Leave Request is a simple HR request submission and approval app by LTAPPs. It allows Teams users to ask for leaves directly from within the platform, and managers would be able to view and approve the requests.
LTAPPs is a low-code software development company based out of Vietnam. It specialises in custom app development for Microsoft/Office 365* solutions like SharePoint, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams. Not only can managers use the Leave Request app to submit/approve a leave of absence and reports, define approval workflows, and track requests. The solution several leading organisations use the solutions region, including the Asia School of Business and Oil & Gas and the company SAPESCO.
Now the question is, given that Microsoft has several apps for leave management (both native and first-party), does LTAPPs’ Leave Request to make a difference? What is the standout feature of it being a practical and valuable addition to an enterprise’s Teams-based HR toolkit? Here’s our review.
Inside Leave Request for Microsoft Teams
Managers will find two options when downloading the Leave Request app from the Microsoft store — Leave Request by LTAAPs and Leave Request pro, which is the web app. The latter allows you to configure advanced leave workflows, including files, attachments, a calendar view, and powerful analytics.
To install the Leave Request app, managers can search for Leave Request in their Microsoft Teams app store and install the integration. Here are the key features it enables:
- End-to-end leave management: Managers can act on leave requests at every stage of processing, right from when an employee submits the request to manager approval and reconciliation with HR records. They will list all bids and entries from the Leave Request app, colour-coded as per their status.
- Detailed leave request views: The Leave Request app also lets managers inspect the granular details of a submission. This includes information on the employee’s department, the start and end date of leave, the total number of days off, the reason for rest, and the current stage of approval (requestor, manager, or HR).
- The Leave Request dashboard: The dashboard explains all the necessary information about leaves, vacation policies, and leave-related activities in more detail. Every user will be able to see their submitted requests, any pending requests for approval, and the leave balance. Leave types divide according to the configuration by an organisation, such as vacation days, paid time off, annual leaves, etc.
- Calendar view: The calendar gives managers at-a-glance visibility into leave requests by different team members and employees across the year. Users can select a particular month, and each employee will have their leaves displayed across the 30/31 days, colour-coded as per the type of leave they have taken. Managers can directly generate leave reports from this window for future reference and export them as a Word or Excel file.
- Leave request filters: When listing all the leaves submitted by employees, managers can filter the view to show only finished, deleted, or pending leave requests. In case managers choose to view all pending requests, the app will allow users to reject all bids in bulk.
- Custom request forms: Managers can use the Leave Request app to specify the exact fields that will appear when an employee wishes to apply for a leave. For example, managers might ask the employee to share a reason, specify the stakeholder who would look after workloads on their behalf, submit an attachment to ratify the defence, and cause etching else.
Why the Leave Request App Makes a Difference
Leave Request by LTAAPs is one of the few leave management tools designed natively for Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft/Office 365 ecosystem. All information and configurations store on a SharePoint site, and they will get automatic synchronisation with Outlook. This is a massive plus for companies with an established Microsoft ecosystem looking to extend capabilities without causing third-party app fragmentation.
What We Think
The Leave Request app by LTAAPs is highly user-friendly (with support for smartphones and tablets) and has different role-based views for employees, managers, and HR. The ability to define multi-step approval processes with unlimited steps is an added advantage, making the app ideal for mid-sized to large organisations. Leave Request is available to download here.
*Microsoft is rebranding Office 365 as Microsoft 365
