Morning meetings are difficult.

And if it happens to be about a sensitive or negative topic they become awkward.

The question “How to manage employee leaves?” brings back memories of one such meeting.

I happened to be part of a departmental meeting where the business head decided to open fire on a team considering the poor attendance and excessive bypass of authorities within the group.

The team leader conveniently dodged the blame by quoting lack of tracking mechanism to compare planned v/s actual worked hours and confusing leave policy.

Businesses should take advantage of their own talent pool by providing employees with the necessary tools to drive performance and productivity

What happened in this meeting reflects employee attitude that gets perpetuated in a company where attendance and leave management is not given the due importance that it deserves.

This can easily branch into other issues like degenerative office politics, derailed work efficiency and a huge secret cost for the organization.

Having subscribed to HR software, one of the clients conducted a report

Having subscribed to CakeHR, one of the clients conducted a report into the activities of their employees.

To their shock one of the team members had spent 140 hours (almost one full working month) owing to various reasons like “I need to see the doctor”, “Gathering at Kid’s School”, “Exam Day” etc.

It all adds up and becomes a secret cost that kills the momentum and resources.

Therefore, there is a strong case for having a streamlined process that not only keeps a tab on the attendance record but also gives insights on how the employee time is getting distributed and how it can be managed better.

It becomes a secret cost that kills the resources

But the software is as good as the human using it. So it is imperative that the employees get onboard and make it a part of their everyday work life.

Only then the software can deliver the promised results. And TRAINING, with the risk of sounding clichéd, can help you achieve that.

Software Training – Backbone of Technology Based Leave Management

The business owners and IT folk can get as excited as they want about using the new shiny leave software.

But the real acid test is the successful implementation where people are completely sold on the idea of clicking their way to time-offs.

Their acceptance of the software solution is paramount and training can achieve this buy-in.

Here are some quick gains of training and tuning your employees for the upgrade to starry software:

1. Ensures Smooth Launch

A good download about the working ways of the software before launching guarantees it to be a hit show rather than proving to be “Yet another technical fancy parade”.

2. Prevents roll-back to older methods

Orientation to software functioning and its advantages with practical test cases helps to block thoughts and actions to adopt older and less progressive approaches of leave management.

3. Helps to manage the detractors

Everyone may not like change. There is always an employee section that tries to distract the adoption of new things in order to save efforts or their own inadequacies. Training limits these negative influencers.

4. Enables trouble free transition

Software training bridges the gap between the old and new. It can show how using the latest tool can solve people’s pain points that the old method could not. The open communication during training tackles worrisome questions and makes the employees comfortable with the software.

5. Safeguards and Leverages the Organizational Investment

Often the most ambitious of tools bite the dust if they don’t click with the users or don’t deliver the perceived value. Software Training aids to protect the organizational resources in terms of time, money and people by furthering the technology’s acceptance, usage and value generation

How to Manage Employee Leaves – Top Essentials of Teaching Framework

Absenteeism in the modern world has assumed complex shades. It is no longer ruled by principles of compensation and organization policy.

It has a gray undertone to it with things like work-life balance, flexibility, talent shortage, specialized skills and competition coloring it intricately.

An advanced and intuitive leave management tool can help to address this age-old problem contemporarily and with less heartburn.

The only issue being – Would the employees accept and use it the way it is intended to?

Absenteeism in the modern world has assumed complex shades

The answer to the above query can be hugely positive if the training is as specific and non-traditional as todays’ work environment.

Here are some impactful techniques to make your employees learn and use time-off software:

1. Answer the obvious “Why”

A study by MIT Sloan Management Review and Capgemini Consulting, 63% of managers said the pace of technological change in their workplaces is too slow, primarily due to a “lack of urgency” and poor communication about the strategic benefits of new tools.

Don’t be afraid to go overboard and do a bit of pomp and show about how the software is different, how it makes employee lives easier and other related benefits.

2. Start from the top

Employees love “lead by example scenarios”.

If the top brass starts using the software actively with continuous dialogue and engagement on absence management, the trickle down effect waives off the need to mandate employee activity.

It happens in a non-forced and natural manner.

3. Emphasize Wins and Rewards

Highlighting the small/big wins makes the employees know that the software is a success and that it is bringing positive change.

Linking rewards with software adoption (Setting up account, teaching co-worker, watching orientation videos etc.) makes the employees integrate faster with the new tool.

4. Don’t forget quick job aids, mobile apps and videos

Employees definitely have tons of questions even after training is completed.

These supporting tips and tools ensure the employee concerns are addressed on continuous basis. 92% say video helps teach more effectively, and improves learning by 56% (cdsm.co.uk)

5. Partner with early adopters

Employees learn faster when their own friends teach them.

Identify champions of change in every department and perpetuate the software knowledge through them.

This removes the initial hiccups and keeps the momentum alive through reiteration.

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Wise and user-friendly time-off software can considerably solve your problem of absenteeism.

Visit CakeHR to see how our clients benefit from our forward-looking leave management software.

Mitalee.