Vacation tracking software helps organizations see how much time off an employee has taken, how much time they have left, and when they are scheduled to be away.
Besides that, these tools streamline the vacation management process. For example, HR departments use vacation tracking software to input vacation requests, approve or deny them, and track and notify employees and colleagues about upcoming vacations.
Other benefits of vacation tracking software include:
- human error minimization, as it eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of double bookings or other scheduling conflicts,
- increased transparency and accountability: the employees can access their vacation time balances and request time off through the software, which gives them greater visibility into their vacation status,
- cuaranteed compliance with labor laws that require employers to provide their employees with a certain amount of vacation time each year.
In this post, we will explore the key needs of the big and small companies when it comes to selecting the most suitable vacation tracking solution and offer some tips on picking the best one.
Top Employee Vacation Tracking Software Tools for Small Businesses
At first glance, a small company’s vacation tracking needs are quite simplistic: you just need to reduce administrative workloads and ensure employees receive the time off they are entitled to.
In fact, there are a few more factors to consider:
- Cost-effectiveness. Small companies often have limited budgets, so affordable vacation tracking software is essential. You would be looking for solutions that offer basic features like time-off requests, approvals, and a centralized calendar without breaking the bank.
- Straightforward interface. Since small companies may not have dedicated HR personnel, choosing software that is easy to use for employees and managers is crucial. A simple interface can save time and reduce the learning curve.
- Scalability. While the company may be small now, choosing software that can scale as the business grows is important. Ensure that the software can accommodate additional users and features as needed.
With this in mind, we made a list of vacation tracking and management tools that you may find helpful.
actiPLANS
actiPLANS is an online absence management tool designed to streamline and automate leave requests and calculations and supply HRs and managers with an accurate overview of the company resources.
actiPLANS lets you:
- create custom leave types for any needs, set different balance accrual rules for different teams,
- generate and approve/decline time-off requests in a few clicks,
- analyze staff availability and absence history,
- integrate with personal calendars, such as iCal,
- track shifts, plan corporate events, and more,
- restrict your employees from requesting time off.
The tool allows users to effortlessly monitor their colleagues’ work statuses, including those on vacation, working remotely, or absent for other reasons. Additionally, actiPLANS automatically tracks paid time off and updates sick day balances.
A notable feature of actiPLANS is its flexibility in creating and managing Paid Time Off (PTO) policies, which allows organizations to customize their leave options according to the varied needs of employees. This ensures that both full-time and part-time staff can easily understand their PTO entitlements.
Moreover, actiPLANS offers PTO blackout periods enabling managers to set specific periods during which leave requests are restricted. This makes the platform particularly advantageous during peak business times while ensuring smooth operations.
With its intuitive interface and detailed reporting capabilities, actiPLANS streamlines the leave management process, boosting employee satisfaction and organizational productivity.
Pros:
- Easy to use for both employees and managers,
- Affordable pricing,
- Can be used with actiTIME, a powerful time-tracking and management tool.
Cons: Limited integrations with external tools.
Best fits for: Small and medium-sized businesses.
Pricing: from $1.20 per user per month.
From the reviews:
Using actiPLANS has freed up a lot of time previously spent manually updating spreadsheets, which the team can now use to work on more critical tasks.
Vacation Tracker
Vacation Tracker is a simple and easy-to-use tool for tracking employee vacation time. It offers basic features such as employee grouping, accrual rate setting, and reporting.
Key features:
- Real-time PTO balance,
- Automated time-off requests,
- Custom email notifications.
Pros:
- Integrates with personal calendars such as iCal, Google Calendar, or Outlook,
- Custom notifications.
Cons:
- Limited integrations with external tools,
- A limited number of custom policies,
- No functionality for automated sick and extra working days calculation,
- No functionality for switching from one integration to another.
Best fits for: SMB.
Pricing: from $25 per month (per 10 employees).
From the reviews:
It’s simple and easy to use; it lets us manage our time off successfully.
There are no significant cons, except the functionalities which could be improved. We’re missing basic features like editing previously accepted or made absences.
Clockify
Clockify is more of a time tracker than an attendance management tool. However, it provides a dashboard for employees to create requests and for managers to process these and monitor employee time and vacation balances.
Key features:
- Time and absence tracking,
- Automated time-off requests.
Pros:
- Requesting time off in days and hours,
- User-friendly interface.
Cons:
- Limited features for HR management and absence tracking,
- No automated time-off requests or approval workflows.
Best fits for: SMB.
Pricing: from $3.99 per user per month.
From the reviews:
I prefer the simplicity of the layout compared to alternatives, and the free version accommodates most needs adequately. You’re not forced to pay to use it, though some may feel Clockify is more limited than alternatives.
Leave Dates
Leave Dates is a very “lean” leave management tool with minimum customization oprtions, but still, it offers everything a small company may need at the start.
Key features:
- Custom leave types,
- Optimized for tablets and mobiles.
Pros:
- Absolutely free for companies under 5 employees,
- Automated overlap detection,
- Easy request submission and approval.
Cons:
- Minimum integrations,
- No extended analytics,
No scalability,
Best fits for: Very small companies.
