search icon

Absence management software from Sage

Keep accurate attendance records and empowers employees to self-manage their time-off requests with absence management software.
Sage HR and Sage People are driving leave and absence management  for brands like:

Why use absence management software?

Leave management software helps to streamline the tracking and management of employee absences, reducing the potential for errors and disputes. It helps ensure compliance with legal and company-specific leave policies, and cuts down admin time, allowing a more focused and efficient approach to workforce management.

Track and report attendance and leave online

Access our cloud-based leave and absence management system from any location, and on any device. With attendance and holiday tracking features, your team can update records on the go. 

Screenshot: Sage People

Identify and troubleshoot absences

With the right absence management software in place, you can spot challenges with attendance to help identify colleagues or teams that need more support or resources.

Screenshot: Sage People

Pay accurately and on time

Attendance tracker and leave management systems ensure that everyone gets paid accurately, and for hours worked. Boost morale, increase productivity, and make payments run smoothly.

Screenshot: Sage HR

Manage absences anytime, anywhere

Our mobile apps allow employees to request and approve absences and leave on the go. This ensures faster processing, reduces delays, and makes it ideal for remote workers, field employees, and on-site staff. For HR managers and payroll professionals, it streamlines absence tracking, improves accuracy, and enhances workforce management without being tied to a desk.

Screenshot: Sage People

Absence management software features

Our absence, leave, and attendance tracking software tools include a range of features that can help you manage your team more effectively.

Real-time reporting

Get real-time leave insights with tracking software for accurate attendance data.

Shared leave calendar

Annual leave software with shared calendars ensures transparency and fairness in holiday requests.

Employee self-service

Intuitive, easy-to-use self-serve solutions make for a better employee experience. Give your staff more flexibility and autonomy.

Holiday and time off approval from anywhere

Easily manage absence requests and approvals with leave software—at your desk or on the go.

Our absence management software solutions

Discover the best attendance tracking and leave management tool for your business. We have solutions for small businesses with less than 25 employees, that include payroll. We also have software designed for medium-sized and growing businesses. 

Sage HR

Flexible HR modules for small and mid-sized businesses.

For small to medium sized businesses that want a modular HR system that will simplify processes across the end-to-end employment journey.

  • Simplified end-to-end HR system that’s easy to administrate
  • Core HR and leave management with additional modules for performance, timesheets, shift scheduling, recruitment and expenses
  • Modular design, pricing and setup
  • Ready to go out of the box, no implementation required
  • Establish a single source of truth for all your employee data
  • Automate people processes to reduce admin and improve productivity
  • Easy to navigate employee self-serve for better employee experience

Sage People

For medium sized businesses that want to manage global or multi-locational teams from a single, scalable cloud system.
  • Highly configurable HR and people solution managed by your HR team
  • Core HR, attendance and leave, performance and talent management, compensation management with additional recruitment module available
  • Built on Salesforce, an enterprise grade platform
  • Team of implementation experts to get maximum value, followed by a dedicated Customer Success Manager
  • Meet multi-national, multi-currency and multi-locational employee requirements
  • Advanced workflows and configurable reporting to meet specific business requirements
  • Customisable branding and content per business area for personalised employee self-serve

"For our multi-year trials, we watch absence trends closely. Sage People helps us factor in inevitable life events that happen, so we can budget realistic time-off percentages and ensure we have enough capacity to manage everything.”

Christine Pangilinan

Director of HR, TRIO

"They can now update all this information directly themselves, and they can also see if their colleague is on vacation or not using the shared calendar. It is so easy to request time off or to request to work from home using Sage HR"

Laura Di Prisco

Global Culture & People Lead

Absence and leave management system FAQs

Cloud-based attendance tracking and leave management software are online solutions that help businesses monitor staff absence and working patterns. A good attendance and absence management software tool can also offer managers an easy and effective way to review and approve holiday requests online, giving the whole team an instant overview of who's off at any given time.

When it comes to cutting down on sick leave, it’s important to understand the reasons behind above-average absenteeism. While most people take time off for legitimate health reasons, it’s also important to rule out the possibility of sick leave abuse, or time theft. Attendance and absence management software can eliminate the guesswork from this process, as it helps managers track sickness absence and find any worrying patterns. 

For employees suffering with different medical ailments, some ways a business can help to reduce sick leave include:

  • Creating a culture that encourages a healthy work-life balance.
  • Having a clear policy for absences.
  • Implementing wellness programmes: these support employees’ well-being with things like voluntary health assessments, occupational health facilities, and opportunities for flexible work.

