offers several key functionalities:
- Leave Type Definition: HR administrators are given the ability to define various categories or types of leave. These types can encompass situations where employees need to take a break from work for various reasons.
- Unplanned Leave: The feature accommodates scenarios where leaves are sudden and not previously scheduled. This could include situations like medical emergencies or other unforeseen circumstances.
- Unaccrued Leave: It accounts for leave that hasn’t been earned or accrued by the employee but is still permitted for valid reasons.
- Open-ended Leave: This pertains to situations where the return date of the employee is uncertain or not fixed. It might be used for cases like extended medical leaves.
- Closed-ended Leave: This deals with leaves that have a specific, predetermined duration. For example, a vacation or maternity leave for a defined period.
- Mandating ‘Return to Work Notice’: This feature allows HR administrators to require employees on leave to provide advance notice before they intend to return to work. This can help in better planning and resource allocation within the organization.
Here are the general steps to set up and manage open-ended leave in Dynamics 365 HR:
Enable the feature:
Under Feature management, make sure that the Open ended leave feature is turned on.
Create a leave of absence Leave Types:
- Create a leave of absence leave type.
- Enter the details such as the leave type, description, and workflow ID.
- In the Request type field, select Leave of absence.
- In the details section, for open-ended leaves, set the Open Ended option to Yes.
- Set the Return to work notice option to Yes or No.
- A return-to-work notice can optionally be required for open-ended leave of absence requests.
Add a leave of absence Leave Types to a leave plan:
- Create or modify a leave plan.
- Add a leave type, enter the accrual amount and grant amount.
- Run the Accrue leave and absence plans.
Employee Request:
- When an employee needs open-ended leave, they can submit a leave request through the D365 HR self-service portal or by other means.
- Go to Employee self-service workspace, on the Time off balances tile, select More (…).
To submit a leave of absence request, select Request Leave of absence.
- Enter all required information and select Submit.
- Wait for leave of absence request is approved.
Update leave of absence:
- Once the leave of absence is approved, go to Approved leave of absence tab and select Update leave of absence button.
Extend the end date, enable the confirm end date, upload the document and click Submit.
Once the leave of absence is approved, you can see your request is extended. 
Summary
Enabling this feature in an organization’s HR management system empowers HR administrators to efficiently oversee Leave of Absence (LOA) scenarios. It provides the capability to define diverse leave types, including unplanned, unaccrued, open-ended, or closed-ended leaves. Moreover, this feature enables the implementation of a ‘Return to work notice’ mandate. This comprehensive functionality streamlines the management of employee absences, regardless of the leave type, ensuring greater control and organization within the HR department.
