Configuring Activity Types for Time Away from System (TAFS)
Overview
The Away From System (TAFS) configuration in Flowace has two main steps. First, the administrator sets up Away Types, which are the activities employees can choose from. Second, the administrator establishes Away Time Policies. These policies assign a Productivity Rating of Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral to each Away Type and specify which individuals, teams, or the entire organisation the policy applies to.
When an employee returns to their workstation and sees the TAFS pop-up, they will see the activity types in the dropdown based on the Away Types. The Productivity Rating for the selected Away Type will decide how that time is recorded in reports.
NOTE: The TAFS pop-up is triggered only when the Desktop Agent detects that an employee has returned to an active workstation after a period of idle time. If the workstation is switched off or the agent is not running, the pop-up will not be displayed on return. Employees will not have the opportunity to classify that period.
Step 1: Create Away Types
Away Types define the named categories that employees can select from the TAFS pop-up. Each Away Type represents a specific kind of absence, such as a meeting, a break, or an offline activity. Away Types are shared across the organisation and are referenced when configuring Away Time Policies.
NAVIGATION: Admin Settings > Work Policies > Away From System > Away Type tab
Steps to create an Away Type
- Navigate to Away Type: Open Admin Settings, select Work Policies from the left navigation panel, then select Away From System. Ensure the Away Type tab is selected.
- Select Create New: Click the Create New button in the top-right corner of the screen. The Create Away Type dialog will appear.
- Enter the Away Type name: Type a clear, descriptive name in the Away Type field. The name should reflect the activity it represents, for example: Offline Meet, Client Call, or Lunch Break.
- Save: Click Save to add the Away Type to the list. The new entry will appear in the Away Type table and will be available for selection when configuring Away Time Policies.
Examples of Away Types
The following examples illustrate the kinds of Away Types typically configured in an organisation. The list can be customised to reflect the specific activities relevant to each team.
Away Type | Description | Productivity Ratings |
|---|---|---|
Lunch Break | Scheduled mid-shift meal break. | Neutral |
Internal Meet | Internal team meeting or stand-up in a meeting room | Productive |
Client Call | Discussion or video conference with a client, in a conference room | Productive |
Training | Formal training, workshop, or L&D session. | Productive |
Personal Break | Short personal break outside scheduled windows or HR policies | Unproductive |
Step 2: Configure Away Time Policies
Away Time Policies define the rules that determine how each Away Type is classified when an employee selects it from the TAFS popup. Each policy maps one or more Away Types to a Productivity Rating of Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral, and specifies whether the policy applies to the entire organisation, specific teams, or individual members.
NAVIGATION: Admin Settings > Work Policies > Away From System > Away Time Policies tab
Steps to create an Away Time Policy
- Navigate to Away Time Policies: Open Admin Settings, select Work Policies, then select Away From System. Click the Away Time Policies tab.
- Select Create New: Click the Create New button. The Create Away Policy screen will open.
- Enter the policy name: Enter a descriptive name in the Away Policy Name field that identifies the scope or purpose of the policy, for example: Standard Break Policy or Sales Team Offline Work Policy.
- Set the scope: In the Applicable To field, select whether the policy applies to the entire organisation, specific teams, or individual members. Use the toggle icons to switch between Members, Teams, and Company, then select the applicable entries from the dropdown.
- Add Away Types to the policy: In the Away Policy Setup section, click Add to add a row. Select an Away Type from the dropdown, assign a Work Category, and set the Productivity Rating to Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral. Repeat this for each Away Type to be included in the policy.
- Save the policy: Click Save to activate the policy. The configured Away Types and their Productivity Ratings will apply to all employees within the defined scope.
Productivity Ratings
Each Away Type added to a policy is assigned with Productive, Unproductive or Neutral Ratings. The rating determines how the timeslot is recorded and reported when an employee selects that Away Type from the TAFS popup.
Sr. No | Rating | Description |
|---|---|---|
1 | Productive | The timeslot is counted as work time. Use this rating for work-related activities such as client meetings, training sessions, conferences, and offline or off-site work where the employee is actively engaged in productive activity. |
2 | Unproductive | The timeslot is flagged as non-work time. Use this rating for excessive personal breaks or unjustified absences. If accumulated Unproductive time exceeds the policy threshold, the system sends an automatic notification to the manager. |
3 | Neutral | The timeslot is recorded as expected time away with no impact on performance metrics. Use this rating for scheduled breaks, approved rest periods, and system downtime. |
Example Policy Configuration
The following table illustrates a sample Away Time Policy configuration showing how Away Types, Work Categories, applicable scope, and Productivity Ratings can be combined.
Away Type | Work Category | Applicable To | Productivity Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Lunch Break | Health & Wellness | All Teams | Neutral |
Personal Break | Other | All Teams | Unproductive |
Offline Meet | Communication | Sales Team | Productive |
Training | Learning & Development | All Teams | Productive |
Create Separate policies for different teams where teams have different working patterns, for example a support team with defined break schedules or an operations team with frequent off-desk activity, create separate Away Time Policies for each group and assign the appropriate scope. This ensures that Productivity Ratings accurately reflect the nature of each team's work.
Updated on: 19/03/2026
Thank you!