PTO Tracking: 6 Signs Your PTO Policy Is Broken & How to Fix It

6 common PTO management issues holding teams back

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If your PTO system isn’t working, how can you figure out what’s holding you back? There will always be signs. Below are six indicators that your PTO system isn’t as effective as it should be.

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1. You still track PTO in a spreadsheet

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That beautiful, color-coded spreadsheet PTO tracker you created with such optimism? It’s become a disaster.

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There are a lot of companies that still track employee PTO requests in spreadsheets. While this method might seem like the easiest, it can get out of hand pretty quickly, especially if you manage a large team.

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If you use live spreadsheets, like Google Sheets, multiple people can be granted editing access which leaves room for errors like accidental deletions and duplicate entries.

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And unless you’re a wizard at Excel formulas, relying on spreadsheets to automatically calculate vacation accruals and balances can be risky.

2. Employees don’t know their PTO balance

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There should always be a system in place for employees to track their PTO balance. When an employee wants to take a 2-week vacation, you shouldn’t have to dig through old pay stubs, emails, and get creative with math to tell them how much PTO they have left. 

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Barbara is planning her vacation to Florida, she asks you how much vacation time she has left. You send an email over to HR and they check the PTO spreadsheet, but there’s a discrepancy. For the next three days, it’s back and forth emails and phone calls to figure out her remaining balance. While she’s been waiting for an answer, flight prices went up $300. Not only are you frustrated with HR, but Barbara is extremely upset. 

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If your PTO system is working, employees shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to access their PTO balances. 

3. Approvals are bottlenecked or forgotten

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If managers are the only one who can approve PTO requests, when they are out of office, the entire approval process stops. With no back up or delegation system in place, employees are left in limbo.

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Should they go ahead and book the flight and make hotel reservations or wait until their manager comes back next week? Assuming their time off request will be approved can feel risky.

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A lengthy PTO approval process is frustrating for employees and can negatively impact job satisfaction.

4. Your company PTO policy is implemented inconsistently  

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Unfortunately, not all supervisors are going to interpret your company’s PTO policy the same way. 

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One manager might require employees to submit time off requests two weeks in advance, while another supervisor approves PTO requests on the spot without looking at potential scheduling conflicts.

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You may never know if departments are implementing your company’s PTO policy differently until employees start complaining, and that’s definitely not a good sign.

5. Compliance keeps you up at night

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Complying with PTO rules involves more than meets the eye. Even if you’re doing everything right, you still need documented proof to show you are compliant.

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For example, California’s strict PTO requirements need more than just a simple spreadsheet.  The state treats all accrued vacation as earned wages that is payable upon termination or resignation. When an employee leaves your company, not having thorough documentation of compliance can have significant consequences.

6. End of year requests are chaotic

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If your company has a “use it or lose it” PTO policy, December can be a month of chaos. Suddenly everyone remembers they have unused vacation days and PTO requests start to flood in.

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As a manager, you want to honor every time off request, but the truth is you just can’t. And for most businesses, December is one of the busiest months of the year. Operating with a skeleton crew isn’t an option.

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Without a clear PTO policy in place, your employees may end up losing their earned vacation days.

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How Timeero fixes these problems

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Timeero's time off tracker helps your company manage employees’ PTO requests more efficiently. 

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Here’s how: 

Automated calculations

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With Timeero’s PTO tracking system, you don’t need to use formulas or advanced math. The software records accruals, accounts for policy changes, and calculates balances automatically.

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Real-time approvals

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Where employees were once waiting weeks for requests to be approved, Timeero speeds up the process with real-time mobile notifications. Employees submit detailed PTO requests in the app and managers can approve or deny requests on the spot. 

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 Compliance handled

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In states where vacation and sick time are treated differently are treated differently, every step you take to remain compliant matters. Timeero’s PTO management system provides a transaction history that serves as evidence in case of an audit or legal dispute. 

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Scheduling and staffing insights

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If your employees are requesting PTO via email or paper forms, it’s easy to lose track of who is taking off and when. The last thing you want to do during peak season is leave yourself short staffed. 

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With Timeero, as soon as an employee’s request for PTO is approved, the scheduling calendar automatically updates. Managers can plan ahead to maintain adequate staffing levels and eliminate overlapping approvals.

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Seamless payroll integration

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All of the PTO data you have tracked in Timeero can be exported directly to your payroll software for quick and easy payroll processing. Seamlessly integrate with QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and other systems you’re already using.

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PTO management made simple with Timeero

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If you’ve found yourself nodding your head at any of the six signs listed here, it might be time to update your PTO policy and practices.

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Leave management doesn’t have to be complicated. With PTO tracking software like Timeero, automatic calculations and real-time insights give you your time back so you can concentrate on running your business.

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