Built for the person who approves
A leave tracker built around the manager's job
Clear the approval queue in a few clicks, see exactly who's covering before you say yes, and stop a whole team booking the same week — without a spreadsheet or a back-and-forth email thread.
Most leave tools are designed for the person requesting time off. The harder job belongs to the manager who has to answer one question fast: can I approve this without leaving the team short? Absenca puts that decision front and centre — every pending request, the team calendar around those dates, and a warning if approving would breach your coverage rules.
You approve from wherever you already work — the web, an email, Slack or Microsoft Teams — and the calendar, balances and everyone's view update the moment you tap yes. No reconciling a spreadsheet, no wondering who already booked that week.
A real approval queue
Every pending request in one list, routed to the right manager, with the dates, balance and reason in view. Approve or decline in a click — or in bulk when you're catching up.
Coverage shown at decision time
Before you approve, see who else is already off those days on the team calendar, so you're never the one who finds out too late that three people are away.
Limits that hold the line
Set a maximum number of people off at once per department, plus blackout periods for crunch weeks — and Absenca flags any request that would breach them.
Approve from anywhere
Get an interactive approval message in Slack, Teams or Google Chat, or act straight from the email — no need to open the web app to clear a request.
Decide in seconds, not after three emails
A request lands in your queue with everything you need to judge it: the dates, the leave type, the employee's remaining balance, and who else is already off. You approve or decline with one tap, and the employee gets an instant answer.
If a request would leave a team thin — too many people away, or a date inside a blackout period — Absenca tells you up front, so a 'yes' is never a surprise later. The decision stays yours; the tool just makes sure you have the full picture before you make it.
See who's out without asking
The team calendar and wallchart show who's off today, this week and next, by department or office, so you can plan handovers and cover without pinging the channel. A daily who's-off summary can post to Slack, Teams or Google Chat automatically.
Managers only see the people and departments they're responsible for, so a department head isn't wading through the whole company to find their team. Location-admins and admins get the wider view when they need it.
Coverage rules you set once
Cap how many people can be off at the same time per department, mark blackout periods around launches, month-end or peak season, and let the rules do the gatekeeping. Requests that clash are flagged at submission, so awkward ones rarely reach your queue in the first place.
Balances, accruals and public holidays for each office are handled automatically in the background, so when you approve, the numbers are already correct — you're never quietly signing off time someone hadn't earned.
Why teams choose Absenca
- A single approval queue, with one-click and bulk approve
- Team coverage shown before you approve, not after
- Max-people-off limits and blackout periods enforced automatically
- Approve from web, email, Slack or Microsoft Teams
- Managers see only their own team's data
- Free for up to 15 people, then $0.75/user/month
Frequently asked questions
- How does the approval queue work for managers?
- Pending requests route to the responsible manager and appear in one list with dates, leave type, the employee's balance and who else is off. You approve or decline in a click — or clear several at once — and the calendar and balances update instantly.
- Can I see who's already off before I approve?
- Yes. The team calendar and wallchart show current and upcoming absences right where you make the decision, and Absenca warns you if approving would leave a team short or breach a coverage limit.
- Can I stop too many people taking the same week off?
- Yes. You can set a maximum number of people allowed off at once per department and define blackout periods for busy times. Requests that would breach either are flagged when they're submitted.
- Do managers only see their own team?
- Yes. Managers see data for the departments they manage, so they aren't sifting through the whole company. Location-admins see their assigned offices, and admins get the organisation-wide view.
- Can I approve leave without opening the app?
- Yes — you get an interactive approval message in Slack or Microsoft Teams, and can also act from the email notification, so clearing a request takes seconds.