Category: Company

  • Where Leave Management Is Headed In The Next Five Years?

    Where Leave Management Is Headed In The Next Five Years?

    Leave management, as the name suggests, is about handling the various aspects of leave systems of a company. In general, companies look for experts with the ability to strategize, manage, do analysis, and finally make decisions regarding the leave policies of the employees. With the advent of high-end technicalities, the scenario of leave management systems has indeed transformed significantly.

    One of the noteworthy changes that are expected to be witnessed regarding leave management is the role of the HR specialists. When it comes to setting leave policies, it used to be responsibility of the HR professionals earlier. However, the scenario is going to witness massive change.

    Days are gone for HR professionals to manually take note of the day off. In five years’ time from now, manual leave management is going to be a rare scenario. Moreover, the companies may massively adopt digital leave management systems. Even the mid-level companies are expected to come enriched with digital solutions in this regard.           

    Lowering the load of manual work by Using Leave Management Software.

    Handling the huge amounts of paperwork was indeed a major challenge. But, the scenario is going to drastically change in forthcoming years. Through the advent of Employee time off tracker and similar tools, HR professionals no more have to rely upon the same stereotypic ways. In fact, small and medium enterprises, including large companies, can expect significant reductions in spreadsheets. This is going to make employee documentation handling a lot simpler.

    The advent of technological tools is going to enhance the overall analytical quality for the concerned organization. Undoubtedly, going through each and every document and analyze things is a tough task. In comparison, the use of high-end tools can be much more helpful.

    In upcoming five years, it is very much expected for the companies to feel the need to use such tools in large quantities. Here the size of companies is hardly going to matter. An employee leave tracker app is very much expected to be installed in the systems or smartphones of the concerned HR professional.

    Streamlining official procedures

    These applications and technological means involve obvious advantages. First of all, it is going to streamline the official procedures of leave-taking significantly. Most importantly, it is going to be helpful for the concerned company to centralize the whole set of employee detail.

    As the access to the web is expected to be significantly high, more and more companies are going to go the cloud way. Specifically, the processes involving applications or approvals are going to be handled entirely over the web in forthcoming five years, irrespective of the company size. Through the process, it is going to cut down the reliance upon the paperwork massively.

    Bringing clarity with an understanding of Leave Management Software

    A tedious task for the employees has always been about analyzing the leave patterns of the employees. Obviously, the professionals in HR management departments often have to go through an extensive set of data in this regard. Traditionally, HR professionals do this work manually, which indeed consumes a lot of time. However, in the upcoming five years, things are going to be much easier for them through the growing use of automated tools.

    Most of the HR departments have already started planning about employing such leave management systems in coming future. The obvious advantage that they see through such implementation is the accuracy in the process of data collection. Naturally, the ease provided in terms of data collection can ease things down regarding analysis as well. Ultimately, the process of decision-making can be much more effective.

    Above all, the HR professionals are going to obtain greater clarity regarding the leave patterns of the employees and addressing various problems associated with the same. For example, the HR professionals can get utmost clarity regarding the analysis of prime reasons behind the absenteeism of the employees. It can give them a clear perception regarding the mindset of the employees about their current position.     

    Advanced features to expect in Leave Management systems

    Leave management system is certainly going to look much simpler in upcoming five years powered by automation. Looking at the current efficacy of the leave management systems, one can very much expect the following set of features in the leave management systems.

      • Ability to instantly update the leaves over the dashboard of the system

      • Smart handling of the leave policies through a centralized system

      • Lowered level of paper usage regarding leave requests, as well as approvals

      • Feature to maintain holiday calendars aiming at numerous centers over the globe

      • Prepare a thorough report regarding the leave pattern of the employees and their approach

      • Ability to strategize the resources instantly upon knowing the person to have applied on certain days.

      • Boosting the efficacy and productivity level of the teams upon cutting down the time expended in delivering leave applications through the mail, as well as approvals.

    It is true that absence management and leave management are integral to the work profile of any HR professional. With automated tools, the perception regarding the leaves is going to change altogether. Rather than a mere day off, leaves are going to be considered as the incentives meant for the employees in order to fill in the absence for attaining the professional life balance.

    Smarter tools like time off app are going to be much more used. In fact, there are many companies that have completely stopped the manual ways of keeping the leave records. Even the percentages of punch-in machines or spreadsheets are going to get significantly low in forthcoming years.

    Automation to bring accuracy

    Moving ahead of the traditional systems, the automated leave management systems are going to be much more used. These tools are expected to automate the entire process of making leave applications, processing the approval process, and also the process of granting within the organization.

    At the same time delivering greater accuracy, this is expected to save much valuable time for the employees. The automation tools of such are very much expected to lower the frauds or malpractices through the course of processing or filling the leave records or documents in. 

    Automation is going to be an obvious thing in the forthcoming years in leave management system arena. Apparently, the companies are witnessing a significant boost in productivity through the adoption of automated systems. Specifically, this is expected to address various regular challenges in following ways.

    Changing the perception of leaves

    It’s true that there remain specific leave policies for governing the leave management systems. Moreover, these systems are a pack of rules, methods, and norms set by the concerned company taking the local and federal regulations into account. The procedures of reporting, all aspects regarding timeframes, and other aspects regarding the day off as part of the yearly leave are handled through the same rules. In other words, the same rules govern the PTOs.

    It’s not rare for conflicts to arise through the course of setting the policies and keeping track of the PTOs and day off. However, things are going to transform a lot through the advent of professional PTO tracker tools. In upcoming five years, the system is expected to be much more synchronized in nature. Through the process, it is expected to boost the productivity level of the employees as well. Naturally, any employer or company owner would be more interested in employing the same.

    There are enough reports to suggest that flawed leave policies are among the top reasons behind the affected productivity of the employees as they get disheartened, lose their enthusiasm towards the company. However, high-end PTO tracking software is expected to change the scenario tremendously in forthcoming years. Enabling the HR professionals in obtaining accurate details, these tools are expected to help them in taking better decisions, and thus keeping the enthusiasms level of the employees intact.  

    Making things more flexible

    A significant drop in functional features is expected at the core level with the help of tracking software.  With the help of synchronized tools, the HR professionals are going to manage everything from any place, at any time, irrespective of device type, upon having data in real-time.

    Leave management systems are going to be enriched with end-level automation, thus enabling HR professionals to deliver customized reports anytime. They are going to be able to provide real-time details of the leave application and status of the employee from any point. Naturally, things are going to be much simpler at managerial level. The companies won’t have to keep things upgraded in regular intervals. 

    Artificial Intelligence to bring the major transformation

    Tools enriched with AI come with the ability to integrate with the biometric tools and thus keep records of the attendance. No more special unit is going to be required for addressing customer queries. The chatbots enriched with AI are expected to handle these things better.

    AI-based tools can do manual works like generating payment slips, accessing applications of the attendees, and calculating leave balances much easier. This is certainly going to make the process of granting leaves or allocating way lot simpler. With the advent of analytical tools, greater clarity regarding the patterns of leaves, availability percentage, and scheduling can be simplified.

    Enriching the system with advanced cross-platform functionality

    Centralized database systems are going to be very common among organizations, irrespective of the size, in forthcoming years. In other words, the systems are expected to be more cloud compliant in nature. Moreover, the systems are expected to be enriched with cross-platform functionality and advanced UI to retrieve data that can be accessed through any commonly used device, be it about laptops, smartphones, slates, etc.

    This approach indeed is going to meet well with the contemporary demand for remote working modules. Every HR professional is expected to have a Day Off App installed in his system. Through the advent of such tools, the managers can respond to each and every query of the employees instantly.  

    Bringing HR and Accounting department in concurrence

    Yes, assigning leaves is one of the major parts of leave management. But, it is certainly not all about leave management. In upcoming years, the HR and Accounting departments are expected to function much more in concurrence towards achieving the overall goal of the organization.

    In short, unique centralized systems that can be accessed by both the HR and accounting departments are very much expected to surface in forthcoming years. These tools are going to help managers in obtaining superior level clarity regarding the performance of the employee and their productivity level. 

    Meeting explicit criteria during the unprecedented occasions

    In modern times, the level of certainty on any aspect is quite less. It used to be difficult to set policies regarding employee offs during the unprecedented occasions of leaves. Specifically, the policies regarding work from home, emergencies, half and full days, etc., used to get tough. However, through the advent of automated tools, AI, and centralized systems, HR professionals won’t have to be in a lot of confusion.

    Rather, it is expected to enable the companies to offer infinite paid leaves for the employees. In addition, they can set further amendments as per the situation demands. Moreover, both the professionals and the employees can expect greater flexibility through these systems. Starting from those making policies to the followers of the same, it is going to be helpful for all.

    FAQs 

    What is a leave management system and why is it replacing manual tracking?

    A leave management system centralizes requests, approvals, balances, and reporting for all leave types (PTO, sick, unpaid, etc.). Compared with spreadsheets and paper forms, it reduces errors, speeds up approvals, and gives HR real-time visibility for planning and compliance.

    How does a PTO tracker help reduce absenteeism?

    By giving employees clear visibility into balances, blackout dates, and team calendars, a PTO tracker encourages planned time off instead of last-minute call-outs. HR can spot patterns early and address burnout, scheduling gaps, or policy misunderstandings before they become chronic absenteeism.

    Which features should we prioritize when evaluating leave management software?

    Look for policy configurability (accruals, carryover, probation rules), multi-location holiday calendars, manager workflows, mobile apps, integrations (HRIS/payroll), audit trails, analytics dashboards, and role-based access. Automation for reminders, approvals, and balance updates is key.

    How can AI improve leave management without creating bias?

    AI can flag unusual patterns, forecast coverage risks, and suggest optimal staffing, while leaving decisions to managers. Use explainable models, human-in-the-loop approvals, and clear guardrails (no health inference, no protected-class profiling) to keep recommendations fair and transparent.

    What integrations matter most (HR, payroll, time & attendance)?

    Core HRIS for employee records, payroll for payout/withholding, time & attendance/biometrics for accurate accruals, and collaboration tools (email/chat/calendars) for notifications. These cut duplicate data entry and ensure balances and pay are always in sync.

    How do we handle global teams and different holiday calendars?

    Choose software with region-specific calendars, localized policies, and support for multiple time zones. Assign policies by location or employment type, and surface team-wide views so managers can plan coverage across countries.

    What are best practices for designing a clear attendance/leave policy?

    Define leave types, eligibility, accrual rates, carryover, notice periods, documentation requirements, and consequences for abuse. Communicate in plain language, train managers, and apply the policy consistently with documented exceptions for protected leave.

    How can we measure ROI of a leave management system?

    Track fewer payroll corrections, faster approval times, reduced unplanned absences, lower admin hours, and improved coverage during peak periods. Pair these with morale and retention metrics to show both cost savings and productivity gains.

    How do we migrate from spreadsheets and punch-in machines?

    Clean and normalize historical data, map policies to software settings, run a pilot with one department, and import balances with a clear cutoff date. Keep a read-only archive of old records for audit purposes.

    What security and privacy standards should the tool meet?

    Expect encryption in transit and at rest, SSO/MFA, role-based access, detailed audit logs, and compliance with relevant frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001). Limit data collection to what’s necessary and set retention policies.

    How do approvals and coverage planning work in practice?

    Employees request leave via web or mobile; the system routes to the right approver, checks conflicts/blackouts, and shows live team calendars. Managers approve with one click, and the system updates balances and notifies payroll automatically.

    Can leave software support union rules and local regulations?

    Yes, choose a platform that can model complex accruals, seniority-based scheduling, mandated sick leave, and protected leaves. Maintain separate policy templates per bargaining unit or jurisdiction.

    What about “unlimited PTO” can systems handle it?

    Most tools can track requests and approvals without tracking accrual balances. You’ll still want guardrails (e.g., notice periods, blackout dates, performance expectations) and reporting to ensure fair access across teams.

    How should we prepare for unprecedented events (e.g., emergencies)?

    Use policy toggles for emergency leave codes, remote-work exceptions, and temporary carryover changes. Cloud systems with mobile self-service and automated comms help HR adapt quickly while maintaining accurate records.

    Conclusion

    All said and done, the leave management systems are going to witness immense transformation in coming five years. Both in terms of technologies and functionalities, the system is expected to witness major changes. However, good news is that the transformation is going to occur for the betterment of the system, rather than making things more complicated.

    Best part, it is going to be helpful for people to all levels of the sales funnels. The tools are moreover going to help the employees in measuring the leave patterns of the employees better, which means the employers are going to know their employees better. On a concluding note, leave management system is going to be streamlined from all perspectives.      

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  • Legal requirements for PTO and Leave in UK

    Legal requirements for PTO and Leave in UK

    The employment landscape is constantly changing with new needs, expectations, trends and regulations marking their arrival. More than ever, HR managers are concerned about the essential benefits which employees require from an organization. As a matter of fact, innovative and lucrative employee benefits could help an enterprise mark its presence in high-demand marketplaces. At the same time, employee benefits are also helpful for drawing in talented human resources to the organization this article will give you a brief about PTO in UK.

    One of the most significant employees benefits obviously points out towards leave. Leave has its own share of importance in helping an organization maintain a work-life balance for employees. On the other hand, it is important to note how legal precedents are transforming the design of leave policies across various organizations. The following discussion helps you dive into the details of legal implications relates to PTO and leave in the UK.

    Why are Leaves Important?

    According to a study conducted by the job website, Glassdoor, 7% of workers do not get their complete minimum paid leave entitlement. In addition, an average employee in the UK takes only 62% of their total holiday allowance. This is one of prominent reasons for which 79% of British workers have to experience work-related stress. Furthermore, almost 76% of employees experience burnout due to various factors such as personal circumstances, workloads or the work environment.

    Without the lack of motivation and freedom to take a day off, employees could lose the zeal to work, thereby affecting productivity. So, letting employees cool off the steam by offering them paid and unpaid leaves might be a promising initiative. On the other hand, it is important to understand the important precedents you must follow in offering leave to your employees.

    Understanding PTO

    PTO is basically the acronym for Paid Time Off, which is also referred to as the annual leave or statutory leave. PTO indicates the number of days, weeks or months an employee could take time off from work while receiving compensation from their company. The PTO of an employee starts to grow when they begin working with a company having a clearly defined PTO policy. Generally, the employer has the final discretion on when employees could take their paid leaves. Subsequently, the employee receives their standard wage according to the company’s PTO policy.

    Entitlements in PTO for Employees in the UK

    If you are planning on developing a leave tracker for your organization, you need to understand the PTO entitlements in UK. You should know the number of days that workers could take a leave. Majority of workers involved with five-day workweek routines could legally receive an entitlement to 28 days of paid holiday annually.

