Every business has to manage employee leave. In the past, managers used to track absences manually on paper or with spreadsheets. These processes can lead to scheduling errors, incorrect accounting of employee benefits, legal liabilities, and scheduling oversights. Managers may be surprised by employee absences, which can lead to operational problems that affect productivity. Inaccurate record-keeping can lead to overpayments of benefits or liability violations of contracts and other government regulations. Employers can select a leave management software product to help manage employee absences. Employers can reduce costs and increase efficiency while providing a positive environment for their employees. Continue reading to discover the many benefits leave management software can offer.
Improve Planning
Software that manages employee leave can help companies plan for absences. Managers can schedule replacement workers or rebalance work to prevent disruptions during vacations. This software gives managers and HR teams a complete picture of future absences to make informed decisions about time-off requests and ensure resources and workloads are managed appropriately.
Automated planning tools can simplify the process. A company’s leave management software can detect gaps in their schedules and recommend replacement workers.
Scheduling made easy
Absence management apps allow employees to be notified of changes in their schedules and can request their approval. The system can also alert supervisors and managers when scheduling problems arise. Companies can invoke contingencies like temporary workers.
The software can automatically adjust schedules to account for employee leave as schedules change. Companies can use the software to automatically select substitute workers based upon accrued hours and preferred shifts. This helps to reduce overtime.
Employer Self-Service
Modern leave management platforms offer secure portals that enable employees to submit leave requests online. Employees can also log in to see the company’s vacation and absence policies and their unpaid and paid-time-off balances without speaking with a manager or HR representative. Employees can request leave and receive status updates by email or SMS. This system can also be used as a communication portal, storing all leave-related communications in an easily searchable database. Employees can review and run reports on their past data.
Employees who feel informed and in control of their work are more satisfied and loyal. Software that manages leave can help increase employee productivity and retention.
Automate the Approval Process
Leave management software allows for scheduling and automates many steps in the approval process of time-off requests. The predefined approval process saves time and ensures that every request meets the same approval standard. Employees can therefore trust that the system is fair and objective. The system also keeps everyone involved, including the employee, their manager, HR team, and payroll clerks, informed about the status of each leave request.
Accounting Benefits
Non-monetary compensation, such as time off, is a significant part of a company’s HR expenses. Absence management apps allow employees and managers to track the time taken and alert them about any changes.
Unlike spreadsheets and paper-based systems, software leave trackers can calculate employee leave costs in real-time. The software can also calculate the employer’s outstanding liability for employee leave.
Keep Compliance
Providers of cloud-based leave management software constantly update their products to ensure they conform to all laws and regulations. Managers and business owners can avoid being overwhelmed by complicated laws like FMLA if properly prepared.
Software for managing leave can store all documents and communications relevant to each leave. Companies can use auditable paper trails to help them fight fines or lawsuits in the event of a government audit or employee complaint.
Accessibility and Survivability
Cloud-based leave management systems allow authorized employees to access the system virtually anywhere. Managers and employees can communicate securely using either a mobile app or a web-based platform.
Small businesses without IT staff often find cloud-based options appealing. The software vendor is responsible for maintaining and securing their applications’ servers. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from leave management software because of the economies of scale.
An Essential Tool
Employers and employees both have many advantages regarding employee leave management software. Employers can save time and money and protect their employees by providing an automated, transparent, accessible system to manage leave.
Check out our resources for absence and leave management software, including a list of top leave management systems.
