Blog
Guides, tips, and best practices for managing team leave and integrations.
pro plan Moving From a Free Leave Plan to Pro: What Changes and What Doesn't
What actually happens when you upgrade your leave management from free to Pro: no migration, the same data, a fixed monthly price, and a safe way back down if you ever need it.
leave management 7 Signs Your Team Has Outgrown a Free Leave Tracker
A free leave tracker is the right start for a small team. Here are the seven signs it's time to move up, from a second office to Slack approvals, and what each one costs you if you wait.
vacation tracker alternative A Cheaper Alternative to Vacation Tracker
Want a cheaper alternative to Vacation Tracker? Absenca is free for up to 10 people, and Pro is $37.50 a month for up to 50. Here's the honest comparison.
pto The Best Way to Track PTO for a Small Team
For a small team, the best way to track PTO is a lightweight leave tool with a shared calendar, one-click approvals and real balances — not a spreadsheet and not a full HRIS. Here's how to choose.
google chat How to Track Time Off When Your Team Uses Google Chat
Three ways to track time off when your team uses Google Chat: a manual space, Calendar out-of-office, or a leave system alongside it. What each costs.
slack Leave Management for Slack and Microsoft Teams: The Options Compared
Slack and Teams leave options compared: a manual channel, chat-first bots and full leave apps with chat bots. What each does, what it costs, and how to choose.
migration How to Migrate Your Leave Tracking (Off Vacation Tracker or BambooHR)
A practical, step-by-step guide to migrating leave tracking off Vacation Tracker or BambooHR: export users and balances, CSV import, reconcile, and go live cleanly.
PTO tracker Best Free PTO Tracker in 2026: What's Actually Free
A 2026 guide to genuinely free PTO trackers: how to spot fake-free tiers (a 14-day trial, one leave type, hidden caps) and what real free looks like.
pricing The Cheapest PTO & Vacation Tracker in 2026 (Honest Comparison)
An honest 2026 look at the cheapest PTO and vacation trackers: what each costs as your team grows, and where Absenca wins on price and where it doesn't.
How to Track PTO When Your Company Runs on Microsoft Teams
Three ways to track PTO at a Microsoft Teams company: a manual channel, Outlook or Shifts, or a leave system used alongside Teams. What each does and costs.
How to Set Up a Slack Time-Off Bot (Step by Step)
How to add a time-off bot to Slack: requests by slash command, one-click approvals and a daily who's-out post, plus what it costs.
leave accrual Holiday Carry-Over & Leave Accrual Explained
What holiday carry-over and leave accrual mean, how caps and expiry work, and how to set fair rules — with clear examples for monthly and annual accrual.
annual leave Maximize Your 2026 Annual Leave with Bridge Days
Turn public holidays into long breaks: how "bridge days" let you use fewer leave days for more time off in 2026 — with examples and country holiday calendars.
sick leave Sick Leave Policy Template (Free)
A free sick leave policy template you can copy today — plus a plain-English guide to reporting absence, fit notes, paid vs unpaid, sick pay, and return-to-work chats.
FTE What Is Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)?
A plain-English guide to full-time equivalent (FTE): what it means, how to calculate it with worked examples, and why it matters for pro-rata leave and planning.
parental leave Maternity, Paternity & Parental Leave Explained
A plain-English overview of maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave — how they differ, and how they interact with annual leave accrual.
annual leave How to Calculate Annual Leave Entitlement
Formulas and worked examples for calculating annual leave entitlement — full-time, part-time pro-rata, and mid-year starters — plus how public holidays factor in.
annual leave How Many Annual Leave Days Is Normal?
What's a "normal" amount of annual leave? Typical entitlements around the world, the holidays-on-top nuance, and how to set a fair allowance — with a country table.
unlimited PTO Unlimited PTO: Pros, Cons & How to Make It Work
An honest look at unlimited PTO — the paradox where people take less, where it works and where it fails, and why you still need to track it. Plus a checklist.
bereavement leave Compassionate & Bereavement Leave: A Simple Policy
What compassionate and bereavement leave is, typical durations, paid vs unpaid, a free sample policy template, and how to track it without eating into annual leave.