The benefits of absence management

Let’s face it, most companies think absence management is a waste of time. This is why a lot of businesses use Excel sheets to keep it easy and comfortable. In fact, using Excel sheets can do the job in the short run, especially when you’re a smaller company. But would you even bother to fill out an Excel sheet to keep up with everyone’s attendances and absences? I know I wouldn’t, because it’s annoying and actually not helpful, if you consider how much information you would have on an Excel sheet if you keep track on a regular basis. In this case I agree. Absence management is a waste of time.

But what do you do when your company starts growing in size? You will have to start managing several teams and the workload of each employee. So how will your teams keep up with their work and progress, if they don’t know who has done what. And most importantly, when.

What happens when suddenly a team member you need is on vacation and everyone missed out on it? To avoid all of those scenarios you should consider implementing absence management in your company. It will not only help you manage everything and everyone, but your employees will also have a better overview of their own absences as well as holiday entitlements.

Your success with Excel sheets is limited

Once you have a company with a growing number of employees, Excel sheets probably won’t do the job anymore. Data starts to become inaccurate and team leaders start losing the overview of their team members. This can translate to a loss of money and productivity. And we don’t want that right?

Use a time tracking software instead

Companies should consider using a time tracking software that tracks the absences of their employees. This will lead to more transparency within the teams and higher productivity. Team leaders can manage the workload of their team members and act quickly if an employee calls in sick before an important deadline. What if you didn’t get the information the same day, because you didn’t see the email or didn’t get the note from the front office? If you integrate a time tracking software, where employees check in every morning and put in their absences regularly, you will know exactly who’s there and who isn’t. This way, you have the chance to find an alternative solution to still make the deadline.

Employees also benefit from absence management

Every employee wants to know their holiday entitlement. Now imagine if all of that information was in an Excel sheet. The first problem that would occur is whether or not the sheet is updated. Is it the latest version or not? As a result, HR managers find themselves communicating with a lot of employees about their holiday entitlements and whether or not past absences were recorded properly. How much annual leave does every employee have left?

Wouldn’t it just be easier to have everything in one software, where everybody could access their own accounts and have a look for themselves? Yes, it would. It’s also time-saving and HR managers can focus on other tasks.

Schedule your teams right

When you’re using the right platform, you can also plan the amount of employees at any given time. Therefore, before approving any holiday leaves, you can check your calendar to see if the request overlaps with other team members. This way, you will never have resource issues, because you will plan all the shifts upfront so that everyone you need is at work.

In the end, you may want to consider switching from your Excel sheets to a time tracking tool. Not only will it improve your overview, but it will also enhance your team’s productivity.

TimeTrack is an efficient Time Tracker Software for Businesses and Individuals. Never worry about time tracking management again and try our easy-to-use time tracking software.

Set it up in a few minutes and keep up with your absences. Know which employees are at work today and who’s on holiday/ sick leave. You can only have enough resources if you schedule properly beforehand. Are you ready to try it out? Learn more about TimeTrack.

Ivana Spiridonovic

Zeitmanagement ist für Unternehmen, egal ob klein oder groß, ein wichtiges Thema. Als ausgebildete Betriebswirtin und jahrelange Expertin bei TimeTrack setze ich mich täglich mit dem Thema Zeiterfassung auseinander. Die Tipps und Tricks, die ich in dem Bereich entdeckt habe möchte ich Ihnen weitergeben. 

Außerdem schreibe ich gerne über meine Erfahrungen im Projektmanagement. Dabei lege ich viel Wert auf Team Management, überschaubare Arbeitsprozesse und transparente Kommunikation – meiner Meinung nach die Grundlagen für jedes erfolgreiche Projekt.