Managing time and absences in Sequoia for managers
This page provides an overview of manager responsibilities for approving employee time cards and absence requests in Sequoia. You'll find approval requirements by employee type, where and when to approve requests, workflow details, delegation guidance, and links to training and help resources.
Types of time and absence approvals in Sequoia
Sequoia changes how you and your team report work hours and absences. Use the sections below to identify what to approve and when.
Non-exempt employees
| Manager should approve | Time card and absence requests (e.g., sick time, personal time off, floating holiday, vacation) |
|---|---|
| Overview of approval workflow | Employee submits time card by the 15th and the last day of each month > Routed to manager for approval. Keep in mind:
|
| Manager action | Be on the lookout for Sequoia workflow notifications via email or, by navigating to the bell icon in Sequoia, to review and approve individual time card and absence requests. You may approve from the email or directly in Sequoia |
| Deadline to approve time and absences | View payroll schedules and deadlines on Fingate. |
| Deadline reminders | Your direct report will receive an email reminder to complete time cards |
| Resources |
Exempt employees*
| Manager should approve | Absence requests - Time cards no longer apply |
|---|---|
| Overview of approval workflow | Employee Submits absences as they are planned > Routed to manager for approval |
| Manager action | Be on the lookout for Sequoia workflow notifications via email or, by navigating to the bell icon in Sequoia, to review and approve absence requests. You may approve from the email or directly in Sequoia |
| Deadline to approve time and absences | View payroll schedules and deadlines on Fingate. |
| Deadline reminders | No reminders are sent - You will only receive an email notification from Sequoia when a request has been submitted |
| Resources |
*SLAC exempt employees will still report effort on time cards.
Remote employees outside of California (CA), worked in CA
| Manager should approve | Time card - Stanford employees who work remotely outside CA must report a temporary tax location for the days they work in CA and use the Time Card module in Sequoia to report the days they work in CA |
|---|---|
| Overview of approval workflow | Employee Submits time card by the 15th and the last day of each month > Routed to manager for approval. Keep in mind:
|
| Manager action | Be on the lookout for Sequoia workflow notifications via email or by navigating to the bell icon in Sequoia to review and approve the time card |
| Deadline to approve time and absences | View payroll schedules and deadlines on Fingate. |
| Deadline reminders | No reminders are sent - You will receive an email notification from Sequoia when a request has been submitted. You may approve from the email or directly in Sequoia |
| Resources |
I want to...
Use Team Time Cards, available from the My Team tab in Sequoia, to view and monitor your employees' time cards in one place.
Guide: How To Review, Resolve, and Approve Time Cards and Absences in Sequoia
You can enter or approve retroactive time card corrections and absence requests for your direct reports as needed.
Employees can update their own time card and absence entries in Sequoia for up to 45 days after a pay period closes. After that, you or your local HR can enter or approve corrections on their behalf.
Guide: How To Retroactively Approve Time Cards or Absences in Sequoia
If you'll be out of the office, you can delegate approval responsibilities to another authorized employee. Although both tasks are managed from the same tile in Sequoia, you'll need to create separate delegations for time cards and absences.
Guide: How To Manage Time Card and Absence Approval Delegations
Time card approvals for employees with multiple assignments are routed to all of the assignment managers. Approval must be recorded by one manager, and this approval applies to the entire time card, across all assignments. Managers who have not approved should still review the time recorded and coordinate corrections as needed.
Time cards are created for all active non-exempt, remote and SLAC employees a few days prior to the beginning of each pay period. If an employee starts or transfers into a time card eligible job after time cards are created for the period, the employee, the manager or the time and leave administrator must create a time card. From the Team Time Cards landing page, select + and follow the prompts to add a time card.
If an employee missed reporting their regular work hours for a prior pay period, it is recommended that departments request immediate payment of the missed wages using the Off-Cycle Check Journey.
Share the How to submit time and absences in Sequoia article on Cardinal at Work. It serves as a central resource for both exempt and non-exempt employees, with guidance on reporting work time and submitting absences in Sequoia, plus training and additional support resources.