Digitalisation and technology plays a crucial role in the corporate world, especially in the HR industry. This has essentially been beneficial for startups, SMEs, and large enterprises to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Managing employees’ leave and absence management in any organisation is a challenge without investing in an automated leave management system, and paper forms, excel sheets, and emails further complicate HR management.
Before you start exploring the popular options for leave management software, read this blog post as we round up the real benefits of the digitalisation of leave management.
#1 What is Leave Management?
Leave management refers to the process of managing employee time off, including holidays, sick leave, parental leave, and other types of absences. A leave management system is a software solution that streamlines this process, making it easier for HR teams and managers to track and approve leave requests, manage employee absences, and ensure compliance with company policies and labor laws. By automating these tasks, leave management systems help organizations maintain accurate records, reduce administrative workload, and improve overall efficiency.
#2 An All-in-One Dashboard
A good leave management system provides an all-in-one dashboard that gives HR teams and managers a clear overview of employee absences, leave requests, and time-off balances. This dashboard should be easy to use, customizable, and provide real-time updates, enabling managers to make informed decisions about staffing and resource allocation. With a comprehensive view of all leave-related data in one place, organizations can better plan for coverage during peak times and ensure that all our employees’ leave is managed efficiently.
#3 Cloud-Based
Cloud-based leave management software offers numerous benefits, including scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Cloud-based solutions can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, and on any device, making it easier for employees to request time off and for managers to approve or decline requests. Additionally, cloud-based solutions reduce the need for manual data entry and minimize the risk of data loss. This ensures that the leave management process is seamless and efficient, regardless of where employees or managers are located.
#4 Seamless Integration
Seamless integration with other HR software and systems is essential for a leave management system. This integration enables HR teams to automate tasks, reduce manual data entry, and improve data accuracy. For example, integrating leave management software with payroll software can ensure that employee absences are accurately reflected in their paychecks. Additionally, integration with rota management software can help in planning shifts and managing holiday requests more effectively, ensuring that there are no overlaps or understaffing issues.
#5 No Loss of Data
A reliable leave management system ensures that employee data is secure and protected against loss or corruption. This is particularly important for companies with large employee bases or complex leave policies. A good leave management system should have robust data backup and recovery processes in place, ensuring that employee data is always available and up-to-date. By storing data securely in the cloud, organizations can prevent data loss due to technical issues or accidents, ensuring that all leave records are maintained accurately and securely.
An All-in-One Dashboard for Leave Management System
The biggest perk of opting for leave management software is a dedicated all-in-one dashboard/calendar page for each employee.
The user can quickly access the leave balance left to plan their vacation or future leave better.
The reporting managers and HR development will have access to the leave balances of every employee. Absence management solutions also play a crucial role in effectively tracking and managing employee leave, ensuring compliance with HR legislation and streamlining the process for handling sick leave and holiday requests.
#2 Cloud-Based
Another advantage of digitalisation of the leave management process over a traditional mechanism of managing leave is that the former is cloud-based.
Thus, it means they can access the software anytime and anywhere via a phone, tablet, desktop or laptop device.
This will allow the employees to require leave from their remote location, and they won’t have to run around the managers to get approval for leave booked. Additionally, the system should offer essential leave management features such as customizable absence tracking, mobile app facilitation for employee requests, and real-time access to leave entitlements.
Seamless Integration for Absence Management
Most leave management systems are integratable with calendars such as Outlook/GCal.
Cloud-based absence management software offers numerous benefits, including scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Users can view theirs and other users’ leave on a centralised calendar feed, if they’re used to looking at their calendar to book in meetings or workshops, they can do so without needing to open up their browser to loading up the software.
So, when deciding on a leave management system, select one that comes with integration capability with your calendar software.
#4 No Loss of Data
Unfortunate accidents may happen in the office. Laptops containing all the crucial information may suddenly have technical issues, or a liquid spill could happen causing a loss of that device.
To prevent such a thing from happening, it is of great importance that you should go with a system that ensures the data records are safe & secure.
Seamless integration with other HR software and systems is essential for absence software and leave management systems. The leave management software can store the data securely in the cloud, which can be accessed anywhere in the world. So, this will prevent any information from getting lost.
Reduced Paperwork with Leave Management Software
The biggest advantage of automation & integration is that it helps in lowering the repetitive work.
The painstaking management of leave through the paperwork will end with the HR leave management system. It puts an end to the use of paper at every step, right from requesting leave, getting approval to maintaining the records.
Since the data is in the cloud, the information is not printed. Reducing the use of paperwork is the most convenient means to deal with the leave management from the employees’ point of view and is greener for the environment.
The entire process of leave management is a mere of a few clicks.
#6 Boosts Compliance
The leave management software will sum up all the planned/unplanned leave with a comprehensive dashboard (a single click). The HR department can access the leave metrics, all in one place, anytime.
The information will also include data about the employees who abuse the leave policies, underuse their vacation, or do not achieve the desired productivity.
The dashboard is the best way to post any productivity issues and tackle the problems. The system also automates the management of annual leave, updating leave requests in real-time and offering visibility for overlapping requests.
Let’s Wind Up
With plenty of leave management systems out there, zeroing down on the best one that meets all your organisation’s requirements isn’t a walk in the park. First, check whether the leave management software is compatible with your HR system and can effectively track and manage employee absence. Secondly, do check the pricing and not to mention the reputation of the management software before you make the final call. Finally, take up the offer of a free trial where possible.
