WFM UK | HR & Payroll: Absence (Sickness) Data Imports – Fourth & HotSchedules Customer Success Portal

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Overview

The system supports two data imports for absence (sickness) records, providing an efficient way to load and manage absence data at scale without the need to configure each record individually through the UI.

The Absence Record Import allows one or more absence records to be created for employees in a single import. All fields available when creating an absence through the UI are supported in the import, meaning the full absence configuration can be completed without needing to return to the system to make adjustments. Where an absence is recorded in hours, the import allows a part day status and number of hours to be specified, however these values will apply uniformly across every day within the absence date range.

The Absence in Hours Update Import exists to address this limitation. Rather than creating new records, this import updates existing absence records that have been recorded in hours, allowing the number of hours and part day status to be set individually for each date within the absence. This approach was a deliberate design decision; the alternative would have been to require a separate row per day in the Absence Record Import, which would result in individual absence records being created for each day in the employee's record rather than a single continuous absence. The Absence in Hours Update Import allows the absence to be created as one record first, with the per-day hours detail applied separately. The same updates can also be made directly through the UI if preferred.

Once imported, absence records behave exactly as they would if entered through the UI, with all the same downstream processing, calculations, and reporting applying as normal. As with any imported data however, we recommend reviewing records after import to ensure everything has processed as expected.

User Permissions
Absence Record Import
- Downloading & Populating the CSV Template
- Uploading the Data
Absence in Hours Update Import
- Downloading & Populating the CSV Template
- Uploading the Data
Appendix
- Upload Validations
  - Absence Record Import
  - Absence in Hours Update Import
- Filtering the Results Table

User Permissions

Access to the Data Imports page is controlled by a single permission, with two additional permissions available to grant access to each import individually. It is worth noting that a user does not need specific absence permissions to import absence data via these imports. However, to review or manage the imported records through the UI, the relevant absence permissions will be required.

For a full breakdown of absence-related permissions, refer to WFM UK | HR & Payroll: Absence Related User Permissions & Portal Settings [UPDATE WITH PUBLISHED LINK]

To apply these permissions, go to:

HR or Payroll Module > Users > Assign User Access > Find & Select User
Administrators can select User Profile to edit permissions if required
Navigate to the Data Imports section, and enable the permissions as required:

The Data Imports page, along with both absence imports, is available in both the HR and Payroll modules. Access permissions must be granted separately for each module to allow users to access them from both.

**Fig.1 - HR Module - Data Imports & Data Imports User Access Permissions**

These individual permissions can also be applied to User Access Templates:

Using the side menu, go to HR or Payroll > Users >Templates
Create A New Template or select an existing one
Select Assign Permissions

**Fig.2 - Assign Permissions to Access Templates**

Within the pop-up, select Data Imports
Select the permissions required to be added for the template and Save
- As above, the Data Imports permission is required for users to access the imports page

**Fig.3 - New Data Imports Permission Group - Templates**

These templates can then be assigned to each user to update multiple permissions at once, rather than individually:

Using the side menu, go to HR or Payroll > Users > Assign User Access > search for and select the required Employee
Select User Profile from the top-right corner
Select the Access Template, and click Apply

Absence Records Import

The Absence Record Import is a CSV-based import that allows absence records to be created in bulk for one or more employees. It supports all fields available when creating an absence through the UI, meaning a full absence record can be configured entirely through the import.

Where absences are recorded in hours and per-day detail is required, the Absence in Hours Update Import should be used following this import.

Downloading & Populating the CSV Template

With permissions applied, users can access the Data Imports page, and the individual imports where access is applied:

Using the side menu, go to HR or Payroll > Administration > Data Imports
Select an Upload Type, which in this case is Absence Records Import
Select Download CSV Template

**Fig.5 - Data Import CSV Upload & Template**

The CSV Template will look like this, with the following column headers and the individual field validations:

**Fig.6 - Data Import CSV Upload & Template**

Column Header	Description	Validations
Employee Number	The employee number of the employee the Absence record(s) are being applied to	Employee must exist
Days or Hours	Selection of if the Absence is in Day or Hours	Must be "Days" or "Hours" Cannot be blank
Reason for Absence	The Absence Type being used to record the absence	The Absence Type must exist The spelling of the Absence Type name must be exact
Absence Start Date	The Start Date of the Absence record being imported	DD/MM/YYYY Format Cannot be blank
Absence End Date	The End Date of the Absence record being imported	DD/MM/YYYY Format Cannot be blank
Doctors Certificate	Indication of if a Doctors Certificate (aka Sick Note) date range is required or not	Must be "Y" or "N" Cannot be blank
Doctors Certificate Start Date	The Start Date of the Doctor Certificate (Sick Note)	DD/MM/YYYY Format Cannot be blank, if Doctors Certificate is Y
Doctors Certificate End Date	The End Date of the Doctor Certificate (Sick Note)	DD/MM/YYYY Format Cannot be blank, if Doctors Certificate is Y
Evidence Seen	If the Absence Type requires evidence, then indicate whether this has been seen or not	Must be "Y" or "N" Cannot be blank For Absence Types that do not require Evidence Seen, put "N".
Notes	A free text field to allow users to add any notes pertaining to the Absence	Certain special characters are not permitted in this field for security purposes. If an import fails unexpectedly, review the Notes field for any special characters and remove them before retrying.
Return to Work Completed	Indication of if a Return to Work has been completed for this Absence	Must be "Y" or "N" Cannot be blank
Qualifying Day - Monday	Indicates whether that day of the week is considered a qualifying day for SSP and CSP purposes across all occurrences of that day within the absence, equivalent to the Days Usually Worked selection in the UI.	Must be "Y" or "N" Cannot be blank
Qualifying Day - Tuesday
Qualifying Day - Wednesday
Qualifying Day - Thursday
Qualifying Day - Friday
Qualifying Day - Saturday
Qualifying Day - Sunday
Full Day or Part Day Absence	Defines whether days within the absence are full or part days, applied uniformly across the entire date range. Individual days can be updated via the UI or the Absence in Hours Update Import afterwards.	Must be "Full" or "Part" Cannot be blank if the "Days or Hours" field is "Hours" Can be blank if "Days or Hours" field is "Days"
Number of Hours Per Qualifying Day	Defines the number of hours to record for each qualifying day within the absence, applied uniformly across the entire date range. Individual days can be updated via the UI or the Absence in Hours Update Import.	Numbers only Cannot be blank if the "Days or Hours" field is "Hours" Can be blank if "Days or Hours" field is "Days" Cannot be a negative value Can be 0
Send to Rota/Scheduling	Determines whether the absence is sent through to the Rota or Scheduling module. This can be useful where absences are being backdated, for example when loading historical records from a previous system for record keeping purposes, where sending to the rota/schedule may not be appropriate.	Must be "Y" or "N" Cannot be blank
Waiting Days in Absence (For pre 6th april 2026)	These fields are intended for use when backdating absence records that predate the removal of SSP waiting days on 6th April 2026. They allow the number of waiting days within the absence, and the number of those days spent, to be recorded accurately for historical record keeping and reporting purposes.	Numbers only Cannot be a negative value Can be 0 Can be blank
Waiting Days Spent (used) (For pre 6th april 2026)
SSP Days Paid	For historical (or part completed) absences where SSP has already been processed, this field allows the number of SSP days already paid to be recorded. The system assumes these are the first qualifying days of the absence, continuing any further SSP calculation from that point forward.
CSP Waiting Days in Absence	Where a contract is configured with a CSP waiting period, these fields allow the number of waiting days within the absence, and the number of those days already spent, to be recorded. This ensures CSP is calculated accurately from the correct point within the absence.
CSP Waiting Days Spent (used)
CSP Days Paid	For historical (or part completed) absences where CSP has already been processed, these fields allow the number of full and half days already paid to be recorded. The system will recognise these against the employee's entitlement and treat them as days already taken, continuing any further CSP calculation from that point forward.
CSP Half Days Paid
SSP Amount Paid	Records the monetary value of SSP already paid for the absence. This is stored against the absence record for reference and reporting purposes.
CSP Amount Paid	Records the monetary value of CSP already paid for the absence. This is stored against the absence record for reference and reporting purposes.

More information on wider upload validations is available in the appendix.

Populate and save the template, ensuring it remains as a CSV file type

Absence in Days:

**Fig.9 - Completed CSV Template (Absence in Days) - 3 of 4**

**Fig.10 - Completed CSV Template (Absence in Days) - 4 of 4**

Absence in Hours:

**Fig.13 - Completed CSV Template (Absence in Hours) - 3 of 4**

**Fig.14 - Completed CSV Template (Absence in Hours) - 4 of 4**

Uploading the Data

Using the side menu, go to HR or Payroll > Administration > Data Imports
Select an Upload Type, which in this case is Absence Records Import
Load in the template saved earlier, and select an If Validation Errors Occur option:
- Cancel Upload - even if just one error, the entire file will not upload and will be cancelled
- Continue with Upload - all successful records in the template will load into the system, whilst the rejected ones will not
Select Upload

Once the upload has been processed, a table will be displayed within the same page, detailing the status of each change in the upload.

A successful row will show Record Processed Successfully under 'Status', and an unsuccessful row will show Record Validated with Errors, with the reason detailed under 'Error Description':

Correct any erroneous data and reattempt the upload, noting that;
- If Continue With Upload was selected, successful records will update the data in an employee's record. When re-completing the upload, exclude successful records
- If Cancel Upload was selected, then no records will be processed, and all records, including successful ones, should be included in the re-completed upload

More information is available in the appendix around filtering the results table, especially helpful if the import features a lot of data.

Once the upload has been completed, the following data will be updated and can be found in by navigating to either of these locations:

HR > Employees > Employee List > Find & Select Employee > Employee HR Info > Absences
Payroll > Employees > Employee List > Find & Select Employee > Employee Info > Absences

The Absence record will be created, as per the information provided on the upload:

**Fig.17 - Employee Absence Record (Overview)**

In the screenshot above it states 30 SSP days paid, despite 12 being entered into the upload (Fig.9). In this example, the other 18 days are paying in the current payroll, totalling 30.