    Part-time workers, as well as employees working irregular hours like term-time workers or shift workers, are also legally eligible for PTO according to the hours they put in work. In order to calculate the time off allotted to a part-time worker, you could just multiply the number of days they work in a week by 5.6. For instance, if a part-time employee works three days a week, they can legally take 16.6 days of PTO.

    Types of PTO Permitted in the UK

    The PTO tracker solution for an organization should also include the different types of PTO in the UK in its scope. The PTO policy of an organization in the UK should include various types of paid leave along with relevant guidelines. A detailed understanding of different types of PTO allowed in the UK could help in defining the specifications of a prolific vacation tracker solution. Here are some of the notable cases in which you are entitled to PTO or paid leaves.

    Paid Sick Leave

    Employees are humans and are bound to fall prey to sickness at some or other point in time. Paid sick leave or statutory sick pay provides coverage for employees who fall ill for a minimum of four consecutive days, along with non-working days. Employers could start paying the statutory sick pay from the fourth day till the employee’s return to work. According to UK regulations, employees put on paid sick leave are entitled to pay £94.25 for the period of 28 weeks. Employees receive statutory sick pay on regular payday along with deduction of National Insurance and Taxes.

    Paid Annual Leave

    The most basic type of PTO which you must have in PTO tracking software is the paid annual leave. It is the most basic leave entitlement for a worker, and employees in the UK get paid annual leave of 28 days. Apart from the 5.6 weeks worth of paid vacation, bank holidays could also be a part of statutory leave according to the employer’s discretion.

    Maternity Leave

    Another prominent entry that you can find in different types of PTO in the UK is maternity leave. It basically includes the time that a parent takes off from work before and after giving birth. The laws in UK dictate that maternity leave could be allowed for a maximum of 52 weeks. On the other hand, if the employer has defined any specific considerations in their leave policy, the maternity leave could extend further.

    The first 26 weeks come under the scope of ‘Ordinary Maternity Leave’. The next 26 weeks would be classified under the ‘Additional Maternity Leave’ category. Maternity leave applicants could take the leave 11 weeks before the due date at the earliest. After birth, employees must take a leave of two weeks and four weeks in the case of factory workers.

    When you are designing an employee leave tracker app, you must also know about the payment for maternity leave. In the first six weeks of maternity leave, employees are generally eligible for receiving 90% of their average weekly income. In the case of remaining 33 weeks of maternity leave, employees are entitled to either 90% of their average weekly income or £151.20, with the lower one getting first preference.

    It is also important to note that maternity leave benefits are different according to the type of employment. Employers should note that all employees are not eligible for statutory maternity leave pay.

    Paternity Leave

    As an employer, you would also have to deal with the aspect of paternity leave while designing an employee time off tracker. Paternity leave is generally applicable for employees given that their partner has given birth or they have adopted a child. According to UK laws, partners who are eligible for paternity leave can receive two weeks of statutory paternity leave pay.

    Eligible employees can prefer to take the two weeks holiday at a time or differently. However, employees could not start their paternity leave before the date of the child’s birth. Most important of all, employees should finish their paternity leave within 56 days of the date of their child’s birth. Employees eligible for paternity leave are entitled to statutory paternity leave pay. The statutory paternity leave pay can be £148.68 for every week or 90% of their average weekly income, with first preference for the lower amount.

    Compassionate Leave

    Employers are also entitled to the privilege of allotting compassionate leave to employees. However, employers do not have any legal obligations for offering paid or unpaid compassionate leave. You can include compassionate leave or bereavement leave in a Day Off App for supporting employees in dire circumstances. Employees are eligible for compassionate leave when their relative or dependent fall ill or face an accident or in the case of death of a loved one.

    Employees in the UK could receive a certain period of compassionate leave due to certain reasons. For example, compassionate leave is applicable if employees face illness, assault or injury or their child is involved in an accident at school. Compassionate leave is also applicable for employees in the UK who face discrepancies in care arrangements.

    Unpaid Leave

    Once employers have dealt with the problem of defining PTO in their leave policy, they have to deal with unpaid leaves. The design of an effective time off app for an organization should also include necessary elements for including unpaid leaves. Unpaid leaves are an effective method for employers to offer leaves to dedicated and reliable staff members beyond the paid leave limit. Unpaid leaves give the opportunity for employees to take leaves in the case of unprecedented situations. At the same time, employers could also use them as instruments for showing their goodwill for employees in critical scenarios.

    Types of Unpaid Leave

    Just like the different types of paid leave, it is also important to note the types of unpaid leave. According to UK law, there are two specific exceptions in the case of unpaid leave. Other than the three exceptions, there is no specific obligation for employers regarding the number of days they can allow as unpaid leave for employees. So, it is important to specify the rules and specifications regarding unpaid leave in employee handbooks or contracts.

    HR management should also find out the ways for deducting unpaid leave from the salary of employees. Employees are safe from unauthorized deductions in their wages and pay by employers. However, employers can specify the details of conditions in which unpaid leave is applicable for employees. At the same time, the employment contract should also include details of deduction such as time and amount for unpaid leave.

    Another important aspect specified in UK law for unpaid leave refers to the two exceptions. The first exception is applicable in situations where employees have to serve on magistrate or jury duty. The second exception is evident in situations where employees have to look after their children.

    Unpaid Leaves and Jury Service

    Jury service is also another important aspect that you have to take into account while designing a free vacation tracker. Employees are not mandatorily obliged to take leave for jury service. As a matter of fact, employers have the obligation for allowing employees to work in the role of a voluntary magistrate or attend jury service.

    Alarmingly, employers who deny this right to employees can face contempt-of-court charges. Worse of all, the penalty in such cases could include two years in jail or a hefty fine. While employees could not miss jury services, employers do not have any obligation for paying staff during the concerned period.

    Law for Unpaid Leaves for Parents

    UK laws for leave are quite lenient and rewarding for parents. Parents could become eligible for unpaid parental leave in different cases. Parents could claim unpaid leave almost 18 weeks before their child, or adopted child reaches the age of 18. The limit for unpaid parental leaves in a free time off tracker must be 4 weeks for every child annually. Employees could take unpaid parental leaves in the multiple of one or two weeks rather than on individual days. It is also important to note that unpaid parental leave is applicable in the case of every offspring rather than for an individual’s job.

    Most important of all, it is difficult to delay unpaid parental leave due to various reasons. For example, the absence of a staff member would affect the business negatively. Another possible reason to avoid any delays in unpaid parental leave is if the father or partner of the employee has taken it immediately after the birth or adoption. Unpaid parental leave cannot be extended in cases where the staff member does not qualify for leave, as the extension will go beyond the 18th birthday of the child.

    The government specifies that employees must provide their explanation in writing when deferring unpaid parental leave. Employees must submit the explanation within seven days of submitting the original request. In addition, employees should also provide a new start date. The new start date should be within six months duration of the requested start date. It is impossible to change the duration of unpaid parental leave requested by the employee.

    The Comprehensive Solution

    HR managers have to navigate all these complexities in the legal aspects pertaining to PTO and leave in the UK. However, new and innovative tech solutions such as leave tracking apps could help in effective leave management. The development of such tools is a new chapter in streamlining human resources management. Find out more about compliance with legal implications pertaining to leave and PTO in your HR policy.

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  • How has Human Resources Management evolved?

    How has Human Resources Management evolved?

    HRM Human Resources Management is a major department in every organization that is dedicated to maintaining discipline. However, it has come a long way. As per the experts, HRM is a new term for dealing with employees in the organization. Well, HRM is evolving and will keep evolving with time.

    Speaking about the evolution of HRM, the term is of recent origin.  As per the record, it started revolving around the 1980s. Earlier, goods were only manufactured by skilled artisans and craftsmen. In fact, they were responsible for dealing with all the production processes, producing and selling the products.

    It is crucial to understand the evolution of Human Resources management to know about the philosophy, practices, and functions of Human Resources Management that are being widely used in various circumstances. So, let’s talk about evolution in detail.

    Understanding the historical perspective of HRM

    During the ancient period, skilled craftsmen and artisans used to deal with all the things. That means there was no use of master-servant, employer, and employee. The entire process and tasks related to services and goods were managed by the artists, and for that, they used to take their family members’ help. On the other hand, a certain category of staff and apprentices were used by the effluent craftsmen. That developed a close relationship between the craftsmen and apprentices.

    With time, a sense of human approach was gradually evolved in the relationship. After years of training, some people, or you can say apprentices opened their own business. On the other hand, some other apprentices started working with their masters to enjoy some benefits. As per the historical data, guilds are developed by the skilled artisans to protect the trade. After that, they brought slaves, serfs, and laborers to have a better understanding of HRM. This is quite important to understand the management of laborers, serfs, and slaves.

    Managing the salves

    In ancient civilization, one of the crucial sources of human resources was the phenomenon of slaves. They can be purchased and sold like commodities. The wealthy chiefs, landlords, and rulers brought commodities from the slaves and managed the slaves. Besides, they also used them to carry out tough works, for example, transporting loads, construction works, rowing boats or ships, and more. In return, their masters gave them food and shelter. However, now there are no such things, and it is quite easy to manage the workers using a vacation tracker.

    Handling the serfs

    In feudal societies, and during the pre as well as the early medieval period, the term of serfdom was very prevalent. They used to do their landlords’ agricultural activities and other associated activities. Every landlord gave a piece of land to the serfs so that they can earn some money for living.  The landlords used to handle their serfs following the principle of authoritarianism, and there was a relationship between serfs and feudal lords.

    Managing the indentured labor

    When the advancement in the industrial sector and mercantilism emerged with time, the term indentured labor system came into the limelight.  Due to a massive rise in the demand for different commodities and goods, the demand for skilled labor also increased. That increasing demand was fulfilled by the people who migrated to industrial towns from the remote areas.

    It may be noted that the process of management of labor is quite different from the management of slaves and serfs. The laborers were abounded by the company’s terms, and conditions and the Human Resources managers had the right to manage them on behalf of the company.

    Different eras in the human resources management evolution

    Well, there are different stages in the process of Human Resources Management evolution. Those stages describe about the evolution from the industrial era to the present scenario. Let’s talk about that in detail.

    The Industrial Revolution

    As per the report, managing people or employees at work started during the eighteenth century due to the advancement in the USA and Western Europe’s industrial sector. In fact, the industries witnessed a systematic growth of HR management.

    The industrial revolution greatly influenced different elements, for example,

    usage of manpower, mechanical energy, development of new types of machinery, and more. On the other hand, the new factory system replaced the old cottage system.

    During the 19th century, some companies, such as Jacob from Ireland and the United Kingdom’s Cadbury, appointed multiple welfare officers to enhance the working condition. Besides, they also set up sick pay schemes as well as housing facilities at a subsidized rate. As there was no Employee time off tracker, they used to record the employees’ attendance manually.

    Besides, during that time,

    three important systems of HR management were introduced, i.e., hiring employees, offering them training, and managing them effectively. With time, the early twentieth century witnessed a new term called scientific management. It was greatly influenced by FW Taylor. After analyzing the job environment, he broke it down into different components, called job specialization. He believed that employees or workers could be trained to work better at one certain component of the work,

    but he ignored the fact that employees are humans, not machines. So, they get bored performing the same tasks every day.  As per some reports, FW Taylor’s management theory was adopted by Ford and some food companies. Besides,

    it also benefited the HR management with different tools, for example, methods of training, recruitment or selection, and job analysis.

    First World War

    During the First World War, companies used to recruit women in a huge number to fill the gaps in the workplace left by men workers. Different agreements were created to accept changing of the managing levels and hiring unskilled women for craftsmen’s jobs. Gradually, the scope changed to manage recruitment, bonus, dismissal, and absence.

    Different studies conducted by the experts, like Elton Mayo, said that the performance of the workers could be greatly affected by job satisfaction, motivation, leadership styles, group dynamics, and more. Such behavioral science started to influence the employee’s management. After World War and when the economic condition across the world started going up, many companies gave importance to employee benefits.

    Second World War Era

    During the 1960s, following the development of poor industrial relations, unions, personal managers, and employers were highly criticized for lacking the required negotiation skills and failing to create employee development and industrial relations strategies.

    In between the 1960s to 80s, employment began to grow at a higher rate. On the other hand, different personal methods were developed utilizing theories related to organizational behavior, motivation, and more. With time, specialism began to develop, along with resourcing and reward.

    HR management in the 1960s to 1980s

    Many business leaders understood that the employees were the major factor for a company’s success. They believed that people were a great resource to be managed as effectively and efficiently as other resources,

    and that brought changes in the management style.

    During that time, the US legislature started passing different employment practices, for example, Civil Rights Act 1964 and the Equal Pay Act 1963,

    compelling the HR managers to focus on compliance issues.  Besides, Deci and Rayan’s Self-Determination Theory and Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory started to transform the industry. Industrial psychology and organizational management contributed to HR paying a great focus on the employees’ requirements for recognition, achievement, and advancement.

    Every worker wants a particular right to be considered for a role. At the same time,

    they also look out for different psychological motivators, covering mastery, autonomy, and purpose to do their best in their works.

    The 1990s to 2020s, HR management

    Well, the role of the HR managers is now quite complex than ever. Latest and emerging technologies are now shifting focus from personnel management as well as administrative tasks. Today’s HR specialist are spending their energies and time in strengthening the culture and managing the employees. Besides,

    they will also have to work with the employees to develop the work environment and make employees happy, which in turn will work for the company and its foreseeable future. On the other hand, with the advancement of technologies, employers are now using advanced software to deal with different tasks and to effectively manage the team. For example, to manage the leaves or vacations, they are now using professional PTO tracking software programs, such as the Day Off (Vacation tracking software ) .

    New technologies that are used in modern HR management

    Speaking about some of the latest and advanced technology used in today’s HR management includes AR, VR, ML, and more. Most of the successful companies are harnessing these modern technologies and different types of digital tools,

    such asthe day off app within a professional HR management system.  The HRM solutions evolve with time along with the HR management. It has made it possible to use modern technological innovation to manage and enhance the people and HR experiences as well as processes.  Some of the newest technologies in the HR management are:

    VR- Virtual Reality

    Virtual Reality has become very common in talent management and training. Employees and candidates can learn things effectively and practice skills using such technologies. Besides, they can show with whom they would work in a virtual environment.

    Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

    Today’s HR managers are widely using machine learning and artificial intelligence in different processes, for example, in recruitment, acquisition, evaluating candidate’s experience, matching candidate’s profile for the role, application screening, and more. Such powerful technologies can help employers in avoiding unwanted bias in interviewing or selection. Machines learning can detect the characteristics of successful candidates and try to detect the same abilities and qualities in future applicants. On the other hand, these technologies can be found in a PTO tracker used by many companies to automate leave management.

