What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your leave of absence spreadsheet tracker? Is it the color scheme that only you and a code cracker can decipher? Is it that one broken equation that’s too entangled in other spreadsheets to fix so you’ve just been manually entering in details for months? Is it the uneasy feeling that some percentage of your data hasn’t been updated and that if there were an audit, you’re certain discrepancies would surface?
Is it, “Wait, why are we still using spreadsheets for something so complex and important?”
The good news (or bad news depending on how you view it) is that you are NOT alone in the leave tracking spreadsheet nightmare. That’s why more and more People Ops and HR pros are adopting a modern leave-of-absence solution that makes managing leaves of absence automated, compliant, and stress-free.
Accurately tracking leaves is vital to your workflow, but also can be an impediment to getting your [4-letter word] done and achieving your org’s business objectives. To make sure your t’s are crossed and lower-case j’s dotted, let’s go over what your spreadsheet needs to include to be as compliant and comprehensive as today’s dedicated leave management software.
Why Accurate Leave Tracking Is Important
The importance of accurate leave tracking extends beyond workforce planning and being able to determine how many FMLA hours an employee has left, though both of those are critical benefits to accurate tracking no doubt.
The deeper significance of having accurate leave tracking is your organization’s reliance on compliance. And while “reliance on compliance” is really fun to say out loud, it’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly and underscores the importance of keeping your spreadsheets as current as they are comprehensive. If your organization gets audited for any reason related to leave it’s not only time-consuming to verify accuracy retroactively, but it can be quite costly.
Why Secure Leave Tracking Is Important
Leave tracking accuracy is only half of the equation when it comes to compliance, ensuring your spreadsheet is secure digitally is paramount. This doesn’t necessarily mean to have your spreadsheet under your sole lock and key, because if you’re the only one that can access the document and you leave the organization then you’re SOL.
Similarly, your spreadsheet (if it includes what it needs to include) contains sensitive data, so it shouldn’t be able to be emailed freely or given access to people within your organization who shouldn’t have access.
What A Comprehensive Leave Tracking Spreadsheet Should Include
Without a dedicated leave tracking software, there’s a good chance your manual spreadsheet has some, but not all, of the items that need to be tracked throughout the course of a leave of absence for all leaves in your organization. As alluded to above, implementing an access control plan for your leave tracking spreadsheet(s) should be a top priority, so with that in place, let’s break down what details you need to track and update regularly for accuracy if you aren’t already (order in the way that makes the most sense for your organization).
- Employee ID (if applicable)
- Employee Name
- State
- Work Start Date
- Exempt Status
- Part-time/Full-time
- Contact email
- Leave Type
- Reason for Leave
- Employee Manager
- Leave Start Date
- Leave End Date
- FMLA Eligibility
- FMLA Hours Used
- Total Leave Time Taken
- Continuous or Intermittent
- Pay rate
- Eligibility for Company Benefits
- State Benefit Eligibility
- State Benefits Days Used (if applicable)
- Short-Term Disability Eligibility
- ADA Eligibility
That might seem like a lot…okay, it is a lot, especially if you’re having to verify and update data manually on a regular basis, but ensuring these items are tracked accurately throughout a leave journey is critical to maintaining compliant leave records and administering a supported leave for your people.
In order to accomplish this with a spreadsheet, you’ll need to ensure you have an airtight workflow with seamless access to leave information that lives both inside and outside of your organization’s purview (like from the state or your carrier, for example). You’ll need to do all of this, of course, while accommodating any questions from your employees that may pop up about their leave scenario and being their guide all the way through their reboarding when their leave is finished.
Additionally, accurately tracking and securely storing leave data can have a lasting effect on trust from both your organization’s leadership as well as the employees themselves. So when you’re evaluating whether to stick with the old way of doing things or move to a more modern solution, the list above will help get you on the path to leave tracking compliance…and is a good opportunity to fix that broken equation that’s been mucking up your mojo.
About Tilt
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.
