The whole business of asking for time off is a pain for employees and managers alike. All too often it involves a trail of emails, spreadsheet adjustments, writing on wallcharts and the like. Timetastic is a new app that simplifies the process and almost makes it (dare we say) fun.
The Web app consists of a simple shared on-screen ‘wall chart’ that allows all members of a team to see at a glance who’s off when. Booking some time off is as simple as setting the start and end dates you want, marking the type of leave and – bam, you’re done. The manager set up to approve requests then gets a cute email alert that you’ve asked for time off, letting them approve or decline the request.
It’s as simple as that – easy for employees to book time, and hassle-free for managers to approve it. The clean, minimalist presentation and removal of Excel spreadsheets and polite, overly-wordy emails from the process makes it refreshingly enjoyable.
Timetastic falls into the category of an app that focuses on doing one thing really well. Produced by UK-based Mediaburst, a company that aside from this offers a range of SMS services to businesses, its simplicity is set to remain the central ethos.
“We’re not going to be extending it to be a fully functional HR system,” says Mediaburst’s Gary Bury. “There are plenty of them out there already, and plenty aiming to be that. We’re doing this for small businesses, people in the 5 to 50 employee bracket. Those that don’t have fully fledged HR departments and systems, but want to get rid of the paper chase surrounding having a day off.”
The Web app is currently in beta, with iOS and Android versions on the way (Update: the Android app is now available). The service is currently free, but once out of beta it will be free for up to three users, and priced at 50p ($0.79 US) per additional user, per month.
Image credit: Taco Ekkel
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