A leave tracking spreadsheet is not a leave tracker - it's a liability
Spreadsheets record leave. They don't track it. The moment someone forgets to update a cell, a formula breaks, or two people save conflicting versions, your leave data becomes unreliable - and decisions get made on numbers you can't trust.
Always slightly out of date
A leave tracking spreadsheet is only as current as the last person who opened it. Employees ask HR for their balance, HR opens the file, realises it hasn't been updated since last week, and the cycle starts again.
Leave balances tracked manually
Every time an employee asks how many days they have left, someone has to open the tracker and do the maths - maintaining accurate annual leave balances in a spreadsheet requires formulas that break, assumptions that drift, and manual corrections that take hours.
No time off tracker app for your team
Field staff, remote workers, and anyone not sitting at a desktop can't easily submit a leave request or check their balance. They call HR, HR updates the spreadsheet, and the data lags even further behind reality.
No audit trail, no defensibility
A spreadsheet has no reliable record of who approved what, when, and based on what balance. If a leave decision is ever questioned, there's no history to point to - just a cell that might have been changed by anyone.
- Roy L, Head of IT
✗ Stale data, version conflicts
✗ Manual balance maths
✗ No mobile access
✗ No approval notifications
✗ No audit trail
✗ No clash detection
✓ Real-time, always accurate
✓ Automatic entitlement calc
✓ Free leave tracker app
✓ Instant push notifications
✓ Full timestamped audit log
✓ Cover rules enforced
An employee leave tracker that handles every leave type in one place
WhosOff is leave tracking software that keeps an accurate, real-time record of every employee's annual leave, sick days, WFH, and any other leave type your organisation uses - with balances that update automatically and reports that generate in one click.
Track every leave type
Annual leave, sick days, WFH, compassionate leave, TOIL - WhosOff tracks every leave type in the same employee leave tracker. One system, one view, no cross-referencing between separate spreadsheets or tools.
Real-time leave balance tracking
Every employee's annual leave tracker updates the moment a request is approved. Employees always see their exact remaining balance - no need to email HR, no stale figures from last week's booking.
One-click approvals from anywhere
Managers get instant notifications when a leave request lands and can approve or decline with one tap on any device or browser. The leave tracker updates instantly, no manual entry needed.
Automatic notifications & reminders
Approval notifications, request confirmations, and reminder alerts send automatically - so nothing slips through. Employees know the moment a decision is made, without having to chase anyone for an update.
Leave tracker reports for HR
Generate reports on leave taken, annual leave balances, by employee, team, or date range - instantly exportable. No pivot tables, no manual reconciliation before payroll runs
Free time off tracker app for every user
The WhosOff leave tracker app is free for every employee - iOS and Android. Employees submit requests, check balances, and view the team calendar from their phone. Managers approve on the go.
Catch leave conflicts before they're approved - not after they cause a problem
Because every employee sees the shared team holiday calendar before submitting a request, most clashes are avoided before they ever reach a manager. For those that slip through, WhosOff's cover rules catch them automatically.
Employees see the team calendar before requesting
The shared team leave calendar is visible directly in the leave request form - on the desktop site and the leave tracker app. Employees see who's already off before they submit, preventing most clashes at source.
Minimum cover rules enforced automatically
Set the minimum number of people required per team, and WhosOff enforces it automatically across every leave request - whether submitted via browser or the leave tracker application.
Blackout periods for key business dates
Lock specific dates - financial year-end, peak periods, key projects - so employees cannot book leave when you need full team availability. The rule runs automatically, no policing needed.
No need for over alerting
Instead of managers receiving alerts left, right, and center - WhosOff handles the minimum levels set out by HR, automatically. Staff are informed directly on screen if any rules are breached, allowing them to adjust their plans.
The leave tracker UK teams have relied on since 2005
Free leave tracker app for every user
The WhosOff annual leave tracker app is free for every employee - included on every plan, for iOS and Android. No extra mobile seat fee, no separate sign-up. Every employee gets the same full-featured time off tracker in their pocket.
Built for UK leave tracking rules
UK bank holiday are built in - ready to implement with one click - so your employee holiday tracker stays up to date without any manual configuration each year.
Cloud-based - live within the hour
WhosOff is fully cloud-based holiday tracking software. Nothing to install, no IT involvement needed. Sign up today, import your team, and your staff holiday tracker is live within the hour.
