Are you tired of juggling time off requests with emails and spreadsheets? 

You're not alone. 

According to a recent HR Tech survey, nearly 63% of companies still rely on manual processes to manage employee leave, leading to errors, delays, and miscommunication.

Key takeways

• Using spreadsheets, emails, or wall charts to manage leave may work temporarily, but they often lead to errors, confusion, and lost productivity.
• Automating time off requests, approvals, and tracking reduces admin workload and speeds up the entire process.
• Real-time updates ensure leave balances are correct, helping HR teams comply with internal policies and employment regulations.
•  Integrated calendars and dashboards let teams easily see who's on leave, reducing conflicts and improving planning.
• The best leave management software includes a responsive design or a dedicated employee leave management app to manage requests anytime, anywhere.
• Tools like AgilityPortal support custom leave types, approval workflows, and region-specific policies—ideal for growing businesses.
• Many platforms combine leave request software, absence management software, and time tracking software to give a complete view of workforce availability.
•  Whether you're looking for the best leave request software or a free leave management system, options like AgilityPortal provide value without complexity.

Why You Should Ditch Spreadsheets - How Leave Request Software Transforms Time Off Management

Are you still managing employee leave with post-it notes, endless email threads, or a shared calendar?

You're not alone—but these outdated methods are more trouble than they're worth. They may seem simple at first, but they quickly become unmanageable as your team grows. Manual processes create a lack of visibility, increase the chance of human error, and make tracking leave balances a nightmare.

For instance, one of our clients—a fast-growing creative agency in London—relied on a wall-mounted calendar for holiday tracking. At first, it worked. But as more staff joined and leave dates changed, the calendar became cluttered with scribbles, cross-outs, and sticky notes. Approvals got missed. Conflicts went unnoticed. It became impossible to track who was off and when.

This is exactly why over 7,500 businesses have moved to digital tools like Leave Request Software and an Online Leave Management System.

These systems solve common time-off headaches by allowing you to:

• Submit leave requests from any device—no paperwork, no chasing managers
• View accurate, real-time leave balances
• Avoid overlapping holidays with full team visibility
• Approve or decline requests instantly, straight from your inbox

In the sections ahead, we'll show you how switching to a digital leave management system can save your HR team hours of admin work—while giving your employees the transparency and convenience they expect.

Benefits of Using Leave Request Software 

Implementing a reliable leave request software offers significant advantages for businesses of all sizes. Whether you run a small startup or a growing enterprise, switching from manual processes to a digital leave management system helps you save time, reduce errors, and improve transparency across your organization.

One of the biggest benefits is efficiency. Instead of handling leave through emails or spreadsheets, a simple leave request software like AgilityPortal allows employees to submit time off requests with just a few clicks. Managers receive real-time notifications, enabling faster approvals and streamlined communication.

Another advantage is accuracy. With a digital absence management software, leave balances are automatically updated, reducing discrepancies and avoiding overuse or mismanagement of paid time off. This also helps HR teams maintain compliance with company policies and labor laws.

Using an employee leave management app also boosts visibility. Integrated calendars let teams see who's off and when—minimizing scheduling conflicts and improving resource planning. Features like absence insights and custom leave types give businesses full control over how time off is tracked and managed.

For companies that want to go a step further, advanced tools combine leave tracking software with time tracking software, giving you an all-in-one view of attendance and productivity.

Overall, investing in the best leave management software not only improves HR operations but also supports employee satisfaction by making the process fair, fast, and transparent.

Features to Look for in Leave Request Software

When choosing the right leave request software for your business, it's essential to focus on features that streamline your processes, reduce administrative work, and improve transparency for both employees and managers.

