How To Make Time Off Management Easier

As a human resource manager or HR department staff member, you must feel overwhelmed when dealing with numerous holiday requests by employees while having to ensure that your consumers receive the assistance they require. 

Furthermore, approving all of those requests means you'll be down to your less-experienced agents, who may not be ready to handle things on their own by then. What are you going to do?

Even the most experienced workforce management professionals would find this situation difficult. However, having a robust time off management procedure in place can assist in answering difficult issues and guiding your decisions. Let's get the ball rolling!

How To Make Time Off Management Easier

Here are some popular employee time-off management methods today.

1. Using Messaging Applications

It is common that many businesses introduce messaging applications like Zalo and Messenger to manage the day-off of their employees. One of the biggest benefits of this method is the cost efficiency. 

These apps are free to use and do not charge any fee for using. Also, they can store documents and files sent in chat groups in a specific period of time.

With that being said, managing time off through messaging applications is only suitable for small businesses. For bigger established enterprises, this method causes difficulties in various aspects. For instance, it is hard to manage the statistical data with messaging apps. 

Not to mention, information might be missed and lost when other critical data is sent to the chat group. The main feature of these applications is to exchange information, chat, and send available data files. It also causes the challenges in tracking the workdays as there is no feature to compile and extract the leave report. 

That's why it will be a little inconvenient when managing the employee's leaves via these messaging apps. 

Manage leave days with messaging software, Zalo

2. Using Spreadsheets

Managing the time-off requests via spreadsheets is one of the common methods applied in many businesses. This approach allows easy and fast data set-up for individuals.

To track leave with spreadsheets effectively, the human resources department needs to follow a specific process, including:

• Create a working day tracking sheet including Full-time, half-day, unpaid leave, and full-day leave within the entitlement.
• Use the function to calculate wages and vacation days.
• Calculate the working month.
• Calculate annual leave.

The process of managing leave using Excel is quite complicated and complicated if employees are inexperienced. Besides, this method is also prone to errors when entering data.

Manage leave days via spreadsheets

3. Using Built-In Internal System

Currently, many businesses use their human resource management system. This system allows the human resources department to make statistics and manage each individual's leave according to regulations in a complete, accurate, and flexible way. 

This way will ensure the employee's data security and meet the structures of the enterprises. Besides, employees can also actively manage their leave balance with the internal system.

Still, this method needs lots of resources to conduct like IT infrastructure, staff, and cost. It is suitable for the companies whose business size is big and resources are strong enough.

4. Using SaaS Software

Managing leave using SaaS software is the optimal solution for businesses in the 4.0 technology era. This is the period when businesses focus on digital transformation. All data needs to be optimized through a smart application, easy to use, good security, and quickly updated.

SaaS software application in leave management helps quickly and accurately update all data. The software application allows data access from Internet-connected devices and Web browser settings.

Managers and employees can track leave days directly on the app. Through that, management can easily arrange a working schedule for employees through their number of leave days.

Manage leaves via SaaS software

Advantages Of Common Time Attendance Methods

Immediately refer to some advantages of common timekeeping methods such as SMS, Zalo, Excel, and your system.

1. Wide Popularity

Most of the above timekeeping methods are very popular in businesses. Normally, every business uses at least one Chat software such as Zalo, Whatsapp, etc., to make communication channels, assign jobs and manage employee activities.

And Excel is the main tool for storing, managing data, and assigning work efficiently. According to statistics, up to 90% of businesses in Vietnam use Excel during operation.

Messaging apps are popular in businesses

2. Cost Optimization

Free messaging apps like Zalo, Messenger, Whatsapp, etc., help businesses save money on software purchases by application to manage to leave by message.

Through messages, Zalo, managers can assign work and arrange a working time suitable for each individual. Simultaneously update information easily and respond quickly.

3. High Accessibility

Messaging applications are too familiar to workers. Anyone in the business can access and share information on the application. Managers can issue important alerts for items that need quick resolution or opinion gathering.

Employees can register their leave days directly on the group. When online, managers will receive information about employees' leave, late arrival, and early return.

Messaging applications are familiar to employees

4. The Company's Own System Developed Based On The Nature Of The Company

Usually, the company's own system is designed based on the enterprise's business characteristics and organizational model. This helps to overcome the disadvantages when managing a day-off via messaging apps or spreadsheets.

Leave management with its software system to optimize the work of the HR department. The employee's working day is updated directly into the system. The number of remaining days or overtaking leave is updated quickly and accurately.

Disadvantages of Common Time Attendance Methods

Besides the advantages, managing leave by message apps and Excel also has certain disadvantages.

1. Making it Difficult for Data Aggregates

When it comes to a long vacation or at the end of the month, the human resources department often takes time and effort to compile data. This puts great pressure on HR managers. Especially large enterprises with the number of employees up to thousands of people.

There may be errors in the data aggregation process if the leave management is managed by SMS, Zalo, Excel, etc. Because the information is entered manually, the leave time of each employee is different, leading to confusion in management.

Management via messaging apps makes it difficult for compiling data

2. Low Cost Efficiency

Managing leave by SMS, Zalo, and Excel makes businesses have to spend a lot of workforce for each stage of operation. For example, the human resources department will have to assign someone specializing in attendance and leave.

The staff specializes in aggregating and processing data to calculate salary and rewards for each individual, along with the expensive time and attendance equipment purchase cost. All of these lead to unnecessary cost increases.

Instead, you can use integrated time and time off management software to save human resources.

Unnecessary cost increase

3. Low Data Security

Free time management applications are often poorly secured. Enterprise data can be leaked or disappear due to a cyber attack.

More seriously, data can be stolen, leading to irreversible consequences. In some cases, data can be lost if someone accidentally deletes it by mistake.

4. Difficult To Follow When Managing Via Messaging Apps And Spreadsheets

Processing information on Excel, messages, or Zalo is quite cumbersome. The data taken over by the previous employee is difficult to hand over to the latter without clear writing.

This often happens when managing leave by message or Zalo. When the information is missed, the person receiving the handover will have difficulty verifying the employee's workday.

To manage via spreadsheets, it is a must to understand the function of the tool. This makes it difficult for new employees with no experience or low office computer skills.

Advantages Of SaaS Software Compared To Common Time Off Management Methods

Applying SaaS software to leave management helps businesses optimize and simplify the process and maximizes human resource management costs. Besides, employees also feel more convenient when applying for leave, taking half a day off or going late, leaving early, etc.

The employee time off tracker software allows employees to apply for a day-off with ease while the managers can simply approve/reject with their phone anytime and anywhere. With just a few taps on a mobile phone, the employee's leave application can be processed neatly and accurately.

The HR department does not need to deal with dozens or even hundreds of leave applications sent to email every day. The situation of drifting messages and omitting employee applications is also overcome.

SaaS software helps managers approve applications quickly and conveniently. Information is exchanged instantly, without interruption. On top of that, this tech-backed solution does not require the businesses to build a strong IT infrastructure to manage as it is the SaaS provider's business. 

FieldCheck The Leading Human Resource Management Solution

FieldCheck supports human resource management thanks to the introduction of many high-tech features. With the feature of sending time-off applications right on mobile phones, the software helps managers receive applications and respond immediately.

FieldCheck supports the simple time-off management

The time off app offers various types of leaves, such as full-day leave, half-day leaves, unpaid leaves, work from home, sick leaves, etc. All the information on the employee's leave request or the approval/reject results will be updated and stored on the system in real-time.

Above is some information related to leaving the HR department's management that cannot be ignored. If you want to learn more about the most optimal time off management application, please contact us immediately for advice on the earliest experience.