How to survive summer holiday chaos with absence management software

In ‘How to Survive Summer Holiday Chaos with Absence Management Software’:

• We explore the common HR challenges of managing annual leave during peak summer months, and why spreadsheets just don’t cut it anymore.
• It highlights the benefits of modern absence management software tools: from smarter workflows to self-service requests and better visibility for managers.
• The article also offers practical advice for HR teams looking to support flexible working, avoid burnout, and keep holiday chaos under control.

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Ah, summer. That glorious season when the sun occasionally shines, out-of-office messages multiply like rabbits, and HR teams brace themselves for the annual avalanche of holiday requests.

Because nothing says “relaxing break” quite like 12 overlapping leave requests for the same week in August, three passive-aggressive Teams messages about ‘fairness’, and someone insisting they definitely booked that time off last year. (They didn’t.)

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Managing annual leave during peak season is a classic HR headache… but one that’s entirely avoidable if you’ve got the right tools in place. Enter: absence management software, ideally the kind that doesn’t rely on wildly coloured spreadsheets or involve rummaging through a shared inbox.

When you’re able to automate key tasks like leave approvals, absence tracking, and entitlement calculations, everything just flows better, both for HR and your people. So, no more chasing line managers for updates or wondering if Barry from Finance has quietly booked three weeks off during year-end without telling anyone.

Still not convinced? Well, here’s how smart HR software with built-in absence management tools can help you manage annual leave with ease, and breeze through summer leave season without breaking into a cold sweat.

1. You get vital visibility

Let’s start with the basics. You can’t manage what you can’t see, and if your current absence process for tracking holidays involves colour-coded cells in Excel or a lovingly maintained paper calendar (yes, they’re still a thing), you’re going to have a bad time.

Modern HR software that includes absence management puts all your absence data in one place, beautifully laid out and always up to date. You (and your hard-working line managers) get a clear view of who’s off, when, and whether the rest of the team will be left short-handed if Barry from finance takes a two-week cruise around the Med.

With the absence dashboards in Cezanne, for example, you can instantly spot clashes, ensure adequate cover, and avoid “I didn’t know half the team would be away” scenarios. It’s like x-ray vision for HR, but far less creepy.

2. Self-service: because HR shouldn’t be the Holiday Police

One of the joys of modern absence management software is letting employees request holidays without having to chase down forms, email your HR team three times, or hand over biscuits in exchange for a signature.

Self-service tools empower staff to check their leave balances, view team calendars, and submit requests online, in a process so smooth, they might even do it before booking flights (wouldn’t’ that be a pleasant change?!). And, because it’s all handled within your HR system, there’s no risk of rogue requests hiding in someone’s inbox until September.

The self-service portal – which is just one of the standard features in Cezanne HRIS software – is a fine example of this: intuitive, mobile-friendly, and, most importantly, designed to stop HR teams acting like air traffic control.

3. The magic of automated workflows

Remember that thing where someone submits a holiday request, then their manager forgets to approve it, then everyone forgets they forgot… until it’s two days before the requested date? Yeah. That… we’ve all been there.

Good absence management software handles that with automated approval workflows. So, when someone requests time off, it’s instantly routed to the right person, who gets a helpful nudge to approve or decline. No chasing. No awkward reminders. And no more “Ohhhhh, I thought you were covering that week?”

With Cezanne, you can even tailor the approval rules depending on location, seniority, or the phase of the moon (OK, maybe not the last one). It’s flexible, fool proof, and makes you look absurdly organised.

4. Balancing fairness with finesse

Let’s talk politics. Not the global kind (everyone’s had quite enough of that, frankly); rather, the internal team dynamics version.

Summer leave clashes can be contentious. Who gets the school holidays? Who’s taken too much time already? Who’s sneakily booking long weekends every other Friday? This is especially true in larger teams with diverse workforces.

Absence management software gives you the cold, hard data you need to make fair and defensible decisions. You can track leave usage, spot patterns, and even report on who’s not taking enough time off (yes, burnout is still a thing, even in the summer).

With reports and analytics features built into Cezanne’s absence management software, you can take the guesswork out of managing leave, and gently steer people away from burnout, resentment, or that “mystery illness” that always seems to hit around the August bank holiday. Basically, you’ll be able to plan with confidence: whether it’s making sure there’s enough cover over peak holiday periods, or spotting when someone’s not taken a proper break in months.

5. Supporting flexible working and summer juggling

Of course, not everyone wants to take a full week off. Some people prefer long weekends, half-days, or time off here and there to entertain kids, attend festivals, or simply hide from emails.

HR software that can handle different types of absence – full days, half days, custom leave types, whatever you like – gives your people the flexibility they crave, while keeping everything nice and tidy on the admin side.

Cezanne’s integrated absence management module lets you configure your leave types to fit your absence policies and culture. So, whether someone’s booking “Holiday,” “Duvet Day,” or “Sunshine Recovery Time,” it’s tracked, visible, and not causing chaos in your resourcing plans.

6. Going global (or just multi-site) without losing your mind

Got teams in different countries or multiple office locations? Absence rules can vary wildly. Some places get public holidays you’ve never heard of, and others have different carry-over policies, notice periods, or approval chains. In short: a one-size-fits-all process simply won’t cut it.

Absence management software that handles regional variations takes the pain out of that. You can set different rules by country, department, or even individual. So, you’re not manually juggling calendars and trying to remember which team celebrates Bastille Day.

For example, the Cezanne HR system supports global teams as standard, because pretending everyone works to the same calendar is so 2012. This means you’re not stuck juggling conflicting public holidays, weirdly timed summer breaks, or wondering why your Lisbon team keeps disappearing mid-June. Instead, you can manage regional calendars, time zones, and local leave rules without breaking a sweat (or a spreadsheet for that matter).

Speaking of spreadsheets…

7. Say goodbye to Spreadsheet scrambles

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: spreadsheets are great for many, many things – but holiday planning is not one of them!

With proper absence management software, you get accurate data, real-time updates, and a history of every request, approval, and cancellation. No more double-bookings, lost forms or broken Excel macros. And the best part? No more HR-induced eye twitch.

Plus, when it comes to reporting (because your finance department will want to know how much annual leave liability you’re carrying), it’s all ready to go – exportable, digestible, and free of pivot table rage.

So… ready for a smoother summer?

If you’re still relying on email chains, Excel sheets, or a crystal ball to manage summer holidays, now’s the time to level up. Smart HR software with absence management built in – like Cezanne – won’t just make your life easier. It’ll give your employees a better experience, your managers better oversight, and your HR team a fighting chance at getting through July and August without hiding under the desk.

After all, you deserve a break too. Maybe even… a holiday? Just don’t forget to log it properly, yeah?