Managing leave in today’s workplace is a monumental pain in the (you know what). Between evolving leave laws, unpredictable employee requests, and the increasing demand for competitive benefits, HR teams have their hands more than full.
Yet, for a variety of reasons ranging from, “This is the way we’ve always done it,” to, “We need you to work with what you have,” leaders of organizations everywhere are still sticking HR with spreadsheets as a tool to manage these complexities.
As you’ve likely experienced first hand or you wouldn’t have clicked into this article, it’s a practice that not only hinders your efficiency, but also exposes your organization to costly risks and employee dissatisfaction.
The 2025 Leave Benchmark Report makes it clear: the time for change is now.
The Growing Complexity of Leave Management
Workplace leave policies have come a long way from the days of simple vacation tracking.
Today, HR teams are tasked with navigating federal, state, and even local leave laws, all while accommodating diverse employee needs such as parental leave, medical leave, and caregiving responsibilities.
Employee policies are only expanding as competitive organizations increasingly look to emphasize employee needs outside of the workplace.
In addition to this, there are challenges in ensuring accurate payroll adjustments and maintaining compliance, and the cracks in manual systems become glaringly obvious.
Spreadsheets may have sufficed in simpler times, but they struggle to keep pace with the intricacies of modern leave management. Manual data entry, version control issues, and a lack of real-time updates often lead to mistakes that can ripple across an organization, affecting employees and business outcomes alike.
The Hidden Costs of Spreadsheet-Based Leave Management
The 2025 Leave Benchmark Report highlights the true cost of relying on spreadsheets. HR teams stretched thin by administrative burdens find it hard to provide the personalized support employees need during critical life events. This disconnect can lead to employees feeling unsupported, stressed, or confused—which, in turn, affects their performance and retention.
As the report indicates: Industries resistant to vendor leave management and opt to manage leave with a spreadsheet are in the bottom 3rd in the amount of paid parental leave they offer. Additionally, they are in the bottom half of performance when it comes to employee retention within the first 12 months of an employee returning from leave.
Poor employee support and retention are two pitfalls that can be costly to any organization, that much goes without saying.
Of course that only paints part of the picture, consider the following drawbacks that if your leadership isn’t aware of, might help your case in getting a more modern process in place:
- Payroll Errors: We’re all human. Miscalculating pay during leave can be so easy to do accidentally and create hardship for employees and financial liabilities for the company.
- Compliance Risks: Leave laws are constantly evolving. In fact, Tilt regularly puts out Leave Law Reports just to help overworked HR leaders stay on top of the latest regulations. Missing a regulatory update due to manual oversight can result in hefty fines and reputational damage.
- Lost Productivity: The administrative drain of spreadsheets prevents HR from focusing on strategic initiatives that drive business growth.
The inefficiencies of manually tracking leave on a spreadsheet not only cost time and money, but also erode trust and loyalty among employees. It’s not too surprising that the facts show organizations relying on spreadsheets see lower employee satisfaction and retention rates after leave.
The Advantages of Modern Leave Management Software
Now that we’ve outlined most of the struggles of managing leave “the way you always have,” you can prove to leadership with hard data that doing so is untenable, bad for business, and it’s time to evolve beyond spreadsheets.
Leave management software like Tilt offers a lifeline.
Streamlining your leave process under one safe and secure digital roof transforms workflows, reduces errors, and ensures compliance with ever-changing regulations.
Okay, but what does “streamline” really mean? Well, how about:
- Automation: Say goodbye to manual data entry and calculations. Tilt automates repetitive tasks and syncs with your HRIS, saving HR teams countless hours. Pay calculations are automated too.
- Centralized Data: Real-time access to leave records and upcoming requests allows HR to make informed decisions and optimize workforce planning.
- Compliance Assurance: Tilt’s team of in-house leave law experts ensures the platform stays updated on leave laws, mitigating risks and protecting your organization’s reputation.
With modern leave software like Tilt in place, you can shift your focus from firefighting administrative issues to driving strategic initiatives that enhance employee satisfaction and organizational performance.
The Clear Path Forward for Leave of Absence Management
For HR leaders, the question is no longer whether to modernize leave management but how soon to do so.
The inefficiencies of spreadsheets are too costly to ignore, and the advantages of automated systems are too compelling to delay.
Take a moment to assess your current leave processes. Are they holding your organization back? Are they meeting the needs of your employees? Are they stressing you out to the max?
If so, it’s time to explore leave management software and unlock the strategic potential of your HR team (especially teams of one…we see you!). The path forward is clear: ditch the spreadsheets and embrace a solution designed for today’s workplace.
Tilt is leading the charge in all things leave of absence management through easy-to-use tech and human touch. Since 2017, our proprietary platform and Empathy Warriors have been helping customers make leave not suck by eliminating administrative burdens, keeping companies compliant, and providing a truly positive and supportive leave of absence experience for their people.