    Cloud technology

    To keep up with all the latest updates, for better agility and capabilities, most of the modern HR solutions work on cloud technology. Today’s cloud technology is mobile-friendly, secure, and flexible. So, HR managers and employees can use the solutions wherever and whenever they want.  Mobile apps like employee leave tracker app and mobile platforms are crucial technologies, providing the employees as well as the employers with multiple self-service capabilities. So, now they can easily access as well as update the policies with a few simple clicks.

    Automation

    In HR, automation has become an important factor. After the introduction of automation technology, it has greatly reduced the manual processing and errors in a company’s HR administration. On the other hand, it has greatly fastened multiple end-to-end processes, for example, new employees’ recruitment and their onboarding. Besides, big data analysis and digital analytics also play an important role in HR solutions, helping the managers to understand how to effectively motivate and engage the employees. Furthermore, some companies are now focusing on different analytics for better HR management. For example, predictive analytics can help HR in creating better strategies for employees’ recruitment, retention, company policies, facilities, training, benefits, and rewards.

    Final words

    Human Resource Management means offering support to the employees at different stages of the employees’ life cycle, from recruitment, performance management, career planning, coaching & training, and more. The human resources are evolving with time. They need to perform strategically to make an active contribution to a company’s growth. For all these things, today’s HR managers need to follow the latest trends of HR management. Due to the rapid technological development and introduction of new rules, changes happen much faster than before.  It is important for an organization to adapt to the rapidly changing environment in order to survive.  However, a company’s ability to adapt to those changes also depends on the HR manager.

    To avoid the issues that the company has faced in the past, you need to understand the HR strategies you have in the company. Are your staff selected, managed, and trained properly to make sure they can perform at their best? What are the methods you use for employee leave management? Consider all these things, understand the changing environment, and you can effectively manage the human resource, which is an important resource for every company, efficiently. And don’t forget to take help of the technology.

  • How to select the right Leave management software tool?

    How to select the right Leave management software tool?

    Every business organization, regardless of its size, needs to have its own leave management system. This system is a process in which every employee of the business organization can apply for leaves, and the managers can approve them as well as track their leave balance record. Every company goes with the manual process to track an employee’s absence and leave records at the initial stage.

    But the manual process could involve a lot of paperwork, which can be burdensome for the HR department. Thus, using a leave tracker software tool can make the HR teams timeless consuming. These software programs are designed to optimize the HR teams’ employee management tasks to concentrate on other tasks to meet the company’s needs.

    Reasons to take leave management software into account

    To avoid harming the organization’s productivity

    It’s not wise to underestimate the impact of employee absenteeism on the business operators since the absence of employees would directly impact the company’s productivity. Employees are the ultimate success factor of a company. So if the HR manager fails to record the absenteeism, the company would suffer a reduction in productive times that can severely impact the company’s overall efficiency. In order to avoid ineffective leave management, companies should use leave management software.

    To avoid negatively affecting the company’s profit

    Every business organization makes a policy for their leave management since paid time off can significantly impact the organizations’ profit. If the employee-manager faces ineffective leave management, the company would seriously lose its profits as they fail to notice if an employee is not adhering to the company’s leave policy. Thus business operators look for effective, paperless solutions to eliminate errors in calculating leave payments. So they look for an effective PTO tracker to automate their leave management system.

    To avoid conflicts related to leave balance

    Absenteeism not just affects the company’s profit but also those employees who attend the workshop. A leave tracker software application such as Day Off  (a PTO tracking software) could track every employee’s absences and regulate their leave balance. With its implementation, the management team would face less conflict regarding their leave balance, get their employees more organized at work, and make the team more disciplined.

    Signs for you to use an online leave management system

    When the HR manager is too busy to manage leave requests

    Investing in leave management software is not something difficult to afford. But some organizations might be too comfortable with their manual system to not notice that it’s not about affordability but managing their workload. The first sign of needing a PTO tracking software when managing employee leave requests becomes more burdensome for the HR manager.

    The manager can’t just approve a leave request directly; they have to ensure the request is complying with the company’s policy and then balance the schedules to ensure adequate coverage is available before approving it. All these assessments can take a while that is not always convenient. If your HR manager is struggling to find time for concentrating on other business operations, it’s time for shifting to leave management software.

    When employees miss their  shifts

    There might be many mistakes and miscommunications with manual leave management that can lead to employees missing their shifts. The employees who have to cover for other employees when the company is understaffed can feel stressed as it would stretch their work shifts.

    Every business depends on having repeat customers. But if your establishment is understaffed, it means your customers would most likely have a bad experience leading to a loss of profits. Not just to minimize human error but to keep your customers satisfied, you should consider using the employee leave tracker app.

    If you are using spreadsheets to track employee hours

    Most small and medium businesses use excel sheets to track their employees’ working hours, PTO accrual, and absences. This might be a free service for you, but you would put your business up for legal liabilities. Not just your customers but also your employees are essential for you to run your business smoothly. Thus, you should provide both of them with professionalism. Instead of spreadsheets, using leave management software would be more transparent and store real-time data for everyone to access.

    Benefits of using leave management software

    Reduced paperwork

    In this digitalized world, businesses are now depending on digital systems to eliminate paperwork. This way, you would not have to deal with unnecessary clutter of paperwork and improve your company’s carbon footprint. Also, you would promote a green work environment on your business premises.

    Plus, if you incorporate an online leave management system with your specialized software instead of a manual way, you would not suffer any loss or mislaid leave request forms. Your employers can directly apply for leave in the vacation tracker, and you can accept or reject them without causing any miscommunications.

    Automotive leave balance calculation

    Automation is the most prominent advantageous factor of using leave management software. This automotive system can make your working process a lot smoother. Your HR management would no longer have to operate computer systems to track and update your employees’ leave balance manually.

    Your attendance management software would automatically track your employees’ leave histories, which can be accessible to both employees and the HR manager. The software always auto-updates each of your employees’ holiday calendars, and you can check their availability easily. If you approve any of their leave requests, the software would automatically deduct their leave balance and show you the result whenever you want.

    Time-efficient

    Manually updating the employee attendance can be very time-consuming, not to mention complicated. Human errors can occur easily with the conventional method, and it can be detrimental for the said employee who requests for Day off. This can be a tedious task for the human resources teams who spend most of their working hour just updating the absence and leave management system.

    Incorporating technology in your management system could enable your workforce to save a significant amount of time with optimized resources. Thus, by using an employee time off tracker software, your HR team would be able to save up to 40% of the working hours that they spend conducting purely administrative tasks.

    Easily accessible for the manager to manage the team

    The leave management software tools mostly feature storing their data in the cloud, which makes the system more accessible. With all the data in the cloud, not just the employees but the human resources team and even the employer itself can easily access the system via an internet network.

    The team can share the data and also update it in real-time. But if you do it on a spreadsheet, although one member of the team can update it, not every member in their system. Then you would have to share your file with them via email. If you want one-way management, you should utilize PTO tracking software so you would not have to share the same files with the others every time.

    Another advantage of using such software is to access the free vacation tracker from any device and anytime. This way, the HR manager would not have to be present in the office to access the system. The manager can easily manage their team from anywhere without any complications.

    Seamless Integration

    The time off app software is not only for managing employees’ attendance; they also perform other HR management tasks such as payroll, timesheet management, etc.  Due to such seamless integration with other software, these applications are able to save time, reduce human errors, and enable cross-functional reporting.

    With such seamless integration, you can improve your company’s communication level as well as ensure compliance with legislation. The software can provide a  comprehensive dashboard, configurable fields such as leave types, policy, and leave request lists. This way, both employee and employer could assess the important details without having to type out a leave application and read through it, respectively.

    Better security

    The Day off app would not only eliminate manual intervention since all the data of the system are stored in the cloud but they are also protected by specific encryption. Such software can make periodic or scheduled backups to ensure that all data stay safe and download them whenever required without ever losing them, unless you intentionally delete original, copied, and backed-up files.

    On the contrary, they can get deleted or get lost with Excel files if you don’t have a copy of the files saved somewhere already.  Since cloud software mostly updates its security policy with data protection laws such as GDPR, you would not have to implement any other security system with your software.

    Similarly, if any changes in the legislation occur, the leave tracker software tool would automatically update to make sure your data are legally protected. You would not have to invest any time and any money to comply with your legislation regulations, which can be a great advantage.

    Encourages discipline

    The PTO tracker software is a transparent and customizable system that complies with the local employee management laws and with your business policies. Moreover, these systems can readily understand and recognize both the employees and company executives at the same time.

    Due to such characteristics, the PTO tracking software provides increased accuracy and encourages your company’s disciplines. By the implementation of such software, the employer can expect and achieve better attendance rates from their employees, as whoever is accessing the system would be aware of who’s failing to follow the company’s policies.   

    Things to consider while choosing leave management software

    Whether to choose a desktop or cloud-based program

    Software programs can be cloud-based, or you can download them to your computer. If you choose cloud-based time off tracker software, you can have many benefits, such as accessibility of the software from any device; with an internet connection, you can consult all of your company data, share them on the web among your entire team, and even update them in the real-time.

    But with the desktop software program, you have to install them that can take up your computer space, and your HR manager would have to rely on the devices where the employee leave tracker app is installed.

    Support team to change the system

    For any business, transforming from one system to an advanced system can be complicated. The system operator has to do data migration, set up the application on all of their teams’ computers, and staff training. But if you have a support team, it would help you set up the program seamlessly while running all the processes smoothly.

    Thus, while you are deciding on which employee time off tracker software you want to incorporate, make sure the provider would help you with its implementation. Without an initial training process, any new system implementation can end in failure. Thus, ensure providers should also take care of your staff training, so they could familiarize themselves with the tools to use them adequately.

    Error-free multi-user access

    Make sure the system you choose must offer features like error-free multi-user access and employee self-service. The employee time off tracker software tools should function faster while requesting leave and approving them and should be user-friendly.

    The software should avail multi-device access, specifically smartphone access, so employees and managers would be able to get notifications for any event anytime and anywhere. It’s especially beneficial for businesses, which have employees working remotely.

    Multilingual software

    Whether you are a local business or an online business, there is no saying when your business might hire multilingual staff. Not all of them leave software programs are multilingual. Language plays a critical role in having a proper communication flow. If you want to offer your employees a custom-tailored solution, they must be able to access the application software in their preferred language to avoid any miscommunication. So ensure your Day off app is a multilingual software.

    Price of the management software

    The price of the software is another vital factor that you should consider before purchasing the PTO tracking software. While the desktop software has a fixed price, the cloud-based software depends on what number of employees access it. Since the platform would manage it, you must adjust the cost to only serve your needs. The final price of the PTO tracker software can be affected by the number of employees, administration users, other technological integrations, etc.  

    Features of the leave management software play a crucial role in transforming your employee attendance system. Thus, you should carefully consider the features of the application that would enable you to automate your tasks and develop a smoother work process.

  • Legal requirements for PTO and Leave in Europe

    Legal requirements for PTO and Leave in Europe

    Businesses are constantly on edge for finding the best approaches for ensuring better employee engagement. However, it is quite difficult to achieve better employee engagement easily. The rapidly changing business environment and constant modifications in labor laws have different levels of influence on employees. HR managers all over the world are rethinking the traditional perspectives on the way they manage the human capital of an organization. As a result, the emphasis on legal precedents for employment conditions has started to take the front seat among priorities for HR. The following discussion helps you find out the legal requirements for PTO and leave in Europe. Let us see how PTO or paid time off and leave policies in Europe affect employees.

    Why Are the Legal Requirements for Leave Important?

    The first concern while planning a PTO tracking software designs is labor law. Technology lets you avoid the unnecessary complications associated with monitoring the number of leaves your employees take. In addition, you could also get a clear estimate of the balance holidays in the account of each employee effortlessly. However, mobile apps and software solutions for leave tracking must follow the legal implications associated with leave. The EU labor law holds the sole discretion over defining the rights and obligations of workers and employers in the European Union.

    The Legal Authority of EU Labor Law

    EU labor law focuses on two distinct areas, such as working conditions and the role of information and consultation for workers. EU labor law dictates the working conditions such as working hours for fixed-time and part-time workers, also alongside catering to the conditions of posting of workers.

    The EU labor law also takes on the responsibility of providing information and consultation to workers regarding collective redundancies, transfer of companies, and other factors. When you are trying to develop a leave tracker solution for your company in any country in the European Union, you must follow the EU labor law.

    When it comes to the PTO and leave in Europe, EU labor law specifies that individual EU countries have the privilege of offering higher levels of benefits and protection for workers. However, the European Working Time Directive establishes the minimum limit of annual paid leave for workers at 4 weeks. On the other hand, various countries have chosen more generous benefits for workers.

    Types of Leave Permitted in the EU

    With clarification on the legal authority for PTO and leave in Europe, it is reasonable to look for different types of PTO. The European Commission also outlines the specifications for leave in Europe across different categories. A clear understanding of the specifications helps in crafting the basic outline of your PTO tracker solution. Let us take a look at the conditions for various types of leave in Europe.

    Annual Paid Leave

    According to the specifications by the European Commission, the annual paid-leave entitlement for employees in Europe is four weeks. In addition, the national and public holidays also count for another 14 working days as leaves. It is also important to note that if public holidays or national holidays fall on a Sunday or Saturday or on a weekly rest day allotted to the employee, they should be eligible for another day of leave for the holidays. Your vacation tracker solution should also consider the fact that no additional days could be allowed as holidays for national or public holidays on a Sunday or a Saturday.

    It is also important to reflect on the entitlements for part-time workers when it comes to annual paid leave. All the part-time workers are also eligible for minimum entitlement to all public holidays, birth leave, injury leave, sick leave, bereavement leave, marriage leave, and annual paid holidays. They would get the leave benefits in accordance with the conditions of employment recognized by their employer in employment contracts.

    In addition, part-time workers are also entitled to other leaves established in accordance with the act. Furthermore, part-time workers could also get statutory bonuses alongside other income supplements similar to that of full-time employees on similar duties by taking their conditions of employment into account.

    Maternity Leave

    The design of PTO tracking software should also include the implications for maternity leave. Employees could apply for maternity leave right after the birth of their child or if they adopt a child with their partner. Employees could apply for maternity leave for a continuous duration of 14 weeks. However, as of 2013, the duration allowed for maternity leave has changed to 18 weeks. On the other hand, employees must provide a notification to their employer at least four weeks prior to the beginning of their maternity leave.

