Who it’s for: Administrators and users with the relevant permissions
Platform: Sense HR
Available on: All plans
Before you begin, make sure:
☑️ You’re logged in
☑️ You know whether the event should be Working or Time-off
☑️ You know the Event name your organisation uses
☑️ You know who should be able to book the event and whether different people need different rules
☑️ You know any booking restrictions or approval requirements that should apply
💡 Tip: For Time-off events, also consider whether the event should use entitlement. If it does, you’ll configure the entitlement settings after creating the event.
👉 New to Event manager? See Calendar & Planner: Event Manager overview first.
Overview
Use Event Manager to create events that people can book or record in the Calendar and Planner.
When you create an event, you first choose its basic details, including its:
Event category
Event name
Icon and colour
Sense HR then creates the event with a default rule assigned to Everyone and takes you directly to its configuration page.
From there, you can configure:
who the rule applies to
booking constraints
approval
whether booking is allowed outside working hours
entitlement for Time-off events
additional rules where different people or groups need different configurations
🖊️ Note: You cannot create a Sickness event. Sense HR includes a standalone system Sickness event that is configured separately.
👉 See Calendar & Planner: Configure Sickness and sickness reasons with Event manager.
Navigation path
From the Sense HR dashboard, go to:
Settings > Calendar & Planner > Event manager
Create an event
Go to Settings > Calendar & Planner > Event manager and click Create.
The Create event window opens.
Step 1. Choose the Event category
Select the category that describes the event you want to create:
Working — for working activities such as meetings and training. Working events do not use entitlement.
Time off — for leave and other time away from work, such as Holiday, Maternity, or Paternity. Time-off events can optionally use entitlement.
The Event category determines which configuration options are available and cannot be changed after the event is created. For example, a Working event cannot later be given entitlement.
Step 2. Name the event
Enter a clear and distinctive Event name based on the terminology used by your organisation.
This is the name people will see when booking the event, viewing bookings in the Calendar and Planner, and using Calendar filters.
3. Choose how the event appears in calendars
Click Select event icon and colour.
Choose:
an icon that helps people quickly recognise the event; and
a colour that helps distinguish it from other events.
Check the Preview and click Done when you’ve made your selection.
4. Create the event and configure its rules
Click Create and configure.
Sense HR:
creates the event;
creates a default rule assigned to Everyone; and
opens the event configuration page.
The event’s rules appear as tabs at the top of the configuration page. Click a rule tab to view or configure that rule.
Use the navigation panel to jump between configuration sections, or scroll through the page.
🖊️ Note: Save changes becomes available after you make a change. Immediately after Create and configure, the event and its default Everyone rule already exist, so there is nothing additional to save.
If the default rule is suitable without any changes, the event is already created and available to book. You can return to the Manage events page.
Restrict an event while you configure it
When you click Create and configure, the event is created with a default rule assigned to Everyone and is available to book immediately.
If the default rule is suitable, you do not need to make any further changes.
If you need to configure the rule before making the event generally available, use a test profile while you complete the configuration:
Change the rule’s Scope so that it applies only to a test profile.
Click Save changes.
Configure the rule’s booking, approval, entitlement or other required settings.
When the rule is ready to use, change its Scope to the intended people.
Click Save changes again.
If the event needs multiple rules, configure one rule at a time. Use a test profile that is not already covered by another rule for the event, as the same person cannot be included in more than one rule for the same event.
Configure who the rule applies to
The Scope section determines which people the selected rule applies to.
Rule name
Enter a clear name that makes the rule easy to identify.
Rule name is required.
Where useful, include the purpose or audience in the name. For example:
Everyone
Directors: HR approval
Contractors: no entitlement
London employees
Assign to
Use Assign to to select the people or Smart filters the rule should apply to.
Assign to is required.
Exclude people
Use Exclude people to remove people who would otherwise match the rule but should not be covered by it.
