Best 5 Leave Management Systems for Small and Medium Businesses

Everybody loves to say goodbye to work - unless you are the person who has to cope with it all. At first glance, leave management seems to be an uncomplicated process. But last-minute requests, low visibility of records and inconsistent spreadsheets and emails make it a big problem.

The first step would be to implement the leave policy, which is rotting in the employee handbook, but you know that if you call another meeting to explain the leave policy, you could end up with a mutiny.

Instead, say goodbye to emails, spreadsheets and paper forms, and opt for transparent Leave Management System that provides insight into any form of absence, delivers accurate real-time data and shows leave trends.

The need to implement a software for leave management

Here are some of the main advantages of using Leave Management System:

• Eliminates paperwork - Less paper and less chaos through automation
• Removes tampering - With automated software, you can't change holiday forms with approval
• Collaboration - With Leave Management System, you can improve collaboration by communicating with your management or HR department and getting approval faster
• Leave tracking - Leave Management System allows you to track the number of paid and sick days and the number of available holidays
• Integration - You can integrate your leave management system with other HR modules such as time sheets and payroll.

But while you were busy with your spreadsheets, the software landscape for leave management became quite crowded. How do you find the perfect solution? Which functions would you look for? Should you just choose the most popular one? Is it affordable? Will it have the features you are looking for? What other providers can you trust?

Even if you have a clear idea of what you're looking for, the selection and screening process is still discouraging. 56 percent of companies plan to introduce cloud-based Leave Management System in 2020.

Five Popular Leave Management Software

To help you make your choice, we have compiled this list of Leave Management System that will help you get the process of taking time off work under control and make you fall in love with leave management again.

kissflow HR cloud

Kissflow HR Cloud is a cloud-based Leave Management System that reduces the time and effort companies spend on the leave process. Instead of tying your policies to software restrictions, Kissflow HR Cloud allows you to build an online Leave Management System that suits you.

It centralizes leave and holiday lists for easy access, reduces the risk of leave policy abuse, keeps the entire process transparent and increases overall company productivity.

Here are some of the features of Kissflow's HR Cloud Leave Management System that you can use to manage the leave request process:

• Auto-Updates (depending on eligibility, employee role, leave)
• Flexible leave structure (including holiday history, balance tracking, etc.)
• Drill-down reports and analyses (leave trends for smart decisions)
• Effortless API integration (with Payroll, GL Accounting, HRMS, etc.)
• Risk mitigation aspects (role-based access, conditional visibility, etc.)
• Self-service portal (role-based - employees, managers, etc.)

The downside of choosing a custom leave management solution like Kissflow HR Cloud is that it is not immediately ready for use. You may have to spend some time creating the application. But once you have started, there will be no stopping you. And best of all, it's not limited to HR processes. You can also automate a number of other business processes and workflows!

IceHrm

IceHrm is a user-friendly, web-based Leave Management System, which was developed especially for small and medium sized businesses. It automates all key areas of leave management, from leave calculation and granting to the period-end closing process.

It simplifies year-end leave processing by automating leave procedures, transfers and redemption for all employees in terms of leave policy. With accurate calculations, companies can make a smooth transition to the next fiscal year.

The leave module in IceHrm is very user-friendly and flexible for you to use even if you don't have a leave policy in place. Most functionality is easily accessible and it takes only a few clicks to manage all your employees' leaves.

Pocket HCM

Sage's Pocket Human Capital Management (HCM) is offered in suites or individual modules, the functionality (and cost) of which increases steadily depending on the modules you choose. It is a fully cloud-based solution that helps companies easily manage employee departures.

Pocket HCM's Leave Management System allows you to apply holidays, leave types, policies, etc. It provides an employee self-service portal where employees can track their leave history and retrieve/edit/delete leave requests in real time.

Once a leave request is accepted, it is automatically integrated into the attendance tracking and payroll module. The mobile app can manage leave from anywhere in the world. The only drawback of Pocket HCM is the cumbersome interface that bundles the core functions (employee self-service is not available in the core module) as optional modules.

ADP

ADP Workforce Now is cloud Leave Management System that offers customizable leave policies, unique vacation groups and easy integration with the organizational calendar. It supports a range of leave types (short and long term leaves), including vacation leave, personal holiday, PTO, LOP and so on.

It comes with a native mobile app (iOS and Android) designed exclusively for self-service by employees and managers. In addition, it can be easily integrated into all best-of-breed HR solutions through API integration. ADP's customizable home page acts as a digital bulletin board, allowing companies to share vacation policies, updates and notifications across the enterprise.

Aside from eye-catching homepages, ADP is extremely reluctant to price the product and will only offer a "quote" after further evaluation by its analysts. This lack of transparency only adds an extra dose of secrecy (and mistrust) while you are about to make a purchase decision.

Workforce

Kronos Workforce Absence Manager is a Leave Management System optimized for all sectors. Its cloud-based character makes it secure, scalable, easily accessible and mobility-friendly.

With this centralized Leave Management System, companies can manage leave, track time, measure productivity, etc. The robust reporting tool allows companies to control absence trends that affect the bottom line.

However, PTO tracking in the absence manager of the workforce is a bit off track.  Since the PTO balance is not displayed, companies are free to track the balance on an Excel spreadsheet and make manual adjustments each time.

Summary

By streamlining your management process with a cloud-based leave management system, you can eliminate paperwork, eliminate manual dependency, improve communication, provide real-time visibility and ensure regulatory compliance.

Each company may have unique needs, so when choosing a Leave Management System solution, it's wise to choose one that meets your basic requirements while providing the flexibility to customize vacation requests. Choosing a cloud platform like IceHrm HR Cloud simplifies leave management, eliminates process bottlenecks and makes life easier for everyone involved.

If you are looking for an easy-to-use, cost-effective leave management application that does it all, try IceHrm HR Cloud. Sign up for a free demo.