Skip to main content
The Substitute feature in Spock helps teams manage leaves efficiently by ensuring someone is available to cover responsibilities during an employee’s absence. When requesting leave, employees can select a coworker as a substitute for the duration of their leave, maintaining team productivity and workflow continuity.

​
Benefits of Using Substitutes

  • Continuous Coverage: Ensures important tasks and responsibilities are handled during absences
  • Team Coordination: Provides clear communication about who to contact in someone’s absence
  • Workflow Management: Minimizes disruption to ongoing projects and daily operations
  • Transparency: All parties are notified about substitute arrangements

​
Enabling Substitute Feature

General Managers can configure substitute coverage for each leave type with three different options:
1

Navigate to Leave Types

Go to Settings > Leave Types in the Spock Dashboard.
2

Select leave type

Choose the leave type where you want to configure substitute coverage.
3

Configure Substitute Coverage

In the “Substitute Coverage” dropdown, select one of three options:Substitute Coverage setting in leave type configuration
  • Don’t ask for substitute: The substitute field will not appear in leave requests for this leave type
  • Allow substitute (optional): Employees can optionally select a substitute when requesting leave
  • Require substitute (mandatory): Employees must select a substitute before submitting their leave request
Substitute Coverage dropdown options
4

Save configuration

Click the Save button to apply the changes.
A substitute is someone who covers the employee’s work during their absence. When required or optional, employees will be prompted to name a substitute when requesting this leave type.

​
Assigning a Substitute During Leave Request

When submitting a leave request for a leave type with substitute coverage set to optional or mandatory:
1

Access leave request form

Open the leave request form in either Slack or the Dashboard.
2

Complete leave details

Fill in all required information for your leave request.
3

Select substitute

In the “Substitute” section, choose a coworker from the list of available team members. If the leave type requires a substitute, this field is mandatory.Substitute selection in leave request
4

Submit request

Complete and submit your leave request with the substitute assignment.

​
Changing a Substitute

Modify substitute assignments at any time before or during your leave:
1

Access My Leaves

In Slack, go to the Spock Home tab and click My Leaves.
2

Find your leave request

Locate the leave request where you want to change the substitute.
3

Open context menu

Click the context button (three dots) on your leave request.Context menu for leave request
4

Select change option

Choose “Change Substitute” from the context menu.
5

Select new substitute

Pick a new substitute from the list of available team members.Change substitute dialog
6

Confirm changes

Click “Save Changes” to apply the new substitute assignment.
All parties involved (new substitute, previous substitute, and approvers) will be automatically notified of the change.

​
Changing Substitutes During Approval

Approvers can modify substitute assignments while reviewing leave requests:
1

Review leave request

Open the leave request in the approval interface.
2

Modify substitute

In the “Substitute” section of the approval form, select a different team member if needed.Substitute change during approval
3

Complete approval

Proceed with approving or rejecting the leave request with the updated substitute.
Approvers might change substitutes to better align with team expertise, availability, or workload distribution.

​
Best Practices for Substitutes

Select the appropriate substitute coverage setting for each leave type:
  • Don’t ask for substitute: Use for casual leave types (sick days, personal days) where coverage isn’t critical
  • Allow substitute (optional): Recommended for most leave types - gives flexibility while encouraging coverage planning
  • Require substitute (mandatory): Use for extended leaves or critical roles where coverage is essential (annual leave, long-term absences)
Select substitutes who have the necessary skills and knowledge to handle your responsibilities effectively.
Coordinate with your substitute before your leave to ensure smooth transition of tasks and responsibilities.
Assign substitutes as early as possible to give them time to prepare for additional responsibilities.

​
Notification System

Spock automatically notifies relevant parties:
  • New Substitute: Informed when assigned to provide coverage
  • Previous Substitute: Notified when removed from assignment
  • Approvers: Updated about substitute changes during approval process
  • Team Members: May receive notifications based on team settings

Request Leave

Learn the complete process for submitting leave requests.

Approvals

Learn how to review, approve, or reject leave requests.

Teams Management

Organize teams to facilitate better substitute assignments.

Leave Types

Configure which leave types support substitute assignments.
Ensure your chosen substitute is available and willing to take on additional responsibilities during your absence to maintain team effectiveness.