Workforce management · Leave
Leave management software: “how many days do I have left?” answered from the record
A leave request is opened from the phone, the manager is notified, and approved leave is posted automatically to the timesheet and the leave balance. Annual leave entitlement is calculated from seniority; employees see their remaining days and the stage of their request on their own screen.
What problem does leave management software solve?
The problem with leave is rarely the request itself; it is that the request leaves a scattered trail. The form sits in a folder, the approval in an e-mail, the remaining days in a spreadsheet. When an employee asks how many days they have left, the answer depends on someone’s arithmetic — and at month end the leave days are copied into the timesheet separately.
In this system the request, its approval, the balance and the timesheet entry are one record. Once approved, the days come off the balance and appear in the timesheet under the leave type; nothing has to be carried over by hand.
This page covers the leave side of the system: how entitlement is calculated, how a request moves, which leave types are kept apart and how documents are stored. The statutory calculation of annual leave in Türkiye is explained in the annual leave calculation guide, with a free calculator.
Annual leave tracker: the path of a request
The request starts on the employee’s phone; once approved it is written to both the balance and the timesheet.
Requested from the phone
The employee picks the leave type and dates, or a half day. The manager gets a push notification and an e-mail when the request is opened.
One- or two-level approval
If the company wants, approval has two levels: the line manager approves first, head office or HR gives final approval. The same person cannot give both.
Overlap check
Overlapping requests are checked; requests falling on the same days are caught before approval.
Balance updated at once
Approved leave comes off the balance; carried-over leave is shown separately. Employees see their remaining days themselves.
Posted to the timesheet
Approved days appear in the timesheet as a separate line by leave type; no leave forms are collected at month end.
Team leave calendar
Managers see their team’s leave on a calendar; who is away in a busy week is clear at a glance.
Employee leave tracking: how each leave type is kept
Leave types are kept apart because each has a different legal basis and a different effect on the balance.
| Leave type | Basis (Türkiye) | In the system |
|---|---|---|
| Annual paid leave | Labour Act 4857 art. 53 — 14 days for 1–5 years of service, 20 days for more than 5 and less than 15, 26 days for 15 years or more; at least 20 days for employees aged 18 or under and 50 or over | Entitlement calculated from seniority; approved leave comes off the balance |
| Marriage leave | Labour Act add. art. 2 — 3 days | Separate leave type; does not touch the annual leave balance |
| Paternity leave | Labour Act add. art. 2 — 10 days on the spouse giving birth | Separate leave type; does not touch the annual leave balance |
| Bereavement leave | Labour Act add. art. 2 — 3 days | Separate leave type; does not touch the annual leave balance |
| Sick leave | Doctor’s sick note | The note is attached to the request and stored encrypted |
| Maternity leave | Labour Act art. 74 | Separate leave type |
| Unpaid leave | Agreement of the parties | Separate leave type; separate timesheet line |
Statutory periods are for information; an employment contract or collective agreement may provide more. The obligation remains with the employer.
How are annual leave days counted?
The disputed parts of the count are defined once as rules and applied the same way to every request.
- Entitlement by seniority — annual leave is calculated from the employee’s seniority and age (art. 53); the entitlement date is known to the system.
- Holidays are not counted — national holidays, weekly rest days and public holidays falling within the leave are not counted as leave (art. 56); the public holiday calendar is part of the count.
- The Saturday rule — in a five-day workplace, whether Saturday counts as a leave day is part of the count; the basis for the debate is in the annual leave calculation guide.
- Half days — a half day can be requested and counts as half a day of leave.
- Carry-over — unused leave carries over to the next period and is shown separately in the balance.
- Taking leave in parts — the employer may not split annual leave; by agreement it may be taken in parts, one of which is at least ten days (art. 56). Each part is a separate request.
Who keeps sick notes and leave documents?
Documents such as sick notes are attached to the leave request and stored encrypted. Only the employee and the person approving the request can see them, and every view is logged. Health data is the most sensitive class of personal data; limiting how many people it passes through is the first step in protecting it.
A department head sees and approves only their own team’s requests. A branch manager cannot open the leave history of an employee in another branch; access comes from six ready-made roles (administrator, manager, HR, accounting, department head, employee) and company-specific roles can be defined.
Who sees what?
Employee
Sees remaining and carried-over leave, the approval stage of each request and past leave on the phone, and is notified when a decision is made.