• User-Friendly Interface - The software should be intuitive and easy to navigate for all users—whether it's HR, team leads, or employees requesting leave. A clean dashboard with clear options helps minimize training and boosts adoption.
• Real-Time Leave Balances - Employees should be able to view their remaining leave allowance at a glance. This reduces back-and-forth with HR and helps prevent overbooking or conflicts.
• Approval Workflows - Look for tools that support multi-level approvals and send automatic notifications to managers. This ensures faster responses and a documented approval trail.
• Calendar Integration - A great leave management app should sync with popular tools like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams. This helps teams see who's off and when, avoiding scheduling issues.
• Custom Leave Types & Policies - The best leave request software allows customization for different types of leave—annual, sick, maternity/paternity, unpaid, and more—plus support for varied accrual rules or regional policies.
• Reporting & Exports - Built-in reporting tools and export options (e.g., Excel or CSV) are crucial for HR audits, payroll processing, and workforce planning.
• Mobile Accessibility - Ensure the system includes a mobile-friendly version or a dedicated employee leave management app, so requests and approvals can be managed on the go.

What is a Casual Leave Application (And Why It's Time to Move On)?

A casual leave application is a formal request submitted by an employee to take time off for short-term, personal reasons—typically for errands, emergencies, or family matters that don't require detailed justification.

Traditionally, this request is written as a formal note or email and includes details such as:

• Date of submission
• Recipient (usually a manager or HR)
• Subject line (e.g., Request for Casual Leave)
• Requested leave dates
• Brief reason for the leave
• Contact availability during absence
• Closing statement and thank you

Many companies still rely on this manual method—through emails, Word docs, or printed forms—because it's familiar and easy to implement at a basic level. 

It feels formal and structured. However, as teams grow and remote work becomes the norm, this old-school process starts to break down.

Why it's not working anymore:

• Difficult to track: Emails get buried, and managers often miss requests.
• No central record: HR has to dig through inboxes or folders to track leave history.
• Time-consuming: Approvals take longer and involve back-and-forth messages.
• Prone to errors: Manual inputs often lead to overlapping leave or missed updates.

In today's fast-paced work environment, businesses need more than emails and spreadsheets—they need efficiency and visibility.

That's why modern companies are switching to Leave Request Software and an Online Leave Management System. These platforms allow employees to request time off in seconds, while HR and managers get instant access to calendars, leave balances, and approval workflows—all in one place.

The future of casual leave management is automated, trackable, and mobile-friendly. It's time to leave paper trails behind and embrace technology that actually works for growing teams.

How to Submit a Time Off Request That Streamlines Your Entire Process

We all know submitting time off request should be easy, not a hassle. 

Yet many businesses still rely on outdated methods like email chains, printed forms, or spreadsheets—leading to delays, lost requests, and miscommunication. 

The solution? 

A simple leave request software that brings structure, speed, and visibility to the entire process.

AgilityPortal's Leave Request module is designed to do just that. With this powerful yet easy-to-use tool, employees can submit leave requests in just a few clicks—from their desktop or mobile device. They simply log in, choose their leave dates, select the leave type (e.g., sick, vacation, personal), and submit. The system instantly notifies the right manager or approver, who can approve or deny the request directly within the platform.

This streamlined digital process replaces manual tracking with real-time visibility. Employees always know how much leave they have left, while managers can quickly check who's off to avoid overlapping time off or staffing gaps.

Unlike traditional systems, AgilityPortal acts as a complete online leave management system that centralizes records, automates workflows, and generates insightful reports—all while keeping everyone in sync.

Using a simple leave request software like AgilityPortal reduces HR admin workload, speeds up approvals, and creates a more organized, transparent leave management process. 

It's the smart way to manage time off—efficient for managers, effortless for employees.

How to Submit a Time Off Request with AgilityPortal

Managing time off should be effortless—and that's exactly what AgilityPortal delivers with its Leave Request module. 

Here's how your employees can check their leave balance, view team availability, and submit time off requests—all in just a few clicks.

When an employee logs into AgilityPortal, they land on their digital leave dashboard:

From here, they can instantly see their remaining annual leave balance and a real-time view of who else is off. For example, in the dashboard above, you can see that Thomas has 30 days of leave remaining.

Suppose Thomas wants a week off in the first week of August. 

He has two easy ways to request this:

1. Click and drag over the desired dates on the calendar
2. Use the "Request Leave" button in the top-right corner to enter specific dates

Next, he selects the leave type—such as Holiday, Sick Leave, Training, or Maternity—and adds an optional note explaining the reason for his time off.

If there's a conflict—like another team member already booked off during the same time—AgilityPortal will automatically notify Thomas:

"Staff clash: Maximum team capacity reached for this period."

