In this guide
The BPS Office of Human Resources lists absence requests and balances among ESS time-tracking tasks. Use your assigned ESS route to review a balance or submit the request types made available to your employee account. Your department’s current leave policy and approval chain determine eligibility, documentation and deadlines; a displayed balance alone does not establish that a specific absence is approved.
Before you submit, identify the type of time away, the dates involved and any notice or documentation requirement in the policy that applies to you. Follow the current instructions visible in ESS and your department guidance. If a request is urgent or the system is unavailable, contact your supervisor or HR office using the official department process instead of assuming an unfinished online form has been received.
Find the request or balance
Open the City’s official employee route and choose the time or absence function available in ESS. The public ESS page confirms the broad category, but it does not provide a universal screenshot or menu sequence for every group. If the task is missing, check the assigned application access with the relevant support owner. If the task opens but the balance looks unfamiliar, ask the department team that owns your time record.
Check the date range, units and category shown before using the balance. Some screens can display more than one type of leave or a balance as of a particular date. Compare the displayed item with the applicable employee handbook or department notice. Do not assume a number represents available paid time unless the official label and policy say so.
Request, balance and approval are different
| What you see | What it tells you | What it does not confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | A recorded amount for a leave or absence category at the shown date | That every use is eligible or that a future request is approved |
| Request submitted | Information has been sent through the displayed workflow | That the supervisor or HR reviewer has approved it |
| Approved status | The official record shows a decision at the time you checked | That a later change or policy condition has been resolved |
Keep the confirmation or status visible in the official account and check for follow-up requests. If a supervisor or department HR contact asks for another step, follow the secure official channel. This publication cannot approve leave, view an absence record or decide which employee policy applies.
If the balance or request is not what you expect
First verify the employee account, date range, category and request status. Then write a concise question about the specific period or transaction. Send it to your department HR or timekeeping contact through the channel it designates. If a request is stuck in a technical state, include the application name and non-sensitive error description; do not send private medical details to an editorial mailbox.
The right contact depends on whether the problem is a policy question, a time-record correction, an approval delay or the ESS application itself. Beacon is the City HR service portal; department policy may direct you to a local HR team or supervisor. A missing ESS tile is an access problem; a balance correction is a record problem. The Beacon guide explains HR inquiries, while the access guide covers assigned tiles.
Keep sensitive information in the official channel
Absence records can expose private employment or health details. Share only what the responsible City process asks for, and use the secure route described by your department. Do not attach medical notes, full employee records, passwords or MFA codes to a general support ticket unless the verified process explicitly provides an appropriate secure upload.
If you cannot access the task, ask for support without disclosing the underlying private reason for leave in the first IT message. You can say that the time function will not open and provide the time of the error; policy and supporting documents can be handled through HR after the correct secure route is confirmed.
Use the policy that applies to your position
Employee groups, bargaining agreements and departments may have different notice periods, leave categories, approval levels and documentation rules. The public ESS page describes system functions, not the terms of every employee policy. Check the current handbook, union agreement or department policy that applies to your appointment, and ask HR if a rule is unclear.
For related employee records, see the personal details guide; for an HR interpretation or case, use Beacon and the HR contact route. Return to the main task map when you need to choose a system.
Official sources and limits
Source check: 2026-09-27. Access and employee policies can vary by department, employee group and record. Follow the current official screen or your department’s instructions when they differ from this independent guide.