Squadra HR vs a leave spreadsheet
A spreadsheet for balances and an inbox for approvals works for a while. This page is about the point where it stops working, and what moving off it involves.
When a spreadsheet is enough
- Everyone works the same full-time schedule
- One person keeps the sheet and knows its formulas
- Leave is approved face to face and written down the same day
- Nobody needs a report the sheet can't produce
Signs you have outgrown it
- A part-timer or a four-day week breaks the pro-rata formula
- Requests arrive by email and chat, and one gets missed
- Carry-over and expiry at year end take an afternoon of checking
- Someone asks who changed their balance, and there's no record
- Pay, ID numbers and health notes sit in a file anyone with the link can open
What changes after the move
| Topic | Spreadsheet and email | Squadra HR |
|---|---|---|
| Balances | A formula someone maintains | A ledger of dated entries, posted every night |
| Approvals | Email, chat or a word in the corridor | A request to the line manager, approved on a phone |
| Who changed what | File history, if anyone looks | An append-only audit log |
| Sensitive fields | Visible to anyone who opens the file | Encrypted, and shown only to the person and HR |
| Cost | Free, plus the hours spent checking it | Free up to 3 employees, then per employee |
Send us the sheet
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