7 Benefits of Automating Time-Off Requests

Automation moves the HR tech industry forward. And Paycom’s latest award proves it. Our automated time-off request feature, GONE^®, was named a 2024 Top HR Product by Human Resource Executive magazine. Each year, the publication recognizes the best tech introduced to the market over a 12-month period. Time-off decisions are a hassle for everyone. Take managers, for example. When they get a time-off request — or several closer to a holiday — most HR software makes them approve or deny it. If the supervisor manually calculates coverage while overloaded with other tasks, an employee has to wait. Whether the manager approves or denies the request, the days (or weeks) it took them to respond — if at all — can spur their team members to:

• cancel plans because of a delayed approval
• blame their leaders for an unclear scheduling policy
• miss a slim window to book affordable travel
• abandon the trust their employer painstakingly built with them

Not to mention the ever-changing regulatory landscape. Legislation like predictive scheduling laws require employers to carefully balance time and attendance — or potentially face fines and other costly penalties for perceived time-off favoritism. These frustrations seem like the name of the game when it comes to managing time off. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

What are automated time-off requests?

Automated time-off requests allow you to set a variety of time-off decision-making criteria for timely resolutions that abide by company policies and meet departmental needs. When an employee submits a time-off request, software automates the decision, removing the manager from the process and providing an immediate approval or denial based on the employer’s set policies. Approved decisions flow to payroll, scheduling, the employee’s timecard, accruals and the manager’s time-off calendar of choice.

Why should HR automate time-off requests?

Reviewing time-off requests is another tedious, yet necessary aspect of a supervisor’s role. Even when it’s a seemingly routine process, every decision takes time and conscious effort. With enough volume, the practice results in:

• delays
• errors
• employee frustration
• time lost for managers to lead

Outdated processes around time-off decisions can cause staffing shortages and costly errors and create unnecessary work for managers, HR administrators and finance staff responsible for chasing down supervisors to approve requests or provide updated accruals for their employees. Manual processes can also be the driver of a negative employee experience because workers are forced to wait days or even weeks for a decision, if they receive one at all. But just because reviewing time-off requests involves choice doesn’t mean it can’t be automated. GONE is a revolutionary feature of Paycom’s Time-Off Requests tool. The tech allows you to set a variety of time-off decision-making criteria to ensure operations keep moving. This makes it easy to provide prompt responses to time-off requests without compromising schedule coverage. It also offers the potential for significant bottom-line benefits. According to the Forrester Consulting study, a composite organization had a projected ROI of up to 821% over three years with GONE. Once GONE is set up, Paycom takes care of the rest, with automated decisions flowing seamlessly and accurately into payroll.

How do automated time-off requests work?

GONE doesn’t just calculate allowances or notify employees. It automates the decisions around time-off requests and:

• gives employees immediate responses
• frees supervisors from time-consuming reviews
• saves HR pros from being constant mediators
• protects executive leadership from understaffing and noncompliance

When setting up GONE, HR pros and admins can establish rules for time-off requests. This opens the door to fair and consistent approvals without the need for managers to:

• log in to Paycom
• reference leave policies
• manually approve or deny requests

GONE also standardizes the approval process to ensure fairness and timeliness. For instance, if a company has a policy that gives senior members priority for time off, HR can set GONE to automatically check employee tenure and accordingly resolve conflicting requests — without manager intervention. GONE doesn’t completely remove supervisors from the process, either. They always have the option to override an automated decision with reasoning — like if a leader knows staffing needs will be met despite a lower head count. Whatever the rationale, GONE immediately conveys it to an affected employee. By automating time-off requests, employers ensure standardization across their organizations. The result? Greater compliance help, agile leadership and more equitable workplaces.

7 benefits of automated time-off requests and leave management

Processing time-off requests raises bigger obstacles than you might think. With the chance for regulatory issues, frustrated employees and a mountain of administrative labor, automation through GONE gives enterprises a multifaceted edge. Here are just seven of its biggest benefits.

1. Decrease errors

We all make mistakes. That’s what makes us human. Unfortunately, this truth doesn’t help address double-booking employees or an empty schedule during a retailer’s busiest sale. GONE shields your organization from blunders like this by verifying a time-off request can be approved before it has a chance to hurt operations. It also helps protect employees from the frustration of lost requests.

Prevent overpayment of leave benefits

With a manual time-off process, decisions are often approved late, after the fact or not at all, yielding additional cost liabilities. GONE’s customizable rules help avoid lulls in business spurred by too many absences. You could limit the total approved requests for a specific day or even set blackout periods for busier times, preventing overpayment of leave benefits and ensuring staffing needs are met.

Avoid missed paid time-off payments

Even better, GONE automatically ensures approved time-off requests reflect in payroll and schedules, so HR and your managers don’t have to and your business avoids missed paid time-off payments.

Maintain accurate time-off accruals

A disconnected set of payroll, HR, and time and attendance tools obscure time-off accruals from the people who need to see them. GONE is just one example of how Paycom’s single software simplifies tasks through automation and provides accurate, real-time visibility into employees’ time-off information.

2. Eliminate time-consuming tasks

The more time HR and managers spend in the administrative weeds, the less time they have to drive business forward. By automating the choices involved with approving and denying time-off requests, HR and managers secure a new lease on their roles. Instead of reconciling schedules, they can:

• focus on strategic initiatives
• support executive vision and goals
• engage and retain more employees

And it’s not just possible. It’s proven. The Forrester Consulting study found companies using GONE annually saved:

• nearly one workweek* of unproductive hours for each manager
• nearly 200 hours for HR, finance and admin staff
• up to 240 hours in avoidable overtime

3. Reduce bias and discrimination

No employee wants to be treated unfairly. But human error and snap judgment unintentionally can create a sense of favoritism and a toxic workplace. After all, how would you feel if you were denied a Black Friday off for the fifth year in a row, while your co-workers who have been on the job for less than a year excitedly talk about their plans for an extended holiday weekend? With inconsistent rules around leave, morale takes a hit. GONE removes the bias by ensuring time-off policies are applied uniformly to everyone. Consider it your foundation for a more equitable environment.

4. Help ensure compliance

With GONE, HR easily can set rules to grant time-off requests while helping avoid noncompliant approvals in a quick, appropriate fashion. For example, GONE helps ensure the consistency of a first-come, first-served requirement if your policy calls for it. Or you could give priority to employees who have requested the least amount of time off.

5. Improved employee experience

GONE instantly approves or denies employees’ time-off requests based on company policies and departmental needs, eliminating uncertainty and ensuring fair and transparent decisions. GONE builds trust in employees by helping them better plan their lives, not linger in limbo without a clear timeline.

6. Real-time information and updates

When a decision is automated by GONE, the employee is immediately notified. This eliminates uncertainty for employees about time-off rules and expectations and helps provide quick resolutions to requests without managers or HR being caught in time-off denial disputes.

7. Streamlined workforce management

Manually managing time-off requests drains your time and your bottom line. But when you automate decisions with GONE, you turn those losses into gains and streamline workforce management. The customization and ease of use eliminate tedious reviews, give employees the transparency and autonomy they deserve, and ensure your operations keep moving. Download the commissioned Forrester Consulting New Technology Total Economic Impact™ study to learn what GONE can do for your business.

A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Paycom (October 2024). Results are for a composite organization based on interviewed clients with a three-year projected ROI of 102%-821% and savings of up to 192 hours for HR, finance and admin teams.

^*Refers to a traditional 40-hour workweek.