Being excluded from one rule does not necessarily mean the person cannot book the event. Another rule for the same event may still apply to them.
If no rules for the event apply to a person:
they cannot book the event; and
someone managing them cannot book the event on their behalf.
Example: You could have an Everyone rule but exclude Directors from it, then create a separate Directors rule with different approval or entitlement settings.
Check who the rule applies to
Click View filter results to see which people currently match the rule criteria.
💡 Tip: Check the results before configuring the rest of the rule. This helps you identify unexpected matches or overlaps early.
🖊️ Note: Everyone is a dynamic Smart filter. It includes everyone in the system who has not been deleted, including active employees and people marked as leavers who have not yet reached their removal date. New starters are included automatically.
Configure booking behaviour
Scroll to the Booking behaviour section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Booking.
Use the Booking behaviour section to set constraints on how the event can be booked.
Max days in a row
Enter the maximum number of consecutive days that can be booked.
Leave this blank to allow any number of consecutive days.
Max bookings per day
Enter the maximum number of bookings allowed per person, per day.
Leave this blank if you do not want to set a maximum.
Configure approval
Scroll to the Approval section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Approval.
Turn Approval ON where bookings for the event must be approved before they are confirmed.
When Approval is enabled, Sense HR creates an approval To Do for the appropriate approver.
Leave Approval OFF where bookings should be confirmed without approval.
💡 Tip: If some people need approval and others do not, use separate rules for the same event.
Configure booking outside working hours
Scroll to the Outside working hours section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Outside working hours.
Turn the Allow booking outside working hours setting ON if the event can be booked outside the employee’s configured working hours.
Leave it OFF if bookings should be restricted to their working hours.
🖊️ Note: For Time-off events, Allow booking outside working hours is available only when Entitlement is turned OFF. When Entitlement is enabled, this section and its navigation entry are removed.
Configure entitlement for a Time-off event
Time-off events have an additional Entitlement section.
Turn Entitlement ON where bookings for the event should use and reduce an employee’s entitlement balance.
Enabling Entitlement provides settings for:
Default FTE allowance
Allow partial bookings
Minimum booking unit
It also adds configuration sections for:
Accrual
Carryover
Length of service
Balance & overbooking
👉 See Calendar & Planner: Configure entitlement settings for Time-off events with Event Manager for full guidance.
Save the rule
When you’ve finished configuring the rule, click Save changes in the upper right.
Your changes apply to the people covered by that rule.
If you leave the page with unsaved changes, Sense HR asks whether you want to discard them. Selecting Discard changes removes the changes made since the rule was last saved.
Resolve a rule conflict
Each person can be covered by only one rule for each event.
If saving a rule would cause someone to be included in more than one rule for the same event, Sense HR displays a rule conflict message and the rule is not saved.
Check the Scope of each rule and use View filter results to identify the overlap.
Update Assign to or Exclude people so that each person is covered by only one rule for the event, then save again.
Rule conflicts caused by profile changes
Smart filters are dynamic, so changes to someone’s profile information can change which rules they match.
For example, a change to their Job title or Location could cause them to begin matching another rule for the same event.
If someone matches more than one rule for the same event, this can cause inconsistencies in which booking rules are applied until the conflict is resolved.
Use View filter results to check rule membership and update the Scope so that only the intended rule applies.
Add another rule
Click + Add rule where different people need different configurations for the same event.
Configure the new rule’s:
Scope
Booking behaviour
Approval
Other settings relevant to the event category
Then click Save changes.
For example, the same Holiday event could have:
an Everyone rule using your standard policy;
a Directors rule with different approval requirements; and
a Contractors rule that allows Holiday to be booked without entitlement.
🖊️ Important note: Make sure the rule Scopes do not overlap. Each person can be covered by only one rule for the event.
Edit an existing rule
To change an existing rule:
Go to Settings > Calendar & Planner > Event manager.
Click the relevant event.
