What is 'Away Time' and how 'Away Time' data is used?

What is 'Away Time' ?

'Away Time' refers to any period during which an employee is not actively using their workstation. The Desktop Agent records this idle time automatically. When an employee returns to their workstation, the Away-Time pop-up is displayed if the permission is enabled in their work policy. The pop-up prompts the employee to select an activity type from a configured list. Each activity type carries a classification of Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral, which is set by the administrator. The selected activity type determines how that timeslot is recorded and reported in the system.

'Away Type' Classifications

Away types are created and managed by your system administrator. Each Away type activity is assigned a classification of Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral. When you select an activity type from the pop-up, the corresponding classification is applied to your timeslot and reflected in your activity reports.

Productive

Away types classified as Productive cover work-related activities conducted away from the workstation, such as client meetings, conferences, training sessions, and team collaborations. Timeslots marked as Productive are counted as work time in productivity reports.

Unproductive

Away types classified as Unproductive cover excessive or unjustified periods of inactivity. Timeslots marked as Unproductive are highlighted in the activity timeline. If the accumulated duration exceeds the threshold defined, the system sends an automatic notification to the reporting manager.

Neutral

Away types classified as Neutral cover expected, policy-compliant time away, including scheduled breaks and approved rest periods. Timeslots marked as Neutral are recorded without alerts and do not affect performance metrics.

Keep as Idle

If you choose not to select an away type, you may close the pop-up without making a selection or selecting the option 'keep as idle'. The timeslot will remain recorded as Idle and will not be assigned a Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral classification. Please note that if the total idle time exceeds the threshold defined in your work policy, your manager will be notified.

Scenarios and Impact on the Desktop Agent

The table below outlines common scenarios across each away type classification and describes how the Desktop Agent records and responds to each situation.

Type	Activity Type	Example Scenario	Impact on Desktop Agent/Reports
Productive	Conference or Offline Meeting	An employee attends a client conference at an off-site venue.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Conference, a Productive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Productive.
Productive	Internal Team Meeting	A team holds a stand-up or sprint review in a meeting room, away from their workstations.	A team holds a stand-up or sprint review in a meeting room, away from their workstations. Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Team Meeting, a Productive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Productive.
Productive	Training or L&D Session	An employee attends a two-hour compliance training or a skills development workshop.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Training, a Productive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Productive.
Productive	Client Call or Video Conference	An employee joins a client video call from a shared meeting room, away from their primary workstation.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Client Call, a Productive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Productive.
Productive	Whiteboard or Collaboration Session	A team conducts a planning session on a physical whiteboard in a collaboration space.	A team conducts a planning session on a physical whiteboard in a collaboration space. Idle is recorded automatically. The pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Collaborative Work, a Productive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Productive.
Unproductive	Extended Personal Break	An employee takes a 90-minute personal break that exceeds the allowance defined in the HR policy. Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Personal Break, an Unproductive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Unproductive. A manager notification is triggered if the policy threshold of unproductive hrs is exceeded.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Personal Break, an Unproductive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Unproductive.
Unproductive	Social or Non-Work Activity	An employee steps out for a non-work errand or extended personal conversation during core hours.	An employee steps out for a non-work errand or extended personal conversation during core hours. Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects Personal Activity, an Unproductive activity type. The timeslot is classified as Unproductive.
Neutral	Scheduled Lunch Break	An employee steps away during the designated lunch window as defined in their work schedule.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects 'Lunch Break', a Neutral activity type. The timeslot is classified as Neutral.
Neutral	Short Rest or Tea Break	An employee takes a 10-minute refreshment break within the allowable policy duration.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects 'Short Break', a Neutral activity type. The timeslot is classified as Neutral.
Neutral	System Downtime	A network outage prevents an employee from accessing their workstation for 45 minutes.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects 'System Downtime', a Neutral activity type. The timeslot is classified as Neutral.
Neutral	Planned Maintenance Window	The IT team takes a workstation offline for a scheduled system update during an active shift.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects 'Planned Maintenance Window', a Neutral activity type. The timeslot is classified as Neutral.
Neutral	Medical or Wellness Break	An employee takes a short approved wellness break as permitted under the organisation's HR policy.	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects 'Medical or Wellness Break', a Neutral activity type. The timeslot is classified as Neutral.
Idle	Repeated Unclassified Absences	An employee steps away multiple times during a shift and does not select an activity type on return, even after multiple attempts/tries.	Idle time is recorded automatically for each absence. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears, but the employee does not select an activity type. Accumulated idle time remains idle across the timeline and reports.
Idle	Yes, Keep Idle	An employee steps away and submits the 'Away Time' response as 'keep as idle'	Idle is recorded automatically. The 'Away Time' pop-up appears on return. The employee selects 'Yes, Keep as Idle'. The timeslot is classified as Idle.