From there, he can easily review the team calendar, spot any overlaps, and adjust his request accordingly. If it's something urgent, he can also contact his manager directly for an exception, which can be overridden by the admin if necessary.

This visibility is a game changer for teams like yours. Before using AgilityPortal, many companies relied on spreadsheets and manual updates, which led to missed requests and double bookings. Now, everything's centralized, automated, and accessible—whether your team's in the office or remote.

Using spreadsheets to manage time off—something Sarah, the Operations Manager at Horizon Media, compared to using a manual cash register in a contactless world—made it challenging for her team to access accurate, up-to-date leave information. This lack of clarity often discouraged employees from booking time off with confidence.

After transitioning to our leave request software, Sarah's team now has instant visibility into their leave balances and can easily view which dates are available. Submitting time off requests is now quick, simple, and completely hassle-free.

Bonus Features of AgilityPortal's Leave Request Software 

By now, we've covered the core functionality of AgilityPortal's Leave Request module—giving your team the ability to book time off effortlessly, and making it just as easy for managers to approve or decline those requests.

But that's just the beginning.

AgilityPortal comes packed with additional features designed to simplify leave management even further and support smarter HR decisions. These are the tools our customers love most—because they save time, reduce manual work, and improve team visibility.

• Group Bookings & Lock Dates - Need to schedule a company-wide shutdown or block out dates during peak business periods? With AgilityPortal, you can create group leave bookings and set lock dates to prevent time off during critical periods like audits, events, or seasonal peaks.
• Calendar & App Integrations - AgilityPortal integrates seamlessly with tools your team already uses—like Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Outlook, and Slack. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth updates. For example, the team at Pulse Digital Studio switched to AgilityPortal after their previous tool couldn't sync with Slack, which caused constant confusion about who was off and when.
• Individual Employee Profiles - Each team member has a personalized profile where HR can manage leave balances, track time off in lieu, and apply custom policies. For instance, Glow Interiors gives long-serving staff additional days after five years—AgilityPortal makes it easy to automate and adjust this on a per-user basis.
• Absence Insights & Burnout Warnings - AgilityPortal's advanced insights help you monitor usage patterns and flag employees who haven't taken a break in a while. This promotes better work-life balance and helps prevent burnout—something the leadership team at NeoTech Innovations values deeply as part of their culture.
• Daily & Weekly Digest Emails - Managers can opt-in for daily or weekly email digests showing who's off and when—no need to log in every time you need a quick overview. Daniel Robins, Director at CloudFrame IT, says, "The weekly summary keeps me updated without the hassle. It's like having a personal HR assistant in my inbox."
• Exportable Reports for Payroll - All leave data can be exported in Excel format, making it simple to sync with your payroll systems or share with finance and leadership teams.

Leave Request Software FAQs

What is Absence Management Software? 

Absence management software, leave management software, and time tracking software often overlap in functionality, which can make it difficult to distinguish between them. However, each plays a specific role in helping businesses streamline workforce management.

At its core, absence management software helps HR teams and managers monitor, track, and manage employee absences—whether it's sick leave, personal days, or unexplained absences. It provides visibility into time-off trends, such as employees consistently taking sick days or others not using their entitled leave, which helps prevent burnout and supports better planning.

Like leave management software, absence management solutions also allow employees to request time off, while giving managers the ability to approve or decline requests. These tools keep records centralized, ensure compliance with company policies, and support accurate reporting.

Additionally, many platforms combine absence tracking with time tracking software, enabling organizations to monitor work hours, overtime, and breaks alongside leave records. This creates a unified view of employee availability and productivity.

It's important to note that while some businesses use standalone absence management software, others prefer an all-in-one solution—like AgilityPortal—that integrates leave requests, time tracking, and HR tools in one seamless platform.

How Do I Create an Online Leave Management System?

Many small businesses start by trying to build their own online leave management system. 

It's a practical idea at first—especially when budgets are tight and the team is small. The goal is simple: find a cost-effective way to manage staff leave without paying for premium software.

Initially, this might involve using Excel spreadsheets and a shared Google or Outlook calendar to track leave manually. But while this DIY approach can work temporarily, it often introduces more problems than it solves.

