Do you need a separate online system for managing staff annual leave?

Technology has changed our lives. It’s enabled us to do things quicker, more accurately and manage communications better – in business and in life. But can too much technology be detrimental to daily tasks? In our opinion, yes.

Software has the power to help businesses run simpler. However, while many solutions solve individual problems, having too many workplace systems can make life more complicated for employees. Particularly when companies have complex people management requirements – for example, planning shifts as well as tracking staff leave.

In this situation, it’s easier to look for multi-functional admin/HR software that can coordinate several operational tasks in one place. And here we’ll explain why.

What are the benefits of managing staff leave online?

Undoubtedly, business software can make day-to-day processes such as requesting time off and updating the holiday calendar much simpler to manage. An online leave management system ensures that employees’ annual leave is tracked accurately, through a platform that everybody in the company can access. There’s no more confusion because people are updating multiple versions of the holiday spreadsheet!

Online leave management systems also make it simpler for team leaders, managers and HR staff to review and approve time off. Rather than keeping track of multiple email threads or paper request forms, all submissions are stored centrally. Approvers can see at-a-glance who has already booked those dates off before making an informed decision.

Leave management software can even take the decisions around who can book time off out of people’s hands, by introducing company-wide rules and restrictions. For example, the system can flag when too many members of the same department want to book a particular day as leave, and general limits on leave requests can be enforced during busy trading periods.

But while there are clear benefits to managing employee holiday online, many companies choose to track annual leave through a separate system. And this is where coordinating staff movements starts to become more complex.

What are the challenges with using separate leave management software?

From a purely practical perspective, the more digital systems companies invest in, the greater responsibility they place on staff. Team members have to remember multiple logins, receive training in several solutions, and retain information on how to use them.

It’s also difficult to integrate data across multiple systems in order to make informed business decisions. For example, if a department leader is planning team shifts for the month ahead, it’s not always easy to see who’s booked time off if it’s being tracked through a separate piece of software to their shift planning tool.

Staff members can spend a long time cross-referencing the two platforms and still make mistakes. And forgotten holiday bookings will inevitably lead to team complaints and shift change requests once the schedule has been published.

There are other disadvantages to managing the holiday calendar separately from other business systems, such as duplicate work. If employee HR records are stored somewhere else, for example, managers may have to re-enter the number of days each team member has left to take from their total allowance each time they book time off – rather than this figure automatically updating on both the holiday calendar and their professional record.

Can you plan shifts and manage staff holiday through one piece of software?

Increasingly, companies are looking for ways to benefit from digital technology without having to invest in multiple systems. And the good news is that comprehensive people management software combines multiple tasks and features into one platform.

Systems like WhosOffice are designed to help businesses run administrative requirements centrally – saving time, energy and money, without compromising on accuracy.

With a multipurpose platform such as WhosOffice, staff can digitise multiple tasks including:

Creating and updating shift plans and sharing them with employees
Setting tasks and assigning them to relevant/qualified members of staff
Managing all aspects of employee time off – from enforcing annual leave policies to allowing staff to book holiday online and calculating remaining leave
Giving managerial staff the visibility to review, deny or approve holiday requests online
Maintaining employee HR records with up-to-date information on their contract, holiday, training and other valuable data and documents

By centralising holiday management and other operational tasks, there’s only one platform for people to learn, and data from one feature can directly influence another – for example, pulling through confirmed holiday bookings when creating shift plans.

Make staff leave management simpler with WhosOffice

Very few companies plan to use multiple workplace systems, but adding new technology over time can result in a highly complex set-up, which is both difficult to manage and drains people’s time.

To reap the benefits of online leave management without having to invest in a separate system, try WhosOffice for free.

Our employee scheduling system coordinates every aspect of a well-run workforce, including tools for shift planning, task management, holiday booking, HR & document storage and more. It’s the simplest way to yield the benefits of digital workplace technology without complex technical integration and training requirements.

Whether you’re new to online people management or you’re looking to replace multiple systems with one streamlined solution, get in touch to find out more.