    There are different ways in which HR management could allow you to take maternity leave according to law in EU.

    1. Six weeks of maternity leave entitlement is mandatory, and employees must take it immediately following the date of birth of their child.
    2. Four weeks of maternity leave is allowed before the expected due date. Other agreements between employee and the employer could help in negotiating the duration of maternity leave allowed before due date.
    3. Employees can choose to take the remaining maternity leave entitlement, either completely or in parts, either immediately before or immediately after the due date.
    4. If an employee is unable to take their maternity leave before the due date, they will use the remaining leaves entitled to them after the due date.
    5. Over the period of maternity leave, employees are eligible to receive full wages as payable by their employer.

    Parental Leave

    Parental leave is also another important aspect which you should add to an employee leave tracker app. Male and female employees have individual rights for receiving around 4 months of unpaid parental leave. Unpaid parental leave is applicable in scenarios where employees want to take care of children after birth by their partner.

    It is also applicable in cases of fostering, adoption, or obtaining legal custody of a child. Parental leave is a wholesome approach for employees to take care of children. Interestingly, laws in EU allow for such type of leave until the child reaches the age of 8 years.

    If the employee does not take parental leave or have remaining balance of parental leave, they are still entitled to the leave even after changing employment or employer. The design of an employee time off tracker should focus on the fact that employees in private sector could take almost 4 months of unpaid parental leave.

    On the other hand, public servants could take up to almost 1 year of unpaid parental leave for each child. Employers should note that parental leave can be taken with a one-time period of 5 years. Furthermore, both parents could share the parental leave.        

    Sick Leave

    The laws for sick leave in Europe are also important for defining the HR policies of organizations operating there. Sick leave is a mandatory and unavoidable circumstance that must be in any solution for tracking leaves. Employees must provide notifications to employers as quickly as they can when they face any illness. A day off app must feature the ability to verify a doctor’s certificate for the employee’s illness.

    Maltese law implies that employees are eligible to receive wages during illness. In addition, some other relevant collective agreement also determines statutory sick leave pay in Europe. Employees are eligible to receive a given number of days as sick leave entitlement. However, exhausting the sick leave allotted to an employee implies that employers don’t have any obligations for paying wages. On the contrary, employees on extended sick leave might receive sickness benefits offered by the Social Security Department.

    The rules for sick leave in Europe indicate that employees are rightfully entitled to take sick leaves up to four times annually. In addition, the employees have the right to claim the number of hours as sick leave in a calendar year. Employers are required to submit the information to the employees within 5 working days of receiving the request in writing.

    Other Types of Leave

    The design of a time off app can be quite complicated when you have to focus on the other types of leaves. Apart from the common types of leaves, employers are also required to award other leaves to their employees according to EU law. Employers must allow a minimum of 12 hours with pay annually as time off from work. Such type of leave is applicable in the cases of urgent family matters. Most importantly, the total number of hours that employees take for urgent family reasons are accounted for in the annual leave entitlement.

    Employers reserve the right for setting the maximum possible duration employees could take time off from work in different cases. At the same time, employers must ensure that the minimum time allowed in such cases must not be less than one hour for each case. Employers also have the right to demand evidence that could be necessary for verifying and confirming the request of an employee for urgent leave. It is also important to note that part-time employees are eligible for urgent leave entitlement on a pro-rata basis.

    How Do Legal Requirements for PTO and Leave in Europe Help Companies and Employees?

    When companies look up to new tech solutions like leave tracking applications, they have to understand the importance of legal compliance. The new system for managing leaves of employees in an organization should follow all the legal precedents. Well, is there any specific reason to focus on defining a clear-cut legal policy when designing a PTO or leave tracking app? The answer might draw you towards the potential benefits of a free vacation tracker solution. Here are some of the notable benefits of legally sound leave and PTO policies.

    Health Benefits for Employees

    The excessive working hours could result in growth of mortality of employees by 20%. The mental, physical, and emotional stress of work can result in profoundly worse health outcomes alongside affecting wellbeing at work. In the condition that employees receive paid time off or leave, they are likely to invest the time in exploring their creative side. Most important of all, employees can use their day off to rest and recharge for resuming their work completely refreshed.

    Improvements in Performance and Productivity

    Studies have revealed how leaves are responsible for changing the perspective of employees on their job, company, and leadership team. Only one week of vacation annually could have a prolific impact on the productivity and performance of employees. A survey by OC Tanner reveals that around 70% of employees taking one week or more of vacation regularly have better motivation for contributing to the success of the company.     

    Employers Retain Talent

    One of the foremost reasons to try out a free time off tracker solution is the benefit of recognition for employees. PTO serves as a really helpful means for showing recognition for the efforts and dedication of an employee. Therefore, it is important to note how leaves could also lead to long-term benefits in employee retention and engagement.

    More Benefits for Employees

    The development of a proper PTO policy is important for developing new tech solutions for leave tracking. The advantages of a good PTO policy include profound references to the Global Talent Trends Report 2020 by LinkedIn. According to the report, companies with higher benefits and compensations experienced a 56% reduction in attrition rates. On the other hand, flexible work arrangements helped companies in achieving growth in headcount by almost 137%. The facility of a PTO policy comes in both categories of improvement with the assurance of long-term employee benefits.

    Developing the Ideal Solution

    As you can notice clearly, the legal requirements for PTO and leave in Europe are considerably simple. Most important of all, the clear outline of leave duration and the conditions for eligibility make them easier to follow. HR managers could utilize their knowledge of legal precedents for PTO and leave to define credible solutions for leave management.

    The growing prevalence of remote work has slowly reduced the physical interaction between employers and employees. In such cases, a leave management system or app configured according to legal precedents in Europe could help in freeing HR from the burden of managing leaves. Learn more about leave and PTO in Europe right now!  

  • Employees’ leave tracking: What experts are saying about it.

    Employees’ leave tracking: What experts are saying about it.

    Managing employee leaves or time off is a crucial activity for the HR management of every company. No matter whether it is a small company or an established one, this is something that needs to be handled very carefully. Nowadays, you can easily do this by using an Employee’s leave tracking app, like Day off. But before investing in such apps or tools, it will be better for you to understand leave-tracking or management and why it is important for a business. Let’s discuss this in detail.

    What do you mean by leave?

    To earn a salary, an employee doesn’t need to work all day.  In simple words, leaves are like off work days, apart from the holidays that employees deserve, as per a leave policy. If you look back around hundred years ago, employees were not given the privilege to take a paid leave. But now, almost all the countries ask the HR managers or management to provide their employees with paid leave as well as paid holidays. In fact, in the United States of America, more than 95 percent of companies offer paid leaves to their employees.

    PTO- Paid time off or leave is a preferred benefit after the healthcare coverage. There are different types of leaves an employee can enjoy. It is the state government’s law that forms different leaves and how many leaves a company can grant per year. While there are earned leaves, in some cases, employees can carry forward the leave balance to the next year.

    However, when it comes to managing and tacking the leaves, most companies are now facing a lot of issues. After all, tracking the leaves of hundreds of employees is very challenging. So, how to do that? This is where the leave management process comes to play.

    What do you mean by leave tacking or management?

    Speaking about leave tracking or management, it is the process of managing employees’ leave based on the current leave policy of the company. This is very important for a business not just for statutory compliance but also for enhanced employees’ productivity and engagement. This process includes different important factors, such as:

    • Routine leaves or vacation administration work
    • Designing effective leave policies considering the nature of employment
    • Implementing the leave policies

    Understanding the cost of poor leave management and tracking

    Even though tracking employees’ leave as well as attendance is one of the major elements of the payroll process, yet most organizations are not taking this seriously.  The process in itself is not time-consuming or challenging, provided the best Time Off Tracking Software is deployed to make the process fast and error-free.

    However, when carried out in the wrong way, the effects will be very severe. It can have a direct impact on the continuity of the business. On the other hand, it can have a negative influence on the staff. Leave tracking gone wrong can lead to low employee morale and lack of productivity. And you never want to face such issues. Let’s have a closer look at the issues that can arise due to inappropriate or poor leave tracking.

    Unavailability of staff

    Resource allocation and planning is an important factors in the process of developing a sustainable business. And leave tracking is a crucial input in this. The HR managers, as well as employers, should have better visibility about the leave eligibility of the employees. Besides, they should know about the outstanding leaves, the status of leaves taken, and employees’ alignment with the company’s leave policy. After analyzing all these things, the projects and roles can be properly staffed. In a company, when employees take too many unplanned leaves or more than the allocated limit, it can lead to a staff shortage issue. Besides, it will be an obstacle to the business community. In this era, where customers need a faster result, the unavailability of required manpower can be a lethal jab to the business. As a result, it will lower the credibility level.

    Various legal challenges

    The labor laws of different countries have underlined different leave rules for the employees and employers. Well, the rule can vary based on the employment types. No matter what, all employers need to comply with these laws. Nowadays, you can see different types of work arrangements, such as remote workers, part-time employees, full-time employees, contract workers, and more. This has raised the complexity level of leave compliance, and modern-day employers are now facing the risk of non-compliance. The reputation-hit and cost-hit of non-compliance can be very damaging to a business. With a proper leave tracking system, companies can keep them protected from multiple legal challenges.

    You can’t forget the financial risk.

    A company’s leave policy and labor laws talk about the leaves that can be encashed and how many leaves an employee can carry forward. Well, in some cases, leave encashment can be a financial liability for an organization. Paying the person at a particular time for the leave encashment can directly affect the company’s current year’s profit and loss statement. So, it is important for the HR managers while doing leave management to understand the financial outstanding related to the leave encashment. As a result, this will not affect the cash flow.

    Employees morale

    Mismanagement of vacations or days off can greatly affect the morale and well-being of the employees. How? Well, the employees who have not taken leaves may deal with the burnt workload as well as stress. The employees who have taken more leaves may showcase a poor employees engagement level. Besides, it suggests that those particular employees have a lower commitment towards their work. This can be a reason for employees’ exit. Besides, taking more than the assigned leaves can develop inter-team conflicts and issues. So, employees and HR managers should understand the purpose of leave utilization in real-time.

    What’s more? As per the experts, they should always discuss leave-related issues without any hesitation. It is a fact that the employees feel happy when they get a leave or time off at the time of need. When they don’t get enough leave, it can lead to demoralization and demotivation. Tracking the utilization, planning leaves or time off in advance, and establishing a good leave policy can help you manage the leaves in a better way. In order to make it a little easier for you, you can use a professional PTO tracking software, for example, Day Off.

    How to carry out effective leave tracking and management? Well, don’t worry at all as here are some experts’ tips that you can follow.

    Tips on employees’ leave tracking

    The process of leave tracking can be more complex than you assume. The reason behind this is that the HR managers in the companies are assigned a lot of responsibilities to make sure there is a perfect balance between consistent availability of manpower and employee engagement. But here are some tips that you can follow to make the process easier for you. Have a look.Use professional leave tracking software and automate the process.

    The process of tracking leaves is very complex and can take a lot of time as well as effort. Besides, if you do it manually, you may encounter some errors. So, what is the best solution for this? It’s time to invest in a good Vacation tracker, like Day Off. Such tools are designed to automate the process. As a result, it will eliminate the possible errors and boost efficiency. On the other hand, a good employee time off tracker can make sure that there are no errors or variations in the payroll. With a few clicks, you can get all the details about the employee’s leave and patterns.

    When you deploy such software, employees will get access to a self-service portal where they can easily request vacation and enjoy the leave benefits. On the other hand, employers can view as well as approve the leave request in real-time. What’s more? The tool can automatically evaluate the leave requests and monitor the request against the remaining leave balance of the employees. The Free time off tracker can also effectively track the approved, unapproved and outstanding leave applications.

    Time off app greatly helps in evaluating the impact of leave and planning the necessary resources for the scheduled projects. As a result, managers or administrators can make effective decisions regarding employees’ leave. Furthermore, the automated leave manager tools allow the HR management to enforce the company’s new leave policy accurately and fairly. Leave application approval and routing process can also be adjusted based on the company’s requirements. The most important thing to consider here is, that managers can now access information in real-time for reporting, analysis, and making financial estimates.

    Allow the employees to apply for the leaves in advance.

    When the employees don’t plan their leaves in advance, this can create challenges for the employers in managing the resources for the ongoing projects. An Employee leave tracker app can make it a lot easier for the employees to plan in advance and get approvals beforehand. As a result, there will be no nightmare of the unavailability of resources. Even if the employees are taking leave, this will not affect productivity.

    Create awareness about the leave policy

    It is quite important for the employees to know about the current leave policy of the company so that they can comply with the policy. Well, it is the responsibility of HR to make sure that the leave policy is readily available to the employees. So that they can go through it before applying for a leave. A PTO tracking software lets you upload and send the leave policy on the platform; Besides, all the information will be saved in the cloud storage, and employees can access it whenever they want.

    Better integration with the payroll module

    What makes the attendance and leave of the employees a major responsibility of HR is the fact that the payroll of the staff will be greatly affected by the leave tracking data. As every organization wants to make sure that there is no inconsistency in the payroll, the best way is to integrate the Day off app into the payroll system. As a result, there will be a proper data integration between them, and you don’t have to evaluate anything manually.

    Being empathetic towards your staff

    It is important for employers to understand that sometimes an employee may ask for additional leaves due to any genuine circumstance. Rejecting the leave requests in such a situation can negatively affect the morale of the employees. So, what is the trick? Well, you need to develop the right balance between the interests of the organization as well as the employees.

    HR managers should set a realistic return.

    As per the experts, HR managers should always focus on having a realistic return to job expectations. What does that mean? If an employee is taking a week off from his work due to any complicated medical condition, setting up a comfortable or welcoming return environment to work can motivate them, and this will boost their morale.

    Provide the employees holiday pay when you need them to work

    During the holiday season, the companies deal with two major things, i.e., work becomes very hectic, and it decreases in terms of volume. Well, if your sales are growing during the holidays, then you should offer holiday pay to attract more employees to work during that time. In fact, such incentives will be good for the employees who are looking for different ways to make extra money. Besides, this will motivate the employees not to take more leaves.

    Use the best Employee time off tracker and manage the employees’ leave tracking to keep your business running smoothly. A Free vacation tracker can come with advanced reporting functions. You can use those reports to make an informed business decision. For example, it can assist you in addressing absenteeism issues. Besides, you can study leave-related trends. So, use the best tools, such as Day Off, and enjoy the easiest way of leave management.