Line manager
Approves or rejects the team’s requests and sees overlapping leave on the team calendar.
HR and head office
Gives final approval in two-level approval and exports the company’s leave data as CSV.
How do you move to leave tracking?
Upload the staff list
The staff list is bulk-uploaded from the panel by CSV; the start date is the basis of seniority and therefore of entitlement.
Bring your existing leave records
We review your current leave records with you during set-up; the transfer is planned around the format of your data and tested on a small sample first.
Choose the approval set-up
You decide whether approval has one or two levels and who gives each; department heads approve their own team.
Invite the employees
The staff panel opens in the browser and is added to the home screen; leave can be requested from the phone on day one.
Does the paper leave form disappear completely?
Under the Turkish Regulation on Paid Annual Leave, the employee notifies the employer in writing at least one month before the date on which they wish to take leave (art. 7); the leave board or employer is not bound by the requested dates (art. 8). The employer also keeps a leave record showing each employee’s annual leave (Labour Act art. 56).
The request and approval in the system carry the date, the people and the decision, and can be exported. Whether to also collect a signed paper request is a decision for your workplace and your legal adviser; for workplaces that want one, there is a free annual leave request form template.
Spreadsheets versus leave management software
A spreadsheet looks free; its cost shows up in balance disputes and the month-end timesheet.
| Spreadsheet and paper form | Leave management software | |
|---|---|---|
| Request | Letter or e-mail; date and recipient can be unclear | Opened from the phone; time and requester are recorded |
| Approval | Signature or reply e-mail, kept elsewhere | One or two levels; approver and time are recorded |
| Balance | Separate file, updated by hand | Updated on approval; employees see it themselves |
| Timesheet | Leave days entered by hand at month end | Approved days posted automatically |
| Documents | Photocopy of the sick note in a folder | Stored encrypted; every view logged |
| Overlaps | May go unnoticed | Overlapping requests are checked |
Six common annual leave mistakes in Türkiye
Whatever software you use, most annual leave disputes come from these six points. Basis: Labour Act No. 4857.
- Relying on an “I don’t want leave” note. The right to annual paid leave cannot be waived (art. 53); such a note does not remove it.
- Counting holidays as leave. National holidays, weekly rest days and public holidays falling within the leave are not counted as leave (art. 56).
- Splitting leave unilaterally. The employer may not split annual leave; splitting requires agreement, with one part of at least ten days (art. 56).
- Deducting other leave from annual leave. Other paid or unpaid leave granted by the employer during the year may not be offset against annual leave (art. 56); compassionate leave is also separate (add. art. 2).
- Paying leave pay late. Pay for the leave period is paid in advance, before the leave starts (art. 57).
- Forgetting unused leave on exit. However the contract ends, earned but unused leave is paid at the wage on the termination date (art. 59). A record-based, current balance prevents a dispute on the last day.
Sources
The article references in this guide are based on these official texts (in Turkish). Legislation can change; check the current text before acting.
Leave management software — frequently asked questions
Can a request be approved first by the line manager and then by HR?
Yes. With two-level approval switched on, the line manager approves first and HR or head office gives final approval; the same person cannot give both levels. The employee follows the stage of the request on the phone.
Does marriage or paternity leave come off annual leave?
No. Marriage, paternity and bereavement leave are separate leave types in the system; approved leave is posted to the timesheet but does not touch the annual leave balance. The periods are in additional article 2 of the Turkish Labour Act: 3 days for marriage and bereavement, 10 days on the spouse giving birth.
What happens to our old leave records when we switch?
The staff list is bulk-uploaded by CSV; the start date is the basis of seniority and entitlement. We review your existing leave records with you during set-up; if they are in a usable format they are transferred, after a test transfer of a small sample.
Can a branch manager see leave for an employee in another branch?
No. A department head sees and approves only their own team’s leave requests. Company-wide access sits with roles such as administrator, manager and HR; roles can be adjusted per company.
How far in advance should an employee request leave?
Under the Turkish Regulation on Paid Annual Leave, the employee gives written notice at least one month before the date on which they wish to take leave (art. 7). The leave board or employer is not bound by the requested dates (art. 8). The system records when the request was opened, so how far in advance it was made is not disputed later.
Who can see an employee’s sick note?
The note is stored encrypted; only the employee and the person approving the request can see it, and every view is logged. A department head can access only their own team’s requests.
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