Digital Vacation Planning: End Excel Chaos

Vacation planning is one of the most time-consuming administrative tasks in many companies. Requests via email, approvals on paper, overviews in Excel – there’s an easier way. In this article, we show how digital vacation planning works.

The Problems of Manual Vacation Planning

Problem 1: Confusing Requests

Vacation requests come via email, WhatsApp, or verbally. Some get lost, others are forgotten. Who actually requested vacation when?

Problem 2: Slow Approval

The supervisor is in a meeting, then on vacation, then forgot. Employees wait days for an answer.

Problem 3: No Overall Overview

Who’s away when? Do vacations overlap? Does the team have enough capacity? These questions are difficult to answer with Excel.

Problem 4: Remaining Leave Chaos

How many vacation days does everyone still have? The calculation is error-prone, especially with part-time, carryover, and special leave.

The Benefits of Digital Vacation Planning

1. Transparent Requests

• Employees submit requests in seconds via the app
• All requests documented in one place
• Automatic notification to the approver

2. Fast Approval

• Approval with one click – even mobile
• Immediate notification to the employee
• Complete documentation of all decisions

3. Live Team Calendar

• All absences at a glance
• Conflict warnings for overlaps
• Capacity planning becomes easy

4. Automatic Calculation

• Remaining leave automatically updated
• Carryover from previous year considered
• Part-time and special leave correctly calculated

Step by Step: Digitizing Vacation Planning

Step 1: Record Basic Data

Start with the basics:

• Annual vacation entitlement per employee
• Carryover from previous year
• Special arrangements (e.g., tenure-based)

Step 2: Define the Process

Clarify the approval process:

• Who approves whose vacation?
• Are there substitute arrangements?
• What blackout periods exist (e.g., year-end)?

Step 3: Set Up the System

Configure your digital system:

• Define vacation types (annual leave, special leave, unpaid)
• Set up approval hierarchy
• Enable notifications

Step 4: Onboard the Team

Get everyone up to speed:

• Show the app features
• Explain the new process
• Answer questions

Best Practices for Vacation Planning

Tip 1: Encourage Early Planning

Give your team incentives to plan vacation early:

• Annual planning round in January
• Preferred treatment for early requests
• Transparency about popular times

Tip 2: Define Minimum Staffing

Establish:

• How many employees must be present per team?
• The system automatically warns when understaffed
• Conflicts become visible before they arise

Tip 3: Arrange Substitutes

• Specify vacation substitute when submitting request
• Automatic information to the substitute
• Provide handover checklists

Tip 4: Monitor Remaining Leave

• Regular reminders to employees with lots of remaining leave
• Annual planning for even distribution
• Send expiration warnings in time

Vacation Planning in Crew Active

In Crew Active, vacation planning is seamlessly integrated:

For Employees

• Vacation request in the app in 30 seconds
• Remaining leave viewable anytime
• Team calendar for coordination
• Immediate notification upon approval/rejection

For Supervisors

• Push notification for new requests
• Team overview before approval
• One-click approval or rejection
• Comment field for follow-up questions

For Administration

• Overall overview of all vacations
• Export for payroll
• Reports on vacation distribution
• Automatic calculation of all entitlements

Special Case: Digital Sick Leave

The same logic applies to sick leave:

1. Employee reports sick – in the app or by call
2. System documents date and time
3. Scheduling is updated – automatically
4. Team is informed – without phone chains
5. Doctor’s note can be uploaded

KPIs to Keep in Mind

KPI	Why Important
Average approval time	Employee satisfaction
Vacation distribution across year	Even workload
Remaining leave at year-end	Avoid expiration
Short-notice requests	Predictability
Rejection rate	Culture and process

Conclusion: Vacation Planning Can Be Simple

Digital vacation planning doesn’t just save time – it also increases satisfaction for everyone involved:

• Employees have transparency and quick answers
• Supervisors can approve from anywhere
• HR/Administration has all data in one place
• The company plans better and avoids conflicts

Switching to digital vacation planning is one of the quick wins of digitalization: low effort, big effect. It also pairs well with digital scheduling tools — for more on that, check out our tips for creating shift schedules.

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