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  • Legal requirements for PTO and Leave in Canada

    Legal requirements for PTO and Leave in Canada

    Canada has been a favorite among many when it comes to tourism and jobs. Undoubtedly, there are many who are thoroughly accomplished about their jobs in Canada. Still, anyone doing a job is obvious to enquire about the PTO and leave. Most importantly, alongside the day off, people enquire about how many paid leaves or days off are allowed for the person.

    From a professional perspective, Canada is indeed a great nation. But, it is true at the same time that Canada comes within the list of nations offering a fewer number of paid vacations in a year. In this context, role of professional Vacation Tracking Software seems relevant to keep track of the leaves for the HR professionals. However, there are many aspects that one must know before working in Canada. The following abstracts throw more light on it.

    When someone becomes eligible for paid vacations

    According to the law, employees working in Canada can enjoy paid vacations of a couple of weeks in one year. However, this is not everything you can get here. Noteworthy here is to mention that this vacation can only be used by an employee post completion of one year in the company. Now, amidst a whole range of work pressure, both the HRs and also the employee need to remember the day or date on which his/her first year completes. For all such busy people, taking the help of a professional Leave tracker seems a great idea.

    Special perks for the loyal employees

    Just like every other nation, Canada also provides special perks to those who decide to stay loyal to their employer for long years. Now many would ask how long is long enough to get the perks?

    The answer is six years; those who stick to the job for above six years can enjoy the advantage of an extra week of paid leave, along with a couple of weeks already given paid leaves. It means one needs to remain mindful about when the six years of employment are complete. In this context, the role of a professional vacation tracker seems useful for the HR professionals to count the total number of leaves already taken and about the remaining ones.

    Minimum legal requirements regarding day-offs and vacations in Canada

    It is important for the employees to have an idea about the minimum legal needs in Canada for taking leaves. An employee becomes eligible for accumulating vacation entitlement even just after serving five days for the company or the employer. Furthermore, the employees become eligible from a legal perspective to enjoy the vacation of 10 days of working each year as far as B.C. is concerned.

    Post completion of employment for five years, the employees become eligible for enjoying 15 days vacation in the B.C. There is an option for an employer to acknowledge more number of vacations, but the employer can’t force for anything less, as per the law. Upon being agreed, the commitment of such become compulsory and is enforceable, again as per the law. Being an employer in the B.C, it is essential to make sure that employees are taking the least number of vacations each year.   

    Significance of perfectly defining key terms 

    Most people who have spent few years working for reckoned Canadian companies or employers claim that working here is moreover like being in a relationship. In straight words, those who manage to maintain a good relationship with the company or employer can enjoy significant benefits as per the laws.

    At the same time, the rules regarding vacation and leaves seem a bit confusing with growing years. The reason behind this confusion is because most people don’t understand the legal or official terminologies well. ‘Year of employment’ is one such crucial term that one needs to understand is very specific.

    Basically, it indicates the period starting on the day on which an employee gets roped in and the ending 12 straight months from the same. This also may be one calendar year, as well as the period of straight 12 straight months as it is decided by the employer as per the norms in relation to the industrial establishments. No matter how advanced PTO tracking software someone uses, clarity can never be obtained unless one gets clarity about these terms.

    Importance of employment year

    Coming to the importance of this period or the ‘year of employment, it matters as one becomes eligible for the vacation only post completion of one year. Noteworthy here is that one must take the period associated with it into account, rather than just the number of years. Most importantly, the employee needs to have served 12 straight months without having any break. Things get different when one doesn’t attain or takes a break of a month or more.

    This is given so much prominence as the vacation pay is calculated in accordance with the wage one had in between the initial 12 months duration. This is where the role of a professional employee leave tracker app seems significant. In general, this is calculated as 4% of the total earnings in the year of entitlement.

    Moreover, this is also applicable for those employees who become eligible for the paid leave of a couple of years. In other words, this is applicable for those who completed their first year only recently. However, things differ in accordance with the entitlement. For example, in those occasions of 3 weeks of entitlement, the payout of vacation, in general, is 6 percent that of the total earning or what the concerned person earns.

    Things to consider when someone resigns but doesn’t get the scope of using the days of vacation

    It is often claimed that the job of HR professionals has become way lot easier in modern times, especially after completion of one year. Such claims are basically made keeping the employee time off tracker available in modern times. Well, things are certainly not as straightforward as it seems. There remain additional angles or dimensions to consider.

    For example, an HR professional has to consider things like what if someone resigns. In other words, HR needs to consider if the employee doesn’t even get the scope of using the vacation days. Well, from the perspective of an employee, it is obvious if someone gets worried about losing the vacation days upon changing the job. However, there is absolutely no need for such worries.

    According to the law, it is essential for an employer to pay the vacation amounts he owes for whatever number of years of employment the concerned employee has served.  Additionally, the concerned employee also becomes eligible to be paid the vacation pay amounts for the part of ongoing year completed. Yes, HR professionals can certainly find the role of time off app highly significant on such occasions.           

    Various confusions arise regarding the status of employment as well on such occasions. Well, the simplest rule is that when the leave remains integral to the pay, no change in status of employment occurs. In other words, here, the benefits remain associated very much like the employee was part of the organization. It’s the employee who gets earning of the vacation payouts, as well as the duration during the period of leave. For meticulous calculation, HR professionals often take the help of a free vacation tracker for greater convenience.

    Is there any kind of impact of the absence leave upon yearly vacation eligibility?

    It is often enquired whether the absence leaves actually have any sort of effect upon the entitlements of the yearly vacations. This is a critical aspect where one needs to keep the legal aspects in mind as well, along with the details obtained through a time off tracking software. Anyway, the HR professionals first of all need to check whether the payment for the leave or for the absence was paid.

    The answer can be anything. In case when ‘yes’ is the answer, it is quite sure that there won’t be any kind of change to the status of employment. In other words, the concerned employee can enjoy the whole range of benefits that he/she would have enjoyed while being at work. To be specific, the employee will enjoy the vacation payouts, as well as the time through the course of leave period.

    However, if the answer is no, or when the absence is not paid, the seniority of the concerned employee keeps on accumulating. Most importantly, there is not going to be any effect upon the date on that the concerned employee will manage to be eligible to enjoy a boost in wages to around 6 percent. In addition, there remains a vacation of three weeks as well. But, noteworthy here is that the concerned person hasn’t earned any kind of amount for the duration of the absence.

    Keeping this in mind, the payout is going to be calculated explicitly upon the wages gathered during the employment year. However, the vacation time on such occasions doesn’t build up during the time of leave when it is not paid. Rather, it is allowed to be paid proportionally in accordance with the period served during the employment year. Moreover, it’s the duty of the concerned HR management to take all these things into account.  

    Vacation Pay

    Vacation pay is an important aspect for both the employers, as well as employees. To be specific, HR managers often have to remain more careful regarding this. According to the law, paid offs are provided to the salaried employees with complete salary continuation. Noteworthy here is that the salary continuation means that the regular salary remains undisturbed when the employee remains on vacation. Talking about the employees working on a per hour basis can accumulate vacation payout at 4 percent on overall earning. Interestingly, the same grow to 6 percent of overall earning post completion of 5 years.

    Concerns of vacation pay for the employer

    There remain certain aspects those need to be taken into account by the employer as well. To be specific, the employer has the option to select the option of paying employees working on a per-hour basis 4 percent on overall earning on every paycheque. Otherwise, there remains the other option to accumulate 4 percent for them and pay the same out to the employee when they request for the same, which is basically when they go for their vacation period.

    Any kind of accumulated, yet not used, vacations for both the salaried employees and those working on a per-hour basis are essential to be paid when an employee leaves the company, irrespective of the reason. An employee might not be given vacation against the time offs, though, as per the statutory norms.   

    Taking vacation actually matters

    It’s a perception among many employees that not taking a vacation is cool. Basically, they have the perception that the employers feel impressed about the employee on such occasions. Well, this might not be true on all occasions. Overall, it’s true that people need some break from work. The vacation of some days is felt absolutely essential to remain equally enthused about the work or to remain productive all throughout the year. Health experts often rather recommend the same.

    But, not all workplaces are the same. There are strict workplaces where one might be felt like it is not possible to take a break; otherwise, the work will get hampered. Well, bigger challenges often demand smarter solutions. On such occasions, the problems could be addressed with smart organization skills.

    At the same time, taking the help of vacation tracker software can be equally handy as well on such occasions. There are various options one can find as well. However, not all these can be equally reliable. Day off can be a good recommendation in this context for HR professionals looking for something best.

    Conclusion

    While the legal framework governing days off, leave entitlements, and Paid Time Off (PTO) in Canada is relatively straightforward on the surface, it encompasses several nuanced dimensions that both employers and employees must understand. As discussed throughout the sections above, these aspects can vary depending on factors such as employment type, provincial legislation, industry-specific requirements, and company policies. Therefore, it is not only important, but necessary for both parties to stay informed and up to date with the relevant laws and regulations. Adhering to these guidelines ensures legal compliance, fosters a fair and transparent workplace culture, and helps to prevent misunderstandings or disputes. A proactive approach to understanding and applying these norms ultimately benefits the organization and its people, supporting a healthier, more productive work environment.

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  • Preventing 5 Common Employees Vacation Tracking Problems!

    Preventing 5 Common Employees Vacation Tracking Problems!

    When the temperature rises, the vacation conflicts, or vacation loads heat up at the workplace. For HR management, the summer season can be the annual bickering period over prime holiday time slots. This is because too many employees opt for leave at the same time, which generally creates havoc and employees vacation tracking problems.

    Multiple time-off requests and scheduling the leaves can be a massive headache for all HR managers. Even though it may not be a challenging part of the job as you can manage these using PTO tracking software, but this is certainly close to the top of the list. Employees have the right to take leave as they need a break. And for a business, it is important to keep everyone happy without affecting the business task. Well, this can be a herculean task.

    Here one important question arises, that is, how to manage multiple vacation requests fairly when all the employees want their annual leave? What if you want them not to take their vacation during Christmas? And what is the best way to keep a good track of the vacation requests?

    Suppose you want to have a good grip on managing employees’ vacations; you probably must be thinking over multiple questions in your mind. Well, there is nothing to worry about as now you can take the help of advanced technologies to manage such things. For example, a well-designed Time off tracking software. But don’t consider this as the only solution. There are some other factors that you need to keep in mind.

    Keep reading, and you will find different solutions to manage the employee’s vacation and avoid possible conflicts.

    Do employers have to offer paid time off?

    Well, there are no such federal laws that can say employers have to provide paid time off to the employees. But that doesn’t mean that the HR managers should take advantage of it. Remember that each state has its own PTO or employee’s vacation requirements that will determine whether the employers are bound to have a paid-off time or vacation policy or not. So, to prevent any issues in the future, it is important for the HR management of a company to understand the guidelines.

    Even though it is not legally necessary, having a paid leave or vacation policy in place can be a good idea. Offering your staff, the flexibility to take off from work can greatly improve the overall workforce. For instance, offering vacation pay can help you attract as well as retain the best talents. Besides, by offering sick leave, you can keep your workplace healthy.

    But it has been seen that sometimes employees take advantage of it and remain away from work for multiple days. Such things can affect the business’s overall performance. So, the employers should properly track the vacation requests using an Employee time off tracker and take the necessary steps.

    Challenges in vacation or leave management

    Employee engagement, as well as satisfaction, will play a crucial role in ascertaining the success of a company. Out of multiple factors that enhance employee engagement, the comfortable process of applying for leave and getting approval can bring significant results.

    Without proper leave management, a company can be exposed to multiple adverse effects, for example, wrong time calculation, employee mismanagement, and more. But why do such issues arise in this process? Well, here are some reasons to consider.

    Knowingly not tracking the leaves or vacations

    It has been seen that many HR managers knowingly decline to track some leave categories. This generally happens from a desire to be accommodating or benevolent. Sometimes, they find themselves in a difficult situation. After all, no one wants to lose the best employees. For instance, they don’t track:

    • Adoption related leaves
    • Pregnancy-related vacations
    • Intermittent leaves
    • Pre-surgery appointments

    As per the experts, by not tracking such leaves, the employees could get marked for an attendance issue. But actually, it is the fault of the employer. So, it is advisable to use a professional leave tracker, such as Day off, and track every type of leave that your employees take.

    Employees were not informed about the leave balance and leave policy.

    It is a fact that the HR management of a company can receive hundreds of queries every week about the leave balance. However, this can consume a lot of time, and HR may not be able to focus on the core tasks.

    Furthermore, employees have to wait for days to know the leave balance and to get access to their attendance details. Not getting timely updates on the latest vacation policy and other compliance problems can create a sense of dissatisfaction among the employees. So, how to deal with such issues? One of the easiest ways to do that is using a professional Vacation tracking software. Such tools can automate everything related to the leave policy. For example, the app can send updates about the leaves to the employees. Besides, they can apply for their vacation and track it.

    Line managers are not able to manage the staff leaves.

    Some companies have reported that their line managers generally face difficulties in the process of managing their team members’ leaves. They were not able to:

    • Make an informed decision on whether to accept or reject the leave requests.
    • Get an insight into the team members’ availability in that particular time period.
    • Detect the employees’ leave requests pattern to understand whether the employees are taking advantage of the leave policy or not.

    Is there any solution for this? How can the line managers make an informed decision? Well, a PTO tracker like Day off can be a helpful tool here. It offers a single platform from where you can get all the data about employees’ leave.

    Payroll errors due to multiple undocumented leave transactions

    As per the experts, paid time off can greatly affect the bottom line of a company. Some companies deal with inefficiency to manage the employee’s vacation transactions for every department. LWP- Leave Without Pay can lead to errors in the payroll if you are not tracking it properly. During a study, the expert found that some HR managers were unable to manage the transactional vacation load and lower the manual errors in deciding paid leaves and LWP taken by the staff. That led to a heavy financial burden in attendance, expense, and leave-related transactions.

    HR managers don’t know the time.

    Another situation when the employee vacation tracking can be very problematic is when the HR or employer doesn’t know about the staff’s need for leave until it turns into a huge problem.

    For instance, let’s look at a company (hypothetical) that has its employees in different locations. Samson, who is remote working, is repeatedly absent for backpain. Besides, he has surgery in October and another one in December. The manager then comes to HR and complains about the regular absence and suggests the HR to fire Samson. Well, for this, they will have to start the leaver process again. However, this can be a problematic situation on a different level. This is generally a problem for managers and training supervisors.

    How to deal with the problems related to employees’ vacation tracking?