Pricing: from $1 per user per month
From the reviews:
Easy to use for everyone, navigation is simple, and displays nicely, but prorated annual leave is not often correct.
Rotageek
Rotageek is more of a workforce management platform than a vacation tracker. Yet, it offers leave management as a part of its shift scheduling and attendance tracking functionality.
Key features:
- Rota management dashboard,
- Automated and digital scheduling.
Pros:
- Custom leave policies,
- Analytics,
- Schedule syncs.
Cons:
- Completely shift-based,
- No integrations
- No performance management features.
Best fits for: Companies providing shift-based work
Pricing: On quote
From the reviews:
I find RotaGeek so quick and simple… The interfaces are awesome. But the thing I really love about it is the instant support by the chat function… the team are always on hand in mins and always up for a laugh and joke creating laughter during putting rotas together shouldn’t be a ‘thing’, but it really is. If only it fed into our HR software or vice Versa at the moment… If we put someone sick in RotaGeek we have to copy it over onto SF.
Top Employee Vacation Tracking Software Tools for Enterprise Companies
Managing employee vacations in large organizations is much more complex than in smaller ones. With a large number of employees, it can be difficult to keep track of who is on vacation, when they are returning, and how much vacation time they have remaining. This can lead to errors in payroll, scheduling conflicts, and overbooking of vacation time.
Challenges and considerations for big companies:
- Large employee base. Managing vacation requests can be a mammoth task with hundreds or thousands of employees. Software should have robust features to handle mass requests, avoid double-booking, and ensure fair scheduling.
- Complex leave policies. Large companies often have intricate leave policies, including multiple types of leave, accrual rules, and blackout periods. The software must be flexible and customizable to accommodate these complexities.
Integration with other HR systems. Vacation tracking should integrate seamlessly with payroll, timekeeping, and human resources management systems to ensure accuracy and automate processes. - Scalability. As the company grows, the software should scale and support increasing employees and requests.
BambooHR
BambooHR offers vacation tracking as part of a corporate HR management suite, which means you won’t be able to buy the tracker alone. However, you get an advanced suite of HR features, including applicant tracking, new hires onboarding, performance analytics, and many more.
Key features:
- Real-time PTO balance,
- Automated time-off requests,
- Customizable approval workflows.
Pros:
- A massive set of features to make your HR happy;
- Unlimited PTO policies for a single team;
- Calendar conflicts check.
Cons:
- Higher pricing compared to other similar tools;
- The steep learning curve for set up and use.
Best fits for: Large companies.
Pricing: from $6 per employee per month.
From the reviews:
This comprehensive approach ensures that all HR tasks can be managed from one central platform. Also, it has a user-friendly interface that even the boomers can understand easily.
However, BambooHR could be more robust and customizable. I would like to see more options for filtering data, exporting reports, and generating custom reports.
Jibble
Jibble combines vacation tracking, absence management, and time tracking features. It offers unique employee monitoring features such as geolocation, facial recognition, and basic though robust leave management options.
Key features:
- Time and absence tracking
- Automated time-off requests
- Customizable approval workflows
Pros:
- Tracking from mobile, tablet, and web;
- Requesting time off in days, hours, and even minutes.
Cons:
- Higher pricing compared to other similar tools;
- Issues with user interface and customer support;
- Too many functionalities with a “coming soon” status.
Best fits for: Large companies.
Pricing: from €4 per user per month.
From the reviews:
Jibble is that it may not be suitable for businesses with complex time and attendance tracking needs. While Jibble offers a range of features, including project tracking and timesheets, it may have a different level of customization and advanced reporting capabilities than more specialized time and attendance software.
Answering Your Challenges
Choosing the right vacation tracking software is vital for both big and small companies.
By understanding the specific challenges and considerations of each size of organization, businesses can make informed decisions that will optimize vacation management, streamline processes, and improve overall efficiency and productivity.
Critical Differences in Software Selection
1. Features and Functionality
Big Companies: Advanced features such as leave planning, customizable policies, and integrations are essential.
Small Companies: Focus on basic functionality like request approvals, accrual tracking, and ease of use.
2. Scalability
Big Companies: Software should be able to handle large employee bases and future growth.
Small Companies: Scalability is less crucial, but the software should be flexible enough to adapt to modest growth.
3. Cost
Big Companies: Larger budgets may be needed for more comprehensive software solutions.
Small Companies: Cost-effectiveness is a significant concern, and software should be priced competitively.
4. User interface
Big Companies: Intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces are desirable, but customized interfaces may be necessary.
Small Companies: User-friendliness is essential for small teams with limited HR resources.
With numerous vacation tracking software options available, selecting the right one is crucial for meeting your business’s needs.
For those seeking an exceptional leave management and PTO tracking software, consider actiPLANS:
- Customization Flexibility: Create various absence types with specific accrual rules.
- Seamless Leave Management: Empower employees to request and track leaves and absence statuses.
- Approval Workflow: Set up optional leave approval processes for better control.
- Automated Balance Updates: Automatically adjust leave balances upon request approval or maintain statuses if no rules are defined.
Book a demo to explore all actiPLANS features or see if it’s a good fit for your business using a free 30-day trial (no credit card required).