The following steps describe how the 'Away Time' recording and classification process works from the moment your workstation becomes inactive through to the point at which your timeslot is classified.

Idle is recorded: As soon as the workstation becomes inactive, the Desktop Agent logs the absence automatically. No action is required from the employee at this stage.
Popup is displayed on return: When the employee returns and an activity is detected, the 'Away Time' pop-up appears if the permission is enabled in the work policy. The pop-up presents a list of configured activity types.
Select an 'away-type' activity: Select the 'away-type' activity that best represents what you were doing during the absence. Each away-type activity is pre-configured with a classification of Productive, Unproductive, or Neutral, which will be applied to the timeslot.
Confirm or dismiss: Click Confirm to apply the selected activity type. If you do not wish to classify the timeslot, close the pop-up. The period will remain recorded as Idle.

NOTE: 'Away Time' Policy permission required. The 'Away Time' pop-up is displayed only when the permission is enabled in the user's work policy. If the pop-up does not appear after returning to the workstation, contact your system administrator to verify the configuration.

How 'Away Time' Data Is Used

• Timeslots classified as Productive are counted as work time and reflected positively in productivity reports.

• Timeslots classified as Unproductive are flagged in the activity timeline. If accumulated Unproductive time exceeds the configured policy threshold, the system sends an automatic notification to the reporting manager, as per the custom alerts set.

• Timeslots classified as Neutral are recorded as expected time away and have no major impact on performance metrics.

• Timeslots left as Idle are recorded without a classification. If the total unclassified idle time exceeds the policy threshold, the manager receives an automatic notification, as per the custom alerts set

• Managers can view a full breakdown of timeslots across all classifications to identify trends, address scheduling gaps, and manage team workloads.

RECOMMENDATION: Respond to the pop-up when it appears. Selecting an activity type each time the pop-up is displayed ensures that your timeslots are accurately classified. This is particularly important for work-related activities such as meetings and training sessions, which would otherwise remain recorded as idle time.

Ignore Idle Functionality

Some apps and websites require your full attention without fewer user interactions. A video call on Zoom, a live session in Citrix, or a presentation on Microsoft Teams are all examples where you are actively engaged even though your hands may not be on the keyboard/mouse.

To make sure this kind of work is recognised correctly, your Admin can enable the Ignore Idle setting for specific apps and websites. When an app is added to the Ignore Idle list and it is your active foreground window, the Desktop Agent treats you as fully active. The idle interval does not start and away time is not triggered, so you will not see the 'Away Time' pop-up for that period.

This setting can be applied to individual users or entire teams, and is configured by the Admin from the organisation settings.

What to expect:

Scenario	What Happens
You are on an active call or meeting on apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, or Google Meet	The idle interval does not start. Away time is not recorded for the duration of the call.
You are in a remote or virtual desktop session on apps such as Citrix, Microsoft Remote Desktop, etc	You are treated as fully active. No idle or away time is triggered.
You minimise the Ignore Idle app and switch to another window	Ignore Idle no longer applies. Normal idle and away time tracking resumes for that period.
You return to the Ignore Idle app	Ignore Idle reactivates as soon as the app is back in the foreground.

NOTE: Ignore Idle only applies while the designated app is your active foreground window. Switching to another window, even briefly, resumes standard idle and away time tracking for that period.

Updated on: 21/04/2026

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