    Keeping track of the employee on leave

    Vacations are important for the staff, and sometimes you can’t even refuse the leave request of an employee. Without proper leave management, it can be very difficult for the managers or HR to cope with the leave request. On the other hand, no one can track the leave for days manually. Besides, if the manpower is more, it can create confusion. In such cases, no matter how big the HR team is, the company should invest in a good employee leave tracker app. Such tools are designed to improve accuracy, and you can easily track all your employees’ holidays without any error.

    Properly define the rules of the vacation or leave requests.

    Clarity and transparency of the leave management process are crucial while dealing with multiple vacation requests. In fact, everyone, starting from management to employees, should understand the rules created to govern the leave requests.

    By keeping the leave process clear and ensuring everyone understands it will help you run your business smoothly. Furthermore, by creating rules for leave requests, you show that you respect the employees. In general, the rules for leave requests should cover:

    • How do leave requests need to be submitted?
    • When can one request a leave?
    • When can’t staff request time off?
    • How far in advance should a leave request be made?
    • Set a deadline for leave requests

    It is a fact that every industry has various high-intensity seasons where too much vacations can bring havoc for the business. For example, in a retail business, the requirement for manpower will increase during the winter holidays.

    So, for those times, the company sets a deadline when the employees can send the leave requests. Besides, you can also set a particular time frame for the request. This will prevent employees from making leave requests. But what to do when there are a lot of time off requests? First of all, you need to use a Free vacation tracker to know how many requests you have received. After that, you can apply two commonly used methods to manage the request. These are:

    Seniority- This can be the perfect method where there are multiple leave requests that, for different reasons, are conflicting as well as valid. It can discourage new staff as they will not get optimal leave requests because they have not been in the company for long enough. So, you should be flexible in this.

    First-come-first-serve- Under this method, the employee who submits the request first will be granted the leave. That’s why you inform the staff about the deadline. You need to be a little flexible about this. Or else some employees may not be able to get leave as they failed to send their leave requests on time.

    Track the previous leave requests

    You should always keep track of the leave requests of your employees. Besides, you should know about when they make the time-off request, the reason, and the actual leave. Well, this may take time; by tracking the requests, you can identify the patterns. Furthermore, you will also have a better reason to reject the request of the employees who are asking for leave too often, showing the same reasons.

    Based on how you are tracking the leave requests, you can even see if there are any staff who actually need time off. Perhaps, they really deserve a leave for a genuine reason. This is where you can use a Free time off tracker. The software can store all the employees’ leave requests on one platform and can show you the report whenever you want.

    You should pay attention to the employees not taking leaves.

    Some employees think that vacation is not a good thing and a good employee doesn’t take time off. Well, in such a situation, the managers should take time to discuss about the importance of leave, even if it is a few days off to relax. For many, time off is one type of loss. But as a leader or employer, you need to be observant of such conditions. If you think some employees are not taking time off, you should discuss about this with them. Tell them about the importance of taking a vacation and also try to know why they are not taking a leave.

    Use an automated system for regulatory compliance.

    Accurate vacation tracking is also crucial to meet multiple regulatory requirements. This is quite important for the companies that follow the Fair Labor Standards Act. Well, any tracking solution, like the Day off app, can make it easy to comply with the internal policies as well as the government regulations.

    Some of the common causes of non-compliance are due to inadequate and inaccurate record keeping.  When you use an automated leave management system to track attendance and time, you can prevent errors. Besides, this will also help you in preventing costly litigation.

    Being able to properly check as well as track attendance data in a centralized system offers great value to your company. Employees will be able to review the hours worked and can also check their remaining sick leave. These features will contribute to the staff members who readily adopt the attendance software.

    On the other hand, employees will appreciate your efforts in making the leave request process easier for them, and they don’t have to contact HR to know about the leave policy.

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  • How to manage sick leave abuse in your company?

    How to manage sick leave abuse in your company?

    It has been seen that a lot of companies across the world are now using PTO tracking software to manage the leaves of their employees. Do you know what the major reasons behind this are? Well, as per the experts, sick leave abuse can be a measure reason behind this. However, this can bring huge negative effects to the company and can also affect all the employees’ performance.

    It is a fact that unlike annual leave, sick leave can’t be planned. In some cases, the percentage of employees having vacation days can remain the same, but employees with paid leave can jump. When compared to the number, you will find that the prevalence of sick leave can lower productivity. So, most companies are now looking for different ways to deal with such issues in the most cost-efficient way. For this, some are using the best Time off app like Day off.

    Well-paid sick leaves are a crucial benefit for the employees, including the service workers, part-timers, and more. If the employees don’t get the required sick leave, that can lead to different health issues. Besides, this can also lower productivity as well as morale. Even though companies are trying different ways to improve their performance, for some companies, sick leave abuse has emerged as a major issue. If not managed properly, the companies can suffer from huge losses.

    This is really bad news

    It can be said that sick leave abuse has become an important subject for every company’s HR management. In fact, it a crucial part of all the companies as it demonstrates that the management of the company is compliant about the sick leave abuse policies as well harm. Different studies conducted by various organizations have proved that sick leave abuse can make a company to face around USD 500 and USD 1,000 loss per employee per year. So, the companies should take necessary steps, including using the employee time off tracking software app to manage the sick leaves abuse.

    What do you mean by sick leave abuse?

    Speaking about sick leave abuse refers to the employees or staff who violate the company’s attendance policy. In some cases, exploitation of the company’s sick leave policy can range from the employees are not calling or no available for their respective shifts. Besides, it can also include exhausting the available paid sick leave and then requesting more leaves.

    All the employees have a right to render service during their working hours. They are allowed to take leave when they are ill. However, it has been seen that sometimes employees lie about it and claim to be ill to take the leave. Well, this is a breach of contract, and management can take necessary disciplinary action as per the rule. If required, management can also investigate the matter.

    However, this is not a permanent solution, and the HR managers should come up with a solution, like using a Leave tracker and more to manage the abuse.

    The pattern of sick leave abuse

    The pattern of sick leave abuse leave abuse generally refers to employees who have violated the attendance policy of the company on multiple occasions over a period of time. To discipline the employees with the issues related to attendance, some legal experts have said that the best way to deal with this is to have a well-formulated leave policy that clearly speaks about the company’s standards a well as employees’ requirements.  

    On the other hand, the companies should use a well-developed and professional PTO tracker to keep an eye on the employee’s leave pattern. Besides, it is also important to make sure that repeated sick leave can lead to termination. Some of the examples of violation of the attendance policy may include:

    • Several absences, times coming in late, and early departure counts, all of which exceed the required attendance policy allotment.
    • Failing to obtain a permit from the management for coming in late and leaving early.
    • Failing to submit an advance notice of the employee absence.
    • Inappropriate way of reporting an absence properly.
    • Unbale to submit a medical certification when asked by the HR management.

    It is important to understand why employees are exploiting the company’s leave policy is crucial. Just like the employers study the turnover, the companies should keep an eye on the trends of sick leave abuse.

    Is the leave usage higher under a certain manager or in one department? If the workplace policies or practices are affecting the employees’ absences rate? Do family matters lead to the employee’s time-off?  What can be the issues with this?  Well, let’s discuss this?

    Some major causes of employees’ absenteeism in the workplace

    It is a fact that there is not just one reason behind this. If you study carefully, you will find a lot of reasons. Some of the major reasons are:

    Burnout, stress, and depression

    Different mental health issues, like anxiety, depression, stress, and more, can make the employees to take leave. Relationship issues, financial issues, and heavy work pressure are some major reasons for depression, stress, and burnout. When this happens, the employee may take more leave than the allotted paid leave limit.

    Bullying and harassment

    While many states and cities are taking necessary steps to prevent such issues, still many employees are dealing with such issues. Some laws require companies with more than 15 employees to conduct a one-hour anti-harassment training session. When the employees are harassed and bullied by their employers or co-workers, they are likely to take a sick day.

    Childcare and family obligations

    Sometimes, some employers may want to take an unplanned leave from work to look after their elder family member or a dependent family member. Well, sometimes, an employee can tell a lie and ask for sick leave stating this reason. So, it would help if you were very careful about this.

    Lack of engagement in the workplace

    Disengaged staff is those who are not 100 percent committed to their job, company, or colleagues. Such employees are more likely to miss work because they aren’t motivated to go in.

    So, the reason can be more, but you should try your best to control the unwanted absenteeism and sick leave abuse. For that, you can always use a Free time off tracker and deploy necessary rules. Now, let’s discuss how to manage the sick leaves abuse.

    Discouraging the staff from doing sick leave abuse at the company’s policy level

    Within your employee handbook, ensure that the HR management has deployed a robust sick leave policy. You need to be very specific about how to handle sick leave also what you need from employees. Besides, it is important to regularly remind the employees about the policy in different ways. For this, you can use a Time off app like Day Off.  Besides, you need to prove that the HR department is strictly monitoring sickness absenteeism and discouraging misuse of sick leave.

    Create a sick leave policy based on the company’s requirements

    It is important to discipline all employees with absenteeism problems. Many HR experts have stated that the best way to make it possible that by rolling out a lucid sick leave policy, considering the employee requirements and standards of the company. The policy should mention that if anyone misuses or doesn’t follow the policy can face termination. 

    For example, if the employees want to take sick leave on Monday or Friday or on a working day after or before a public holiday, then you can ask the employees to submit a valid medical certificate. However, the leave policy should be a little flexible.

    Monitor the sick leave carefully

    Ask your employees to properly fill up the sick leave form or application when they are taking a leave. In the future, this will help you to understand whether the employee is following a sick leave pattern. Well, you can now automate the entire process by using a professional Employee time off tracker. The software can record the leaves and create a detailed report on them. It can also help you in getting enough evidence to carry out an investigation on the employee.

    Sometimes communication can be a great solution

    The HR Managers should be proactive when an employee is off sick to deal with abuse situations. It is the duty of the manager to have regular contact with the employee while that particular employee is off sick. This will prove that the company is very attentive when it comes to observing the sickness absence.

    On the other hand, when an employee has been absent, it is important to talk to that employee when he/she back to work. For the employees having genuine reasons to take the leave, this will be an ideal way to check in on how they are doing, and you can show your support for them. If the employee comes to work after a longer period of absence, then you can conduct a return-to-work interview to make sure that the employee is good. Sometimes, instead of using a strict policy, it will be better for you to understand the reasons behind taking sick leaves frequently.

    Instead of punishment, focus on problem-solving

    In some cases, there can be some underlying reasons for employees’ frequent absences. For instance:

    • Does the employee have a workload? Are they heavily micromanaged?
    • Perhaps the role is unclear, so the employees are not feeling motivated.
    • Is workplace harassment or bullying a potential issue?

    So, try to understand that and make sure the employees are not suffering from any stress-related issues.

    Insist on a medical certificate

    Another thing that you can do to control sick leave abuse is to ask for a valid medical certificate from the employee if he/she is absent for more days. Besides, make sure that all the employees know about the aforesaid policy. The medical certificate needs to be obtained from only the registered doctors.

    You should only accept medical certificates that clearly say that the employee has the said health issues and he/she has been examined by a professional health expert. In case the employees fail to submit a valid medical certificate when asked, you should consider this as a disciplinary issue. Based on that, you can take the necessary steps.

    Use a leave management software

    You can also use a Free vacation tracker to understand the leave patterns of your employees. The application will record the data and show you the pattern of taking the leave of a particular employee. This will help you in understanding whether the employee is right about the leave or not. Besides, using the software, the employees can apply for sick leave in advance and can check the remaining sick leave balance. Based on the requirements, you can accept or reject the leave request.

    Measure the absences and investigate MCs

    If you think the employee who frequently remains absent is abusing leave, then you should approach the situation carefully as well as rationally. Before doing any investigation, you need to keep the fact ready. Besides, you need to record the absence regularly, and for that, you can use the Vacation tracker. Recording the absence is crucial for compliance and will help you in understanding where the misuse of sick leave can be made. 

    Some employees can submit a fake medical certificate to take a leave. You need to be very careful about that. How to deal with the fake medical certificate issue? You can contact the doctor who has issued the MC to verify whether it is a genuine certificate or not.

    Bonus can motivate the employees

    The end of the year is the time when most businesses plan their costs. Well, if you forgot to do this for the current year, then you may need to keep that in mind for the next year. It has been proved that a good bonus program for full attendance can keep the employees motivated, and they may not want to take more leave. Besides, it is better to show appreciation to those employees who are performing well.

    So, follow these tips and always use a good Day off app to control the sick leaves in your organization.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    What is sick leave abuse?

    Sick leave abuse occurs when employees misuse their paid sick leave, such as taking time off without being ill, failing to notify the employer properly, or submitting false medical documentation.

    How does sick leave abuse affect a company?

    It can reduce productivity, lower team morale, and cost the company financially, sometimes up to $1,000 per employee per year.

    How can companies prevent sick leave abuse?

    By creating clear sick leave policies, using leave management software, requiring medical certificates, and maintaining open communication with employees.

    What tools help manage employee time off effectively?

    Apps like Day Off help track leave, generate reports, and automate approvals. They also integrate with Slack, Teams, and calendars for seamless management.

    Can employees request time off through communication tools like Slack or Teams?

    Yes! With tools like Day Off, employees can request time off, check balances, and managers can approve or reject requests directly from Slack or Microsoft Teams.

    Why is it important to track sick leave patterns?

    Tracking helps identify trends or potential abuse, enabling HR to take proactive steps to support or address issues before they escalate.

    Should companies reward good attendance?

    Yes. Offering bonuses or recognition for consistent attendance can motivate employees and reduce misuse of sick leave.

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  • Legal Requirements For Working hours, PTO and Leaves in USA

    Legal Requirements For Working hours, PTO and Leaves in USA

    Starting from the number of working hours to the number of wages, it regulates everything, other than the paid leaves. It is here to note that it’s not mandatory for employers to provide paid vacations in the United States to their employees. The federal law is quite simple as far as the total number of days that the employers need to offer for vacation, be it about paid vacations or unpaid. It’s all about the Fair Labor Standards Act, which has been there since 1938 and is regulating it all.

    State regulations and company norms

    As the US law doesn’t make anything compulsory is not essentially meant that there wouldn’t be any time off for the working hours. Though the federal law is negligent, the state law certainly provides scope in order to have negotiation between the employer as well as the employee. In this context, those taking the help of a leave tracker should first check out the state laws.

    Noteworthy here is that every state has its own laws as well as limitations. As per these laws, it provides certain perks for the employees, though it may not acknowledge certain policies. Upon having clarity regarding these policies and guidelines, one can easily get clarity about things.   

    Apart from these, it’s the size of the company or its employee strength that also matters in terms of company policy. It’s this distinction that plays a major role in deciding about the kind of benefits that would be essential to be offered at the workplace.  