Select the rule you want to configure from the tabs at the top of the configuration page.
Make your changes.
Click Save changes.
Changes to a rule’s configuration apply to bookings made after the change.
Existing booked events retain the configuration that applied when they were made.
🖊️ Important note: If an existing booked event is later edited, the rule configuration in force at the time of the edit is applied to it. This can affect settings such as approval or entitlement.
Edit an event’s details
To change the basic details of an event:
Click the event on the Manage events page.
Click Edit details.
The Edit event window opens.
Change the Event name, icon or colour.
🖊️ Note: The Event category cannot be changed after the event is created.
Click Save changes.
🖊️ Important note: Renaming an event updates its name wherever the event appears, including existing booked events and historical records. Reports covering earlier periods will show the new Event name.
Delete an event
To delete an event from Event manager:
Find the event on the Manage events page.
Click More actions (…) menu.
Click Delete.
Confirm the deletion.
🖊️ Important note: You cannot delete an event from Event manager if planner transactions or system records are linked to it.
The system Holiday, Maternity and Paternity events also cannot be deleted because they are referenced by the default Access roles. This protection applies to the underlying system event, so these events remain protected if they are renamed.
The system Sickness event cannot be deleted or renamed.
Best practice
✔ Check Scope before configuring a rule
Use View filter results before completing the rest of the rule. This helps identify unexpected matches and potential overlaps early.
✔ Use additional rules instead of duplicate events
If the event itself is the same but different groups need different configurations, add another rule.
✔ Restrict complex events while configuring them
If an event should not be generally available until its configuration is complete, temporarily restrict the rule to a test profile.
For events with multiple rules, use a test profile that is not already covered by another rule for the event.
✔ Review rules when employee information changes
Smart filters are dynamic. Changes to employee information can change which rule applies and may cause previously valid rule Scopes to overlap.
✔ Give rules meaningful names
Names such as Directors – HR approval make complex configurations easier to maintain.
FAQs
Click for answers to frequently asked questions
Click for answers to frequently asked questions
Q: Why has an Everyone rule appeared after I created an event in Event manager?
A: An Everyone rule appears after you create an event in Event manager because Sense HR automatically creates a default rule assigned to the Everyone Smart filter.
This makes the event available immediately. You can configure the default rule or add further rules where different people need different settings.
Q: Why is Save changes unavailable on an event I’ve just created in Event manager?
A: Save changes is unavailable immediately after you create an event in Event manager because the event and its default Everyone rule have already been created and there are no unsaved changes.
Save changes becomes available after you change the rule. If the default rule is suitable as it stands, there is nothing else to save and you can return to Manage events.
Q: Can I change the Event category of an event in Event manager after creating it?
A: No. You cannot change the Event category of an event in Event manager after it has been created.
If you created a Working event but need Time-off configuration such as entitlement, create a new Time-off event.
Q: Can an event in Event manager have more than one rule?
A: Yes. An event in Event manager can have more than one rule so that different configurations apply to different people.
Each person can be covered by only one rule for each event, but they can be covered by rules for any number of different events.
Q: Why isn’t an event I configured in Event manager available for someone to book?
A: An event configured in Event manager is only available for someone to book if a rule for that event applies to them.
Open the event and use View filter results to check who each rule matches. If no rule applies to the person, they cannot book the event and someone managing them cannot book it on their behalf.
Q: Does excluding someone from a rule in Event manager stop them booking the event?
A: Not necessarily. Excluding someone from a rule in Event manager means that particular rule does not apply to them. Another rule for the same event may still apply.
If no rule applies to the person, the event is not applicable to them and cannot be booked by them or on their behalf.
Q: Why do I see ‘Planner event rule has conflict with the existing rules’ when saving a rule in Event manager?
A: You see ‘Planner event rule has conflict with the existing rules’ when saving a rule in Event manager because at least one person is included in more than one rule for the same event.
