Time Off, Unavailability & PTO
How to request time off and set your unavailability in the Sling app — and how to use your PTO, sick, or carry-over pay in Toast Payroll.
Which one do I use?
Sling gives you two separate tools for telling us when you can’t work. They look similar but they are not interchangeable — pick the one that matches your situation.
Time Off
Use a time off request for a specific date or stretch of dates you need off — a vacation, an appointment, or a special occasion.
- Does not repeat
- Can be a full day or a partial day
- Can span multiple days
- Goes to a manager to approve or deny
Unavailability
Use unavailability for a standing pattern of times you’re regularly not able to work — a class schedule, a second job, or a recurring childcare gap.
- Repeats every 1–4 weeks, or runs until an end date
- Set by day, with whole-day or specific-time blocks
- A standing preference, not a one-off request
- See how LMRG treats it in the note below
!How LM Restaurant Group handles unavailability
- It only takes effect two weeks out. No matter what effective date you enter, we can only honor unavailability that begins at least two weeks from the day you submit it.
- Always set the correct effective date. If you submit without one, a manager will adjust the date before approving your request.
- It’s a request, not guaranteed time off. Unless a manager has specifically confirmed it with you, unavailability is treated as a scheduling preference — we’ll do our best to work around it, but it is not the same as approved time off. If you need a date firmly off, submit a Time Off request instead.
Request time off
For a specific date or range you need off. Four taps from your schedule.
Go to Shifts, then open the menu
On the Shifts tab, tap the options button (⋮) in the top-right corner, then tap Request time off.
Enter your dates and options
Use the All day toggle to choose a full or partial day, set the From and To dates (and times for a partial day), and add a comment if you need to.
Tap Save
Tap Save in the top-right. You’ll drop back to your schedule with a “Time off has been requested” confirmation, and your manager is notified.
Check the status on your Shifts tab
Your request appears on your schedule marked Pending until a manager approves or denies it. You’ll get a notification with their decision.
Want to be paid for this time?
Requesting off in Sling only handles the schedule. To actually get paid from your PTO, sick, or carry-over balance, you also submit a separate request in Toast Payroll.
See the PTO steps ↓Use your PTO, sick, or carry-over pay
This is the second request — the one that pays you from your PTO, sick, or carry-over balance. Do it in Toast Payroll at payroll.toasttab.com/lmgroup, in addition to your Sling time-off request.
Log in and select Time Off
Go to payroll.toasttab.com/lmgroup and log in, then open the Time Off tab.
Review your balance, then click + Request
Under Time Away From Work, your Available Balance shows how many hours of Paid Time Off, Sick, and Carry-Over you have to use. Click the + Request button.
Pick your date(s) and the type of pay
Choose the date or dates you’re requesting, then select the type of paid time you want to use — Paid Time Off, Sick, or a Carry-Over balance. Continue through the Hours and Comments steps.
Set your unavailability
For a recurring pattern of times you’re not able to work. You build a named “set” and choose the days and hours it covers.
Tap More, then Unavailability
Tap More in the bottom navigation, then tap Unavailability in the list.
Tap the + to start a new set
Tap the + in the top-right corner to create a new unavailability set.
Name it and set the dates
1. Name your set (required — it helps you tell multiple sets apart). 2. Type — Week or Day. 3. Effective From — the start date. 4. Repeats — how often it recurs.
Pick Week or Day
Tap Type and choose Week for a repeating pattern, or Day for a single date. For Repeats, pick how often it should recur — Never, or every 1 to 4 weeks.
Add the days and times
Tap the + next to a day, then either toggle All day on to block the whole day, or set specific times (tap + Add time for another segment). Tap Add in the top-right when the day is set, and repeat for each day.
Tap Save (or Request)
When everything looks right, tap Save or Request in the top-right to send the set to your manager.
Questions, issues, or concerns?
Not sure which request to use, or ran into a problem? Reach out and we’ll help you get it sorted.