Tracking sick leave, holidays, and TOIL with Excel sheets is time-consuming and can lead to costly mistakes. But with absence management software, you can automate repetitive tasks, implement intuitively simple self-service processes and gain more time to engage and support your team.
Besides, filling up filing cabinets with years’ worth of internal documents simply isn’t sustainable for a growing business. With the right software solution, you can compliantly manage data in the cloud and get back your office space.
In this article, we explore what to look out for in absence management software, how to automate key processes like calculating TOIL, simplify tasks like managing approvals, and what you need to stay compliant as you grow.
Finally, we share our top five recommendations with reference to these key criteria.
Save time, reduce errors and stay compliant with an all-in-one HR and absence management solution. |
A great absence management solution will save you time and reduce manual errors. So, we look at HR software that centralises and automates processes like holiday requests, time-tracking and reports, while ensuring you stay compliant.
These are the criteria we consider:
Pro-tip: Quickly calculate your employees’ annual leave entitlement with our holiday calculator. This tool works for staff with fixed shift patterns and those whose hours vary. |
Here are our top 5 recommendations for HR software solutions to streamline absence management. We look at user reviews, pricing information and features from the criteria above.
HRLocker is a comprehensive, cloud-based HR solution that dramatically reduces the time you spend managing absence and compliance. In one place, you can store an unlimited amount of data, manage timesheets, and review sick leave reports to better support your employees.
Our automated tools manage TOIL, recurring leave and national holidays, and provide a simple workflow in the platform for requests and approvals. In the self-service HRLocker mobile app, employees and managers cannot only manage their holidays but also get an instant overview of key information.
So, the team have visibility over what they’re entitled to, managers can easily plan, and you have fewer manual tasks to handle.
HRLocker’s system is suited to organisations of all sizes and is easy to implement and manage. You’ll be assigned a dedicated Implementation Specialist to help set you up, and you’ll have access to a range of free webinars, podcasts and how-to videos.
HRLocker users love the platform’s simple interface and find it saves them time when meeting compliance requirements:
“The software provides an efficient yet simple platform to easily manage and comply with all our HR responsibilities. HRLocker makes it easy to monitor all annual and sick leave taken by staff, ” Brendan, Principal.
“This is the third organisation where I’ve used this software (I introduced it in all three). It’s an easy way to manage employee leave and other HR details,” Hilary D., HR Manager.
HRLocker offers three pricing options. These are:
Within HRLocker’s all-in-one HR solution, you’ll find:
Timetastic is an absence management platform that was founded by team managers-turned-software developers in 2014. With a dedicated offering of time-tracking tools and reporting features, it’s well-suited for small businesses seeking a simple way to manage holidays and sick leave.
Employees can request time off, managers can approve, and everyone can view the status in the centralised work calendar. Its app also offers the same functionality and is very easy to use, making it a great solution for flexible teams on the go.
You can include company branding inside your Timetastic tracking solution. Source
“Timetastic eliminated time-consuming spreadsheets. Now employees and supervisors instantly know their balances,” Philip P. (Chief Operating Officer).
Timetastic offers a free one-month trial, followed by a flat rate of £2/month per user for its plan that includes absence management.
Access People HR is a solution that started as a payroll tool but is now better known for its extensive HR system. It’s particularly well-suited to large companies because it offers cloud-based storage that can handle a large amount of information and data about employee absences at scale.
Companies working in industries with a high risk of injury, such as construction, may also find Access People HR’s enhanced support for return-to-work procedures useful. These ensure employees across departments are treated consistently and fairly when they return from extended time off.
Gain an instant overview of who is out each day with Access People HR. Source
“Access People HR has a straightforward interface that was quick to roll out across the organisation. We’re pleased that they’ve recently improved their customer support, with lots of guides available (eg for creating custom reports, workflows),” Graham H. (Human Resources Partner).
Access People HR offers four packages, ranging from £3 to £9.50 per employee per month. All four come with absence management tools, but for the ability to customise the solution to suit your specific needs, you’ll need to opt for the higher package.
Breathe HR was founded in 2012 to help companies spend less time managing HR processes. As such, it includes a suite of tools for time-tracking, holiday requests and reporting.
Their absence management solution is particularly suitable for organisations that use shift schedules because of the integrated rota. With this, you can gain an instant overview of which dates you need to increase your headcount. You can also set 'blackout dates' where employees can’t take time off, for example, during a particularly busy project.
Analyse absences by leave type inside Breathe HR. Source
“Each employee has their own area, holiday/work related documents/review requests all held in one place. Our department managers are spending under 10 minutes a day on managing holiday/sickness,” David C. (Operations Manager).
Breathe HR provide a free 14-day trial. Then, to access rota and absence management solutions, you’ll pay £22/month per business.
Bright HR is a leave management platform owned by the larger HR services and software company, Peninsula Group. It was founded in 2015 to help HR managers stay on top of compliance more easily. For this reason, like HRLocker, it includes a centralised database where employees can upload their own documents.
With enhanced functionality for monitoring lateness, it’s also a good solution for large organisations working with high-pressure deadlines. In just a few clicks, you can see if there are employees who often fail to come in on time.
Navigate between two absence calendar view types inside Bright HR. Source
“It keeps all of the information in an easy-to-use space and helps reduce the amount of paper needed for records. The leave request system is great and being able to notify staff when you’ve uploaded documents removes the hassle of ensuring everyone receives the information,” Aaron O. (Financial Director).
Bright HR’s packages start at £11.20/month per employee and increase depending on the level of support you require. You also pay extra for custom add-ons.
HR software allows you to stay on top of tracking holiday entitlement and storing relevant data without spending hours filling in spreadsheets or filing paperwork. However, the best solutions will also automate processes and introduce self-service solutions, allowing you to step back and focus on ensuring a great employee experience.
With HRLocker, employees can upload their documents and request time off. Managers gain an instant view of absences and can easily make approvals. You can also review timesheets, automate TOIL calculations, and mark holidays.
What’s more, if you have any questions as you onboard or digitise your processes, our award-winning support team are always on hand to help.
Save time, reduce errors and stay compliant with an all-in-one HR and absence management solution. |
Absence management helps businesses track and manage leave by automating tasks, providing a space for employees to request days off, and offering a centralised location for employee data and company policies.
HRLocker, for example, includes automatic TOIL calculation, a GDPR-compliant space for absence reports and a self-service mobile app where employees can book time off, set up recurring leave and upload documentation.
To meet employee laws, organisations in the UK have to record all employee absences, including the reason for each case. They then have to store this data for six years. So, managing absence efficiently means creating a centralised location for employee data and making sure employees have an easy way to request time off.
HR departments also need to ensure that statutory minimum holiday requirements are met and that managers have an easy way to review absence data.
Software like HRLocker makes all of this easy with a self-service portal for employees, extensive reporting and automated holiday calculation.
The most effective way to track employee sickness and leave is through absence management software and all-in-one HR software like HRLocker. This allows employees to easily request time off and managers to quickly approve or deny those requests. It also automates tasks, provides a centralised platform for tracking absence and creates reports for compliance.
The best way to calculate and manage Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) is to use absence management software that incorporates automated tools. By pulling information from timesheets, these will track overtime and non-standard hours and calculate time off entitlement based on company policy. Once TOIL is assigned, the software can track how much time off an employee has accumulated and when it’s been taken.