    Actual Vacation days

    Paid vacation is considered the foremost advantage that any company can provide. Moreover, the companies take a lot of pride while providing this advantage. This is also the reason that vacation tracker is highly demanded. Though not needed by federal law, the employers, in general, offer a minimum of 10 days as paid vacation, hence keeping the employees accomplished.   

    Sick days

    Though vacation leaves often get maximum attention, thus making demand for free vacation tracker, but there is another important leave that is the sick leave that must be given equal level emphasis. However, sick leave is explicitly meant for the health aspects of the employees. It can be equally applicable as well when any family member of the employee gets sick, though it is primarily given when the child or the spouse of the employee gets sick. In general, the employers provide 6 days of leave to the employee, though 9 days of leave can be provided as well.   

    Personal Days

    Norms about personal days are as important as all other aspects discussed above. As per this, the employees are given the freedom to make use of their time offs in any mode as they wish for the tasks they think are important. There are no strict restrictions regarding this; it can be anything, like a relative getting sick, for any kind of parent meeting, for healthcare appointments, funerals, or if the employee celebrates a national holiday.  

    PTO in terms of merit

    Incredible clarity can indeed be obtained by using PTO tracking software. However, it is more important to have clarity regarding the policies. It is important for employers to understand that the PTO policy can not treat every single employee with an all-inclusive norm. Rather, here meritocracy should be taken into account.

    In other words, there need to be different policies applied for different employees in accordance with the duration of the service and level of accomplishment. All that needs to be ensured is that the causes for taking a vacation are not the outcome of discrimination. Upon meeting well with the norms, the companies have the freedom of offering perks of vacations in such a way that it can meet well with their strategy.

    Moreover, upon meeting the federal laws plus state laws, it’s ultimately about making a deal between the employee and the concerned company. As different employers do provide different PTO in accordance with the nature of the job (whether part or full time), there is no firm rule that can be taken as a constant. This is where the role of an effective PTO tracker is highly felt.     

    PTO accruals

    As far as the federal level is concerned, there is no law that demands employers to offer any kind of vacation. There is no rule regarding time off as well. But, the rules regarding PTOs often do vary from one state to the other. At the same time, states don’t especially demand employers to offer paid vacations to their employees,

    though there are some that handle PTO accruals. Hence, the employers need to meet well with the state regulations prior to fixing their norms regarding PTOs. 

    PTO is, moreover, any kind of paid leave from the working hours that has been earned by the employee but has not been used so far. In case of PTO, the combination of vacation, personal leaves, sick leaves, etc., are considered to offer greater flexibility for the employees to use their time other than the work.  

    In accordance with the policy of the employer, the PTOs can differ. But, in general, it offers employees a break that can be useful for different purposes, like sick leave, personal holidays, paid holidays, pregnancy leave, etc.

    Eligible employees

    Employers often emphasize a lot towards managing leaves of their employees and thus make use of employee leave tracker app. In this context, the employers those work for 40 working hours in a week and the employees who work below 40 working hours in a week but not under 20 working hours can earn the eligibility of PTO working hours. Similarly, the employers those work for less than 20 working hours a week consistently, those who work on-call basis, and the temporary employers don’t fall under this category.

    Calculation of Accrual Rates

    Accruals are about paid hours of around 2,080 working hours in a year, which is about 40 weeks every week. Noteworthy here is that the overtimes don’t fall under this. Fresh employees initiate with PTO accrual advantages on initial day of the job. Also, the accrued time rates do differ in accordance with the job type of the employee or the years they have served.   

    The accrual rates often differ in accordance with the employees do earn, i.e., whether on a daily basis, monthly basis, bi-monthly basis, or annually.  Well, one may not necessarily have to remember all these things upon having an Employee time off tracker.

    The account of PTO working hours for every employee has an annual high and any PTO hours can’t be accrued going beyond the highest accruals noted. States those are having compulsory laws for paid sick offs can decide about the way employers calculating accruals.

    Overall annual time off

    In accordance with the duration of service of the employee, the duration can be about 26 days for PTO plans. It also differs in terms of states. For example, the duration of northwestern states is 11 days, which is 8,5 for south states and 9,4 days in case of western states.

    Use of PTO

    Those using Time off app or any kind of PTO tracking app need to remain aware of the rules regarding the use of PTO. The first rule in this regard is that the vacation leaves must be scheduled much prior. However, an employee can make use of the personal and sick off without any kind of prior notice. One can use PTO in increments of even one hour. An employee is essential to make use of PTO hours as per his/her scheduled workdays. An employer may need that the employees make use of accrued PTO hours upon taking parental leave for getting paid. 

    Rollovers as well as payout for hours not used

    It’s up to the employer to decide whether to offer rollover advantages to the employees in accordance with the norms of the state, as well as the rules of PTO payouts.

    Use-it-or-lose-it policy

    When the regulations of the state let employers execute policies, then the unused accrued PTO days won’t be rolled over. In those occasions when the law of the state doesn’t let the employer execute policies, then employer is essential to roll over accrued PTOs from the earlier to forthcoming year.

    But, an employer has the option to keep a cap upon both the total hours meant for rolling over, as well as the total hours accepted to be within the account of the employee. However, the states like Montana, Nebraska, and California don’t have this policy. Similarly, the states like Massachusetts and Illinois have exceptions in this regard, though they allow the same. Every other state allows this.

    PTO payout

    Certain states come up with payout laws for PTO, though on most occasions, the law is applicable only for the vacation time that is earned. For example, the states like California and Nebraska demand PTO payout. Similarly, the states like Oregon, Wisconsin, and Maryland require the same, though with exceptions. It is not essential for the employers to offer PTO payout in the end for other states.

    It can be easier to assess things upon taking the above aspects into account and upon making use of free time off tracker.

    Laws for new parents

    There are basically a couple of federal laws that provide protection for new parents. It is quite essential for anyone associated with HR management to remain aware of these laws. Below are those two laws. 

    The Pregnancy Discrimination Act

    This law restricts the employers from firing, declining to hire, or declining promotion to a woman, simply as the concerned woman is pregnant. However, it doesn’t offer any kind of job assurance to any pregnant woman, as well as the new parents.   

    The Family and Medical Leave Act

    This is another vital act that HR managers must remain aware of. It offers unpaid leaves post a child takes birth or on those occasions when the state of the child’s health is critical.  

    There are other states to offer bigger job protection to the parents for taking care of the newly born babies over the one offered by the FMLA, which is of 12 weeks. The prominent states those consider this include California, New Jersey, Tennessee, etc. At the same time, there are states to adopt their own laws regarding parental leaves, which include the names like Hawaii, Rhode Island, Washington, New Mexico, etc. Knowledge of these rules, along with a comprehensive day off app, can provide incredible clarity on these aspects.

    It is important to have clarity about the kind of leaves that fall under parental leaves. The first thing that falls under this is the family leave. Specifically, this kind of leave is meant for taking care of an ill family member, which also includes the one suffering from disabilities related to pregnancy or those related to childbirth. This is also applicable for the new parents in order to provide biological support for the child. It also includes family leaves of paid form and medical leaves.       

    Maternity Leave

    Maternity leave certainly needs no introduction. Basically, this is the most vital time in the life of a woman when she has to take off for giving birth to a child. Noteworthy here is that this rule is applicable for those who adopt a child as well. In fact, medical as well as parental leave also does fall under this.

    In accordance with the state law, varied types of benefits can be grated in relation to the given time regarding leaves that are allowed; job saved time and needs from different employees those fall under this. Employers might demand that the employees make use of the PTO time to ensure that she gets paid when she remains on leave.

    Apart from these paternity leaves, leaves in relation to jury duty, bereavement leave, voting leave, as well as military leave. So, these are the key legal aspects that one must know about a day off, PTOs, etc. It may not be easy to keep all these things in mind and keep track of the day-offs. In this context, downloading the Day off app can be a fantastic recommendation. It’s an all-inclusive tool to keep complete track of the day-offs and vacations of the employees. The best part is that the app is incredibly user-friendly in nature.

    Conclusion

    Understanding the legal landscape around paid time off (PTO), vacation days, and employee leave policies in the U.S. is essential for both employers and employees. While federal law provides minimal mandates, state-specific regulations and company policies fill in the gaps, often leading to confusion and inconsistencies in how leave is granted, tracked, and paid out. From sick leave and maternity leave to accrual policies and PTO payouts, navigating these rules can be complex without the right tools.

    That’s where a reliable employee time off tracker like the Day Off app becomes invaluable. It simplifies leave management, ensures compliance with relevant laws, and gives both HR professionals and employees clarity and transparency over their time off. Whether you’re managing a large team or a growing startup, adopting an automated leave tracking system is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity for operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

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  • 5 Software Tools You Need to Manage Your Startup

    5 Software Tools You Need to Manage Your Startup

    Getting started with a start-up is easy, but it’s certainly tough to sustain with the same. There comes a wide range of challenges that these startups often have to confront. On such occasions, no startup can imagine functioning without having reliable tools and technologies. The startup culture in modern times is indeed much evolved with evolving scenarios of virtual workplaces and growing emphasis towards remote operations.

    Evidently, the use of right software has turned out to be the distinguishing factor for successful startups from the rest. Needless is to say that a startup enriched with high-end tools can achieve results in a much quicker time upon keeping things organized. For example, someone enriched with a professional vacation tracker is obvious to be more systematic in terms of dealing with customers, rather than those handling things manually. Naturally, they can be more productive than the others.  

    Importance of being strategic to find the best startup tools

    It’s true at the same time that there is a range of options that a startup can find in modern times regarding tools and technicalities. However, not all these can be equally trusted or relied upon. In addition, there remain budget constraints associated as well. After all, a start-up can’t just go with any of the hugely buzzed software that the top rankers often do boast. At the same time, they can’t also go with any random tool just because it is available for free.

    It can be confusing sometimes for a startup to find out the best option on such occasions. Well, being a little strategic can be helpful for the company to come up with the best options. In this context, it is advised that the approach should be about finding effective tools for the key segments of the business, like HR management, that actually matter for productivity, rather than investing in anything that could be dealt with manually.

    It can be understood that a startup might not always get enough time to think and figure out the best options. In this context, here we have come up with 5 best options that can actually make things easier for the startups in terms of easing down their functionalities for all domains, starting from HR management to communication. The best part, these tools can thoroughly align with the business goal of the concerned startup, irrespective of its scale. Streamlining the process, these tools can make things easier for the concerned startup to take the right business decision.

    Day Off Leave Tracker For Employees’ Leave and PTO Tracking

    Needless is to say how much it matters for a startup to make the most of its employees. In this context, Day Off app can be an incredible recommendation. This is one of the finest leave trackers in order to keep track of the leaves of the employees, as well as for tracking the PTOs.

    It can incredibly save the valuable time of the startup, as well as their efforts in terms of tracking the absence of the entire company in one place. In fact, one can establish the complete policy for leave as well as vacation aspects in a matter of few seconds. The tool can make things look absolutely easy to handle workflow approvals. 

    PTO tracking software has its mobile app for the managers, as well as for the employees. The app can be excellent in terms of keeping track of the vacations and requesting the same from anytime and anywhere. Through it, one can easily direct the leaves of employees to the most appropriate person.

    One can claim that it provides complete control in the hand of HR to handle its managers, as well as employees. If you are looking for reliable PTO tracking software, then also this can be your one-stop solution. Rather, it can be claimed that it’s currently the most popular PTO tracker at the moment.    

    There remains a comprehensive HR dashboard for greater control. There is a calendar view option available for the company, as well as its employees. It enables them to keep track of the vacations, as well as the time offs. Generating a comprehensive report for any period can be done quite easily through this incredible leave tracker app.

    The tool enables users to create a company account quite easily. All that one needs to provide is company details, ranging from name, mail id, location, to password. That’s all it takes to create the company account. It enables the users to add teams within the company with distinct configurations for every team. Next, one can add to every team a dedicated manager, as well as employees. All in all, this time off app can greatly ease down the work pressure from the HR department.      

    Flock

    Be it about a start-up or an established company; effective communication has been the key behind success of each. Better is the communication between the teams, or within the team, greater is the prospect of its growth. In modern-day scenarios, with growing reliance upon virtual communications, technology certainly has started playing a major role.

    This is the reason that the start-ups often remain in hunt for the most effective communication techniques that can provide them the needful ease and effectiveness. Keeping all these things in mind, Flock can undoubtedly be one of the finest recommendations. Just like the incredible employee time off tracker tool cited above, Flock too is also high on demand among modern-day start-ups.

    The best part about Flock is that it is much advanced as a tool than a mere messenger. Specifically, start-up houses looking for a powerful tool for facilitating effective team communication can indeed find it a great option. Rising above being another mere message sending tool, Flock has turned out to be a powerful concept making business collaborations happen with incredible effectiveness.

    It can facilitate things much faster than startups could imagine. It’s a completely unique tool that has changed the way start-ups would communicate with their teams. Be it about facilitating direct communication channels, through group messaging channels, through video sharing, through file sharing, upon preparing customized lists for mailing, to company directories; Flock can be the all-inclusive solution for all.    

    Flock has it all that a small business would need for facilitating effective communication, as well as collaborations. Interestingly, there is a free version available for it as well, along with a Pro edition that costs around 4.5 USD for each user per month.

    With growing dependency upon video conferencing for effective communication on all levels, Flock has turned out to be one of the finest recommendations for start-ups. It enables small businesses to host meetings, as well as webinars over the web. In fact, it enables the businessmen to initiate a video call straightaway through a conversation channel, as well as in sharing the screen through a live presentation. With Flock, it is possible to communicate along with anyone directly on-face in real-time, irrespective of the place. 

    Slack

    Slack can be another incredible tool for start-ups. In fact, it is currently one of the most popular names, at the same time being the fastest expanding software explicitly for the start-up in recent times. There are millions of users of Slack around the globe for connecting with their teams through a single platform. Interestingly, it is possible to develop several channels in order to discuss various projects or matters.

    At the same time, Slack can be a fantastic tool for those who prioritize one-to-one chats as well. A distinguishing aspect of Slack is its flexibility. The tool lets the users integrate the same along with various other popular applications like Gmail and drive. It can be integrated with Trello as well. The tool is quite user-friendly in nature that can be helpful in discovering messages as well as notifications.

    The factor that makes things explicit about Slack is the ease it provides for the users in simplifying things. In fact, a huge number of startups do make use of the software for facilitating effective communication, which includes Airbnb. Slack doesn’t just facilitate conversations; rather, it makes things thoroughly organized.