As for annual leave, it’s important to encourage employees to spread out their holidays across the year rather than saving them up. Taking regular breaks from work will keep their well-being and motivation levels high throughout the year. You should also be mindful of how many people are taking annual leave at the same time, to support business continuity.

Turning down holiday requests can be badly received, so it’s helpful to have a clear practice in place for accepting requests, such as ‘first come, first served’. Effective annual leave management software can help keep with transparency in relation to holiday requests and approvals.

With Sage, what you pay will depend on which attendance tracking and leave management software solution you opt for, as well as your number of employees and specific business needs. 

Sage HR is a comprehensive option for small and medium businesses, for work on site or on the go, with pricing starting at £4.60 per active employee. It comes with smart absence and attendance tracking features, as well as expense management, time management, scheduling, onboarding and more. For smaller companies, with less than 25 employees, Sage HR comes with payroll features included, while businesses with 25 or more employees can also benefit from Sage HR, with payroll as a separate, standalone product. 

Sage People is ideal for mid-sized, global or multi-locational organisations. It enables organisations to transform the way that they attract, manage, engage, and retain people, wherever they are. Sage People is highly flexible and pricing is dependent on the number of employees, functionality, configuration and other factors. To discuss pricing options, please fill in our demo form and we'll be in touch by phone within 24 hours.

You can use our solution finder to figure out which product will be the best fit for you, or explore our support hub for answers to questions around our software and services. 

Yes. Modern attendance management systems provide real-time visibility into patterns that may otherwise go unnoticed. With built-in trend analysis tools, you can identify spikes in sickness, recurring short-term absences, or departments with higher-than-average leave. These insights help managers address issues early—whether that means offering additional support, reviewing workloads, or updating policies—so you can take proactive action rather than reacting after the fact.

Absolutely. A comprehensive online leave management system allows you to record and track long-term sickness, attach fit notes and medical documentation, and manage follow-up actions. Many attendance management solutions also support structured return-to-work processes, enabling HR teams and line managers to document meetings, agree adjustments, and ensure compliance with internal policies and employment legislation. This helps maintain a clear audit trail and allows employees to receive appropriate support throughout their absence and return.

Yes. Most absence management platforms are designed to work seamlessly with your wider HR and operational systems. This includes payroll integration, ensuring that employees are paid accurately for time worked and that statutory or company-specific leave rules are applied correctly. Attendance management software can also connect with shift-scheduling tools to highlight gaps caused by absences and support more efficient rota planning. Additionally, integration with popular workplace calendars—such as Outlook or Google Calendar—makes it easy for teams to see who is off and maintain smooth day-to-day operations.

Human resources wisdom for smarter business

Find useful articles, tips and insights about hiring, onboarding, and people management.
How to identify useful growth opportunities for your business

How to identify useful growth opportunities for your business

Growth is a tricky business. You must continuously strive to identify new growth opportunities to achieve long-term business success. Here's how to do it.

Read more
Read more
10 steps to grow your customer base

10 steps to grow your customer base

Practical advice to help your small business find new customers, generate leads and grow your existing customer relationships.

Read more
Read more
A business owner's guide to borrowing money

A business owner's guide to borrowing money

When running a business it's essential to have enough cash for working capital, such as for paying suppliers or tax. Get some tips on borrowing money.

Read more
Read more
Free template: How to write a business plan

Free template: How to write a business plan

A business plan is essential for reaching financial success. Download our business plan template and use it to help you achieve your goals.

Read more
Read more
How to start a business

How to start a business

Want to start a business? Read on for tips on how to come up with business ideas, set up your business and use the right legal structure, write a business plan, get expert help and more.

Read more
Read more
Is your software MTD-ready—and are you? Here’s how to find out

Is your software MTD-ready—and are you? Here’s how to find out

Worried your accounting isn’t fully MTD capable? Learn how to check it does the full job, including what HMRC's recognition scheme means.

Read more
Read more
Accounts payable automation: How it works, key benefits, and why your business needs it

Accounts payable automation: How it works, key benefits, and why your business needs it

Discover how AI-powered accounts payable automation streamlines invoice processing, reduces errors, and saves time. Learn the benefits for UK businesses today.

Read more
Read more
What is e-invoicing? Advantages and disadvantages of electronic invoicing

What is e-invoicing? Advantages and disadvantages of electronic invoicing

Learn what is e-invoicing, how it works, and its advantages. Discover how electronic invoicing streamlines processes for faster transactions and compliance.

Read more
Read more

Ask us about our absence management software

We'd be happy to answer any questions you have or help you explore which solution is the best fit for your business.