> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://support.haddock.app/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# What is an Absence?

In haddock HR, an absence is going on **holiday**, **temporary incapacity** (IT), or any type of leave such as, for example, **personal matters**.

Absences and holidays in haddock HR can be of 3 types:

- By the hour
- Full day
- Several days

Absences can be created within the **shifts** menu in the main menu:

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/helpdesk-haddock-images/haddock-hr/absence-and-vacation-management/what-is-an-absence/images/01-what-is-an-absence.png)

Once inside Shifts, to create a new absence, you must click the "+" button you will find in the upper right:

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/helpdesk-haddock-images/haddock-hr/absence-and-vacation-management/what-is-an-absence/images/02-what-is-an-absence.png)

The most important fields for creating an absence are:

- **Short name**: short name to identify the absence that will appear in the planning cells
- **Description** (optional): long description of the absence, for example, personal matters
- **Background color**:** **background color that will appear in the planning cells
- **Allow hourly absence requests**: if you activate this option, workers will be able to request the absence by the hour
- **Day types it applies to**: the absence can only be scheduled on the day types you choose

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/helpdesk-haddock-images/haddock-hr/absence-and-vacation-management/what-is-an-absence/images/03-what-is-an-absence.png)

🕹️ If you want to set up an **hourly absence**, we explain it step by step in the next article: [https://help.plain.ninja/es/articles/10690403-como-hacer-una-ausencia-por-horas](https://help.plain.ninja/es/articles/10690403-como-hacer-una-ausencia-por-horas)