The rule is not saved. Use View filter results to identify the overlap, then update Assign to or Exclude people so that each person is covered by only one rule for the event.
Q: Why is the wrong Event manager rule applying to someone after their profile details changed?
A: The wrong Event manager rule may apply after someone’s profile details change if the change causes them to match more than one rule for the same event.
Smart filters are dynamic, so changes to fields such as Job title or Location can change which rules someone matches. If they match more than one rule for the same event, this can cause inconsistencies in which booking rules are applied.
Use View filter results for the event’s rules to identify the overlap, then update Assign to or Exclude people so that only the intended rule applies.
Q: Why am I getting a rule conflict in Event manager for rules that were working before?
A: You can get a rule conflict in Event manager for rules that previously worked because Smart filters are dynamic.
If someone’s profile information changes, they may begin matching more than one rule for the same event even though the rules did not overlap when they were originally configured.
Use View filter results for each rule for the event to identify the overlap. Update Assign to or Exclude people so that each person is covered by only one rule for that event.
Q: If I change a rule in Event manager, does it affect events that have already been booked?
A: Changing a rule in Event manager does not retrospectively change booked events. Existing booked events retain the rule configuration that applied when they were originally booked.
However, if an existing booked event is later edited, the rule configuration in force at the time of the edit is applied to it. This can affect settings such as approval or entitlement.
Q: If I rename an event in Event manager, what happens to events that have already been booked?
A: Renaming an event in Event manager updates its Event name everywhere, including booked events created before the name was changed and historical records.
Reports covering earlier periods also show the new Event name.
This differs from changing an event rule: Event name changes apply across the underlying event, while rule configuration changes apply from the point of change.
Q: What happens if I leave an Event manager rule without saving my changes?
A: If you leave an Event manager rule with unsaved changes, Sense HR asks whether you want to discard them.
Clicking Discard changes removes any changes made since the rule was last saved.
Q: What does Max days in a row mean in an Event manager rule?
A: Max days in a row in an Event manager rule sets the maximum number of consecutive days that each person can book for that event.
Leave it blank if you do not want to limit the number of consecutive days.
Q: What does Max bookings per day mean in an Event manager rule?
A: Max bookings per day in an Event manager rule sets the maximum number of bookings each person can make for that event in a single day.
Leave it blank if you do not want to set a maximum.
Q: Can an event configured in Event manager be booked outside someone’s working hours?
A: Yes. An event configured in Event manager can be booked outside someone’s working hours when Allow booking outside working hours is enabled for the applicable rule.
For a Time-off event, this setting is available only when Entitlement is turned OFF. When Entitlement is enabled, the setting is not available.
Q: How do I automatically approve Holiday for specific people in Event manager?
A: To automatically approve Holiday for specific people in Event manager, create a separate Holiday rule for those people and leave Approval turned OFF.
First, check whether those people are included in another Holiday rule. If they are, exclude them from that rule so the new rule does not conflict.
Then:
Open the Holiday event in Event manager.
Click + Add rule.
Configure the Scope for the people whose Holiday should not require approval.
Configure any other booking or entitlement settings they need.
Leave Approval OFF
Click Save changes.
Holiday booked by people covered by this rule is confirmed without approval.
Q: How do I make an event in Event manager require approval for some people but not others?
A: To make an event in Event manager require approval for some people but not others, create a separate rule for each group.
Turn Approval ON for the rule covering people whose bookings require approval. Leave Approval OFF for the rule covering people whose bookings should be confirmed without approval.
Make sure each person is covered by only one rule for the event. If someone is already included in another rule, exclude them from that rule before adding them to the new one.
Q: How do I stop a particular person from booking an event configured in Event manager?
A: To stop a particular person from booking an event configured in Event manager, check all rules for that event.
The event remains available if any rule applies to them. Update Assign to or Exclude people so that no rule for the event applies to that person.
When no rule applies, the event is not applicable to them, so neither they nor someone managing them can book it on their behalf.