    One of the distinguishing features of the tool is the searchable history feature, which can be incredibly useful in assessing things. The tool is fantastic from a collaboration perspective as well. No matter you want to collaborate directly or through the shared screen, the software can be useful in all aspects. With well-incorporated file sharing features, it helps the start-up in maintaining thorough coordination among the team.

    Slack doesn’t disappoint users from price perspectives as well. To be specific, its standard plan starts only at $3.20 per month, which can range up to 6 dollars per month when it comes to the plus plan. However, for greater assurance of the start-ups, the software Slack comes up with a free edition as well.

    This free edition is meant for the smaller teams. In fact, the free edition can be enjoyed for an infinite period. However, one can expect greater perks through the Plus plans. Noteworthy here is that the Slack Plus plan starts at 12.50 USDs for every user per month.  On the other hand, the Standard plan starts at 6.67 USD per month. 

    Hootsuite for startup in Social Media

    Marketing is certainly an integral part of any business. Irrespective of scale, it is impossible for a business to survive without effective marketing and promotional strategy. Specifically, a lot of importance is being given to online promotions or digital marketing.

    For a start-up, it’s quite obvious for them to look for ways of promoting and marketing things for free or at lower costs. This is the reason that so much emphasis is being given to social media by start-ups. However, it’s true at the same time that the competition over social media is quite immense. One can’t just expect success with social media strategies without being strategic.

    This is the reason that marketers often emphasize using high-end tools. In this context, Hootsuite can indeed be a fantastic recommendation for startups. This is a high-end research tool that can even enable companies to know the way a user thinks about their products or services. Needless is to say, how it is valuable for any company to know the exact mindset of the customers. Where top companies spend billions for such data, there are tools like Hootsuite providing the same details at a comparatively much lesser budget.

    The interesting aspect about Hootsuite is that it is incredible in terms of managing social media account. It’s pretty much an all-in-one tool on this aspect, enabling users to handle the entire network of social media through just a single dashboard. It can make things simpler regarding scheduling as well.

    In fact, one can prepare the schedule of future posts well in advance over a range of social media platforms. Not just for scheduling, the tool is incredible in terms of tracking the contents over different platforms. The software can ease down things to a great extent regarding engagement with the followers. It can be the all-in-one tool for handling an entire team of social media.   

    There is a range of features that make the tool stand out. Automated scheduling of posts is one such fantastic feature. It comes with vital performance metrics for greater analytics of things. Its flexible workflows approval is another key feature that makes things strategic to manage things. Its custom analytics can be incredibly helpful for effective decision-making. One can export the reports as well through the tool for the entire team. 

    The good news is that there is a free edition available, though for 30 days of a free trial. However, one needs to go with the paid plans onwards. For a single user, the professional plan starts at just 17.56 USD per month, which can range up to 627.04 USD per month. Here it is available for about 5 users. Along with employee leave tracker app and video conferencing tool, this one is also one of the highly recommended tools presently among the experts for start-ups. 

    Canva (Design) is the best for startup

    Needless is to say, how crucial it has become for a startup to have an effective online presence. From this perspective, designing a catchy website enriched with incredible graphical elements has become extremely important. Startups emphasizing this aspect should definitely consider Canva. It can be a useful tool for fulfilling a whole range of graphic design demands. Be it about blog posts, social media posts, or any kind of design needs, Canva can fulfill all types of graphic design needs.

    Interestingly, Canva comes with a massive library as well having millions of photos and fonts, as well as the icons to select from. There is flexibility for the users to pick a suitable design template for creating a site from scratch. In fact, it is quite user-friendly in nature, where one can simply drag and then drop to get the job done. It can be an effective tool for all types of editing jobs as well.

    Coming to the pricing, the Pro plan starts at 9.95 USD per month, in which one can enjoy over 4 million photos. Well, just like the free time off tracker, there is a free edition available for it as well. One can use it to design just anything through this free edition.

    Conclusion

    Modern-day technology goes far beyond simply simplifying business operations, it empowers organizations by offering immediate access to critical data, streamlining decision-making, and enhancing overall efficiency. For startups in particular, leveraging the right digital tools isn’t just a convenience, it’s a strategic necessity.

    In today’s competitive environment, early-stage companies must prioritize building a solid tech foundation that supports both their short-term operations and long-term growth. Whether it’s managing team communication, handling finances, or tracking employee time off, having access to the right software solutions can mean the difference between scaling efficiently and falling behind.

    The tools mentioned above cater to a wide range of operational needs, from a free vacation tracker that helps manage leave policies effortlessly, to platforms that facilitate secure video conferencing, seamless collaboration, or smarter financial planning. These solutions are designed to work for businesses across various industries and team sizes, offering scalability, automation, and real-time insights that help startups stay agile and informed.

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  • Tips to manage leaves of different time zone teams

    Tips to manage leaves of different time zone teams

    The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced every business across the world to let employees do remote work. On the other hand, the experts have been predicted that the remote work facility will rise in the coming days. Instead of going office, experts are expecting a long-lasting shift to the remote workers where employees do remote work from different places and from various time zone.

    Remote working has become a new way of working. On the other hand, since the recent COVID-19 crisis, it has also become a new normal for most employers as well as employees. While this facility has brought a lot of benefits, HR managers are now facing challenges in managing leave of different work-from-home teams with different time zones.

    So, when it comes to working holidays as well as taking time off, employers can get a lot of requests. However, the fact that leaves for the remote working teams can be different than the leaves for the physical teams as well as a regular team. For example, a PTO related to COVID-19 needs to be tracked in compliance with federal, state, and local governance.

    Across the world, every company is performing all possible things to keep up with this. After all, this is a time when ignoring leave management can be a costly affair for the company. So, how to deal with all these things? How can the HR management manage the leaves of the different remote working teams?

    Well, the advancement in technology has made it a little easier for employers and companies. Now, one can easily manage the leave requests from multiple teams by using professional PTO tracking software. Now, let’s discuss this in detail and explore some tips to manage multiple leaves.

    Before diving deep into the matter, let’s understand why employees prefer to work remotely. Here are some reasons to consider.

    A great level of flexibility and freedom

    It has been proven that most remote workers with different time zones love their freedom. Why? While working remotely, they can easily plan their Day that will match their home and work life. Having a decent level of flexibility to visit the hospital, spend time with family, and attend to their important task can lighten the load. On the other hand, there is no need to seek permission or follow other members while working. This will lower the pressure. When companies offer such a level of freedom, it develops the trust factors, and employees enjoy a better level of job satisfaction.

    It is cost-saving

    A lot of employees think that going to the office can be a little expensive. For example, they are going to the office means dealing with the cost of travel, coffee, snacks, colleague presents, work clothes, and more. With remote working across different time zones, they can easily save on such expenses. As a result, they will save more money. Besides, it has been proven that remote working can also help in lowering childcare costs. Why? Well, parents will get more time to take care of their children.

    No location restriction

    Another major benefit of remote working with different time zones is that employees can work from any place they want. Employees don’t have to be in a particular city. As a result, they can easily avoid unnecessary traveling. In fact, they will get more time to work.

    Better health and happiness

    Different studies show that traveling each day and staying in the office for hours is not the healthiest way. The remote teams with different time zone have the biggest advantage of not getting into contact with other people. This is something quite crucial during this pandemic. Besides, remote working also facilitates better mental health.

    Why are some companies emphasizing remote working?

    It has been seen that some companies are now giving importance to the remote working model as they have understood that this is an ideal way to attain a higher level of productivity. Let’s talk about some other major benefits of having remote teams.

    Better productivity

    Different studies have proved that remote employees can easily complete an entire day’s work each week compared to other employees. Remote team members with different time zones can work during the time that suits them the best and can stay out of the regular office distractions. So, they can concentrate on the task without being disturbed. They can set their own working environment that can inspire them. So, it can be said that remote working can easily lead to a greater level of productivity among the employees

    Of course, to enjoy the maximum benefits, the company needs to offer all the facilities to the members, including Day off facilities.

    Efficient communication

    Gone are those days when frequent catch-up and unnecessary meetings can affect working hours. It has been proven that remote teams with different time zones meetings are to the point and purposeful. Meetings are organized with a clear goal, action plans, agenda, and more. In general, advanced video software programs are used to organize meetings. The employees will get more time to work as they will spend less time on those unnecessary matters.

    Creative unleashed

    To begin with, some businesses may feel comfortable letting their best employees work remotely with a different time zone.  Why? This way, the best employees can be offered perfect work-life flexibility. The best part of remote working is that companies can bring out the best in their employees.

    Easy access to the global talent

    When a company follows a remote working model, the company no longer needs to keep the recruitment process limited by a particular physical location. Besides, the companies don’t have to compromise in locating the right talent for the post. A company can get access to the vast pool of talented candidates and choose the best one.

    Well, with all such amazing benefits, the remote working model can look very attractive. But when it comes to managed leaves, companies face trouble. So, how to deal with leaves and enjoy the remote working model? Keep reading to know more.

    Why is vacation or leave important?

    No matter whether it is for physical employees or remote teams, vacation or leave is a good thing for both the business and the employee. Some studies have proved that every year, around 700 million leaves go unused by employees. Besides, around 200 million leaves were forfeited by staffers.

    Some employees think that taking leave will make them appear less dedicated to their company. On the other hand, some worry about leaving their unfinished tasks. It has also been seen that some companies don’t encourage their employees to utilize their leave. But this is not a good idea.

    Different studies have proved that offering vacation time as well as encouraging them to use it can promote a healthier workplace. Offering required time to employees to refuel is a great way to prevent burnout. However, there are also some other benefits.

    Researches prove that employees who work for companies that encourage leave are happier than those who work for silent companies about taking time off. Some other studies reveal that around 70 to 72 percent of managers think that employees can handle extra time if they are offered time off facility. Most of the managers think that employees return from a holiday with a better level of creativity and focus.

    So, if you want to maintain the perfect growth of your company and keep your employees motivated, then giving them a vacation will be a great idea. Now, here are some tips for managing the leaves.

    Some of the best ways to manage the leaves

    Create a clear leave policy

    If you don’t have a leave policy, then it’s time to work with your HR department to determine what type of framework the leave policy should follow. For example, you can create a policy considering different factors, such as accrued time, rewards for tenure, and you can also set the maximum number of leaves for employees doing remote work. Once done, distribute that policy to all. This way, your employees will know when they can apply for leave.

    Stick to the leave requirements

    As per the BLS- Bureau of Labor Statistics, American employees, on average, get ten days of PTO- Paid Time Off every year. However, the number can go down or up based on the region and industry. In general, the days off increase with the employee’s service period. In some companies, every five years, employees can earn around three to four additional days off every year based on their longevity. 

    For cultural celebrations, special occasions, and holidays, there is a huge requirement for managing days off. Besides, some industries follow the vacation regulations set by the government. Fair Work in Australia, the UK’s Good Work Plan, and Fair Workweek in the U.S., all these regulations talk about the maximum number of leave an employee can take.

    You can make leave compliance easier using a professional Day Off app that comes with a built-in compliance feature. Using this, you can easily block the time off or leave requests automatically for the dates when you want your employee to be there to work without affecting the leave requirements.

    Make sure the work can get done

    Most of the companies, as well as teams, don’t have the required deep bench. What does that mean? Well, then, one is on leave, the others need to find out how to get the work done with one less person.

    So, what should you do here? Well, you need to ensure that you are encouraging all your employees to collaborate as well as cross-training. As a result, if one employee is out, other employees on the team can quickly fill that person’s place and complete the task. Remember that you don’t make a single employee so critical that if that particular employee is taking a leave, it can affect the entire team.

    Another way to ensure that work doesn’t suffer from the leave is that the team needs to make sure that the work is completed before the vacation. For this, you should provide every member with a checklist so that they can know that they need to finish before they can take leave. You can easily do that by using a well-designed PTO tracking software. The checklist should include:

    • Important deadlines
    • a summary of their ongoing projects
    • location of the important files
    • Important contact information

    When you have all the information, you can enjoy peace of mind by knowing that the work will be completed on time.

    Set a deadline for the leave requests

    To avoid staff shortage issues, you need to make sure that the remote working team members submit their vacation requests before a fixed day. This will help you in understanding how many employees have applied for the lead. If you think you will lack coverage, you can ask some employees to postpone their leave requests. Besides, you will get enough time to find out why so many employees want to leave at the same time.

    Consolidate the leave requests on one platform

    Text messages, emails, or sticky notes, what method do you use to manage the leave requests? Well, the fact is that you will not get enough time to manage this thing using spreadsheets, papers, or voicemails. However, you can use a Free vacation tracker to manage the leave from just one place.

    When you have a professional time-off app that can offer you a centralized leave management feature, you can easily view leave balance, different leave types, and more in one place. With this, you can make the process of applying for leave comfortable, and you can also easily approve the requests.

    You need to encourage the employees for planned leaves

    It has been proven that unplanned leaves can greatly affect business activities and can also lead to financial losses. On the other hand, planned leaves can help you in developing an efficient attitude among the staff.

    So, it will be better for HR managers to encourage both physical and remote employees to plan their PTO or leave in advance. This is where a company can use an Employee leave tracker app. Using such apps, companies can track the leave balance and current time off status. As a result, it will be easier to maintain a better workflow for the team and employees.

    Offer ongoing communication using a simple tool

    To maintain a smooth business operation, you need to keep all the lines of communication open. This is very crucial. Let the employees know when they should or can contact you for the leave questions. You need to create an environment of understanding. Besides, make sure that the team knows there is no need to worry about asking for time off when they urgently need it.

    It will be better for you if you can set a time limit between the actual days off and the leave request. Unless the condition is extreme, the employee should not apply for a leave request just one day before the actual date of leave. Using a Vacation tracker, you can check this thing.

    It’s time to use leave management software to manage leave efficiently

    A leave management system, or you can say an Employee time off tracker or software, is designed to provide both employees and the company with the ability to manage leaves. Many automated leave management software programs enable employers to view the leave balance and leave status.

    Using a vacation tracker, you can easily save valuable time and track leaves in one place. Besides, you will be able to set the vacations or leave policies within a few seconds using a Free time off tracker like Day off.  By automating all the tasks, you won’t face any issues in managing leaves and looking for the best app. Well, it’s time to try our Day Off app.

    Conclusion

    Remote work across time zones isn’t a hurdle, it’s an opportunity to build a healthier, more productive culture when time off is managed well. Clear, compliant policies; early, planned requests; cross-training and handoffs; and open communication keep coverage steady and burnout low. The right PTO tracking software centralizes requests, balances, approvals, and compliance rules (including COVID-19–related leave), so HR isn’t juggling spreadsheets and managers can see gaps before they happen.

    Smarter time off tracking starts here.

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