Employee Absence Tracker – What Kind of Solution Should You Use?

Almost every employee will be absent from work from time to time, whether for vacation, sick leave, or personal reasons. That is entirely normal and unavoidable.

To process payroll correctly, stay compliant, and plan work schedules, you must keep accurate absence and attendance records. That's where a good absence tracker comes in.

An absence tracker is a tool that assists you in planning, authorizing, and tracking employee absences.

The different types of absence trackers

Maintaining accurate, clear, and up-to-date absence records can provide you with valuable employee attendance insights and help you reorganize faster when unexpected staff shortages occur.

As previously stated, records are also required for payroll processing and compliance with legislation. When it comes to absence tracking, you have a few options:

◼Paper templates are completely obsolete.
◼Timesheets in Excel or other spreadsheets
◼Absence management software, whether hosted or online

To track absences, many businesses still use paper or excel templates. It's not the best solution because there are always problems with archiving files and keeping records up to date and accurate.

Aside from that, there's the fact that you can't perform any real analytics.

In rare cases, a template may suffice if you don't have many employees, your working arrangements aren't too complicated, and you don't want to manage employee absences online. However, in most cases, the software solution is preferable.

Are you still using paper or manual Excel timesheets to manage employee vacations, sick leave, and time off? Perhaps it's time to think about using a simple absence-tracking software.

The following are the primary advantages of using an online absence tracker:

◼Spending less time booking and managing absences
◼Improved self-organization
◼Fewer errors and the possibility of records being lost
◼Staffing and vacation scheduling are simplified.
◼Less absences and useful HR (absence) analytics

Absence tracking software can be hosted or in the cloud (online), and we recommend the latter unless you have a specific need for a hosted solution.

Why? Simply put, it is simpler, less expensive, more flexible, accessible from anywhere, and more secure.

What you should consider when choosing an absence tracker for employees
Here's what you should pay attention to when choosing an absence tracker:

◼ Customizability: Look for a solution that allows you to customize absence types like PTO, sick leave, personal days, and vacation.
◼ Integration: The app should integrate with your existing HR or time management system to automate absence tracking and payroll.
◼ Automated Calculations: The tracker should automatically calculate accrued vacation days, remaining balances, and other relevant data to save time and avoid errors.
◼ Reports and analytics: A good absence tracker will provide comprehensive reports and analytics on employee absences and work hours, allowing you to identify patterns and address potential problems.
◼ Notifications and reminders: Look out for features that automatically notify managers and employees of upcoming absences and outstanding vacation balances.
◼ Compliance: Make sure the tracker complies with labor laws and leave management regulations to avoid legal complications.
◼ Security and privacy: Employee absence data is sensitive, so the tracker should have security measures in place to protect the information.
◼ Mobile Access: A mobile app allows employees to access and manage their absences from their phone or tablet.
◼ Scalability: Choose an absence tracker that can adapt to a growing business. It should allow you to add new employees and manage a growing number of absence records.

IceHrm is an all-in-one employee absence tracker that will never leave you wondering how to track employee absences. The app provides all the tools you need to receive, manage, and document your staff’s absences with complete ease, even while on the go.