Manual systems are time-consuming, error-prone, and rarely scale well as your team grows. They also struggle to adapt to evolving leave policies, multi-location teams, or the need for real-time visibility. Approvals get delayed, records become outdated, and reporting is nearly impossible without hours of admin work.

That's where dedicated leave tracking software comes in.

Platforms like AgilityPortal offer a purpose-built leave management system that automates the entire process—from submitting time off requests and managing approvals, to tracking leave balances and generating reports. It's all in one place, accessible from any device, and designed to grow with your business.

Instead of spending time maintaining spreadsheets and chasing approvals, let AgilityPortal streamline your leave management—saving you time, reducing admin overhead, and improving accuracy.

HR Software vs. Leave Request Software: Which Is Right for Your Business? 

One of the most common questions among growing businesses is whether to invest in a full HR software suite or opt for a dedicated leave request software solution. 

The answer depends on your company's size, structure, and specific needs.

HR software typically offers a broad range of tools—including digital timesheets, recruitment tracking, onboarding workflows, performance evaluations, and payroll integration. These features are ideal for larger organizations or HR departments that need an all-in-one platform to manage the entire employee lifecycle.

However, for many small to midsize businesses, this can be overkill. If you're primarily looking to streamline time off requests and manage employee leave efficiently, investing in a comprehensive HR system might mean paying for features you'll rarely use.

That's where a dedicated solution like AgilityPortal's Leave Request Software comes in. 

It focuses on what you need most—quick and easy leave requests, real-time leave tracking, approval workflows, and absence visibility—without unnecessary complexity or extra costs.

In short:

• HR software is better if you need full HR management capabilities.
• Leave request software is ideal if your main goal is to simplify and automate leave management.

Looking for more insight? Check out our full guide on how to choose the best annual leave software for your business.

What is the best leave management software that's free to use? 

If you're a small business or startup, finding the best leave management software free of charge is a top priority. Fortunately, there are several solutions that offer basic functionality at no cost. 

These tools typically include features like leave request submissions, approval workflows, and calendar integration. However, free versions often come with limitations—such as restricted users or lack of support.

For growing teams in need of scalability and support, platforms like AgilityPortal offer affordable plans with all the benefits of a simple leave request software, including mobile access, real-time updates, and a self-service dashboard for employees.

Is there annual leave software available in the UK that's also free?

Yes, if you're based in the UK and looking for annual leave software UK, there are free and low-cost options available. 

A free leave management system can help UK businesses stay compliant with local leave policies while streamlining holiday bookings.

Tools like AgilityPortal's leave management app offer robust functionality tailored to UK businesses, including bank holiday visibility, automated accrual tracking, and seamless integration with shared calendars—making it an ideal staff holiday booking system free alternative.

What's the best PTO tracking software for small teams?

For smaller teams, the best PTO tracking software is one that's intuitive, affordable, and easy to set up. 

A dedicated employee leave management app like AgilityPortal simplifies the process of booking holidays, approving time off, and managing leave balances.

Unlike bulky HR systems, AgilityPortal is a simple leave request software designed for usability, making it one of the best leave request software options on the market—especially for teams that want flexibility, scalability, and a great user experience.

What is a staff time management system?

A staff time management system is a tool designed to help businesses track employee working hours, manage time off, and improve productivity. These systems often include features like clock-in/out tracking, leave request workflows, and reporting dashboards. 

A modern solution like AgilityPortal also acts as a solution that transforms time off management, streamlining processes such as PTO approvals and team scheduling in one centralized platform.

How is HR time management software different from standard time tracking

HR time management software is more comprehensive than basic time tracking tools. It not only monitors employee hours but also integrates with other HR functions like performance reviews, payroll, and leave policies. 

Platforms like AgilityPortal offer a full suite of features that combine timesheet management and absence tracking, helping HR teams save time and stay compliant.

Does AgilityPortal integrate with Sage for time tracking?

While AgilityPortal offers its own robust timesheet management module, many users ask about integrations with tools like Sage Time and Sage Project Timesheets. 

Although direct integration isn't native, data exports from AgilityPortal can be formatted for Sage imports, allowing businesses to align PTO management with Sage's powerful financial and project tracking features.