Real UK-based support
Our Canterbury team answers calls and emails Monday to Friday, 9am–5.30pm. No bots, no offshore queues - real people who know the product inside out.
WhosOff at a glance
2,500+
companies using WhosOff800k+
employees managed4.4★
average review score20 yrs
in business since 2005- Up to 8 weeks FREE trial
- No credit card required
- No setup fee or long-term contract
- Free leave tracker app for all users
- Leave & sick days tracked together
- Cyber Essentials certified
- G-Cloud Crown Commercial Services supplier
One calendar for every leave type - always current, always shared
The WhosOff team leave calendar is the engine of your staff leave tracker - showing every approved and pending absence in real time, colour-coded by leave type, accessible from the desktop site or the free leave tracker app.
Annual leave, sick days, and WFH - all in one view
Every leave type tracked by your organisation appears on the same shared calendar, colour-coded so managers can instantly understand the nature of every entry - not just that someone is absent.
Filter by leave type, team, or location
Need to see only annual leave across the company, or just one team's full leave picture? Filter the shared calendar instantly - on the desktop or the leave tracker application - in a single tap.
Pending requests visible as soon as they're submitted
Pending leave requests appear on the team calendar immediately - so colleagues planning their own time off see the full picture, including unconfirmed bookings, before they request the same dates.
Auto sync to Google Calendar & Outlook
Approved leave syncs automatically to Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar - so the team always knows who's off without logging into a separate leave tracker system.
Leave tracking spreadsheet vs WhosOff:
what actually changes
If your team is still using a spreadsheet as a leave tracker, here's a clear picture of exactly what changes - and what you stop doing manually - when you switch to dedicated leave tracking software.
| Leave tracking task | Spreadsheet | WhosOff |
| Submit a leave request | ✗ Email manager, update spreadsheet manually | ✓ Self-service, desktop or the free leave tracker app |
| Approve or decline requests | ✗ Reply to email, update tracker manually | ✓ One click from any device - decision notified instantly |
| Check remaining holiday leave balance | ✗ Ask HR or open the tracker and calculate | ✓ Visible to every employee, always current |
| View who's off across the team | ✗ Shared file, usually out of date | ✓ Real-time shared team holiday calendar |
| Prevent holiday clashes | ✗ No automatic checks - discovered after approval | ✓ Cover rules and team calendar prevent clashes proactively |
| UK bank holiday management | ✗ Added manually each year | ✓ Built in by region, one-click import |
| Mobile access for employees | ✗ Not designed for mobile use | ✓ Free staff leave tracker app for iOS and Android |
| Sync to Google Calendar or Outlook | ✗ Manual export | ✓ Automatic, no action needed |
| Holiday tracking reports for payroll | ✗ Manual pivot tables | ✓ One-click export to CSV or XLSX |
| Time to action a request | ~ Hours to days, dependent on email | ✓ Often minutes, via push notification |
2,500+ teams use the WhosOff
as their employee holiday tracker
"We now have greater accessibility across shifts with increased accuracy and visibility"
HR Manager
"If you’re thinking of moving to an online holiday planner, I’d advise you to do it sooner rather than later!"
Director
"WhosOff was a no-brainer for us, as everyone can easily access the system and see each other’s availability"
Content Manager
2,500+
Companies using WhosOff800,000+
Employees managed4.4★
Average review score20 yrs
in business since 2005Employee holiday tracker
questions, answered
Common questions about holiday tracking software and the WhosOff team holiday tracker.
What is leave tracker software?
What is the best annual leave tracker app for UK teams?
Is the WhosOff leave tracker app free?
Can WhosOff replace a leave tracking spreadsheet completely?
Can the employee leave tracker track multiple leave types, not just annual leave?
Can the staff leave tracker prevent leave clashes?
Does WhosOff sync with Google Calendar and Outlook?
What leave tracking reports does WhosOff produce?
How quickly can we get WhosOff set up as our leave tracker?
Ready to Replace Your Leave Tracking Spreadsheet?
Join over 2,500 teams that have switched to WhosOff - the employee leave tracker that stays accurate automatically, prevents clashes, and gives every employee a free time off tracker app.
Prefer to talk? Call +44 (0)1227 812932 or email our team - Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm