Positive Impact of Effective Absence Management in the Workplace

You just have to realize that most companies think absence management is a waste of time. Therefore, many companies use Excel sheets to make it easy and comfortable. In fact, Excel sheets can do the job in the short term, especially in smaller businesses. But would you even bother filling out an Excel sheet to keep track of everyone's attendance and absences? I wouldn't do that anyway, because it's annoying and actually not very useful, if you think about how much information you'd have in an Excel sheet if you kept track regularly. In this case, I agree. Absence management is a waste of time.

But what do you do when the company starts to grow in size? Then you have to start managing multiple teams and the workload of each individual employee. How will your teams be able to track work and progress if they don't know who did what? And most importantly: when.

What happens when a team member you need is suddenly on vacation and everyone has missed it? To avoid all these scenarios, you should consider implementing absence management in your company. It will not only help you keep track of everything and everyone, but the employees will also get a better overview of their own absence and holiday rights.

Success with Excel sheets is limited

When you have a company with a growing number of employees, Excel sheets will probably no longer do the job. The data starts to become inaccurate, and the team leaders lose track of the employees. This can lead to a loss of money and productivity. And we don't want that, do we?

Use a time tracking software instead

Companies should consider using time and attendance software that tracks employee absences. This will lead to greater transparency in the teams and higher productivity. The team leaders can manage the workload of the employees and act quickly if an employee calls in sick before an important deadline. What if you didn't get the information on the same day, because you didn't see the email or didn't get the message from head office? If you integrate time and attendance software, where employees check in every morning and enter their absence regularly, you'll know exactly who's there and who's not. In this way, you have the opportunity to find an alternative solution so that you still meet the deadline.

The employees also benefit from absence management

All employees want to know how much holiday they are entitled to. Imagine that all this information was in an Excel sheet. The first issue that arises is whether or not the sheet is up to date. Is it the latest version or not? The result is that HR managers have to communicate with many employees about their holiday rights and whether previous absences have been correctly recorded. How much holiday does each employee have left?

Wouldn't it have been easier to collect everything in one software, where everyone had access to their own accounts and could take a look for themselves? Yes, it would. It also saves time, and HR managers can focus on other tasks.

Plan your teams correctly

When you use the right platform, you can also plan the number of employees at any given time. Therefore, before approving vacation, check your calendar to see if the request overlaps with other team members. This way, you will never have resource problems, because you plan all the shifts in advance so that everyone you need is at work.

Finally, you may want to consider switching from Excel sheets to a time tracking tool. It will not only give you a better overview, but also increase your team's productivity.

Set it up in a few minutes and get an overview of your absence. Get an overview of which employees are at work today and who are on holiday/sick leave. You can only have enough resources if you plan properly in advance. Are you ready to try it?

In conclusion, as companies expand, the limitations of manual absence management become apparent. To ensure accuracy,transparency, and increased productivity, companies, especially those witnessing growth, should consider adopting advanced solutions like IceHrm. By transitioning from Excel sheets to a comprehensive time tracking tool, such as IceHrm, organizations not only streamline absence management but also empower employees with easy access to their leave balances, fostering a more efficient and well-organized workplace.