Q1 2025 Product Updates

Another quarter has flown by, and we’re back with a fresh roundup of everything we’ve released in the first few months of 2025. 

At Vacation Tracker, every feature starts with a real question from our users and we’ve been listening closely. From smarter approval flows to more flexibility in leave planning, this quarter was all about giving you more control, more customization, and more clarity. 

Let’s dive into what’s new. 

Multi-Level Approvals

You asked, we delivered. 

You can now create approval workflows that include more than one approver, so leave requests don’t just stop at one person. We support up to two approval levels, with a defined hierarchy. For example, a request can first go to a direct manager and then to HR before being approved.

Plus, even if someone isn’t part of the approval chain, you can choose to notify them when a request is approved. That way, team leads, project managers, or anyone else who needs visibility can stay in the loop.

Benefits: 

• Ensures the right people are included at each step of the approval process.
• Reduces delays and confusion when handling leave requests.
• Gives you more flexibility when designing approval chains for different teams.

Now Available in Swedish 🇸🇪 

Last quarter, we announced that our software was now available in 8 languages. Well surprise, here’s a 9^th! 

Vacation Tracker is now available in Swedish, making the platform more accessible for our growing number of users in Sweden and Swedish-speaking teams worldwide. 

Benefits: 

• Better onboarding experience for Swedish-speaking users 
• Reduces language barriers for international teams 
• Supports localization across your global organization 

Upgraded Holiday Management

You now have more control than ever over the holidays you create for your team, with the ability to create single-day, half-day, and multiple-day holidays per location.  

Holidays can be set to recur each year, either on the same exact date or on specific days of the week. Plus, Vacation Tracker can automatically move holidays to the next working day if they fall on a weekend. Set it and forget it, holiday management finally feels like a real vacation. 

Benefits: 

• Simplifies holiday setup for multiple teams or locations.
• Recurring holidays save time year after year.
• Keep everyone aligned on official days off.

User Email Visibility 

If you’re using our Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Workspace integrations, you’ll now see user emails directly on their Vacation Tracker profiles. 

Benefits: 

• Easier identification of users.
• Helpful for admins managing large or distributed teams. 
• Supports smoother communication and follow-up.

Maximum Users Away Add-On  

Say goodbye to overlapping leaves and scheduling conflicts. With the Maximum Users Away add-on, you can set a limit on how many users can be off at the same time. Whether you’re managing a retail schedule, a customer support team, or a restaurant, this add-on gives you more control to plan ahead and keep things running smoothly. 

Benefits: 

• Automatically restricts new leave requests once the limit is hit.
• Reduces understaffing during peak times or critical periods.
• Fully customizable by location, department, label, or leave type.
• Helps you maintain productivity without manually monitoring every leave request.

Leave Duration Limit Add-On 

The Leave Duration Limit Add-On is a new way to keep vacations under control. You can now set a maximum number of days that employees can take off at a time, ideal for managing planning and coverage. 

Benefits: 

• Helps prevent long absences that affect team performance.
• Encourages more manageable leave patterns.
• Customizable by team, department, location, and label.

Request Leave in 15-Minute Increments

Vacation Tracker now lets your team request leave in 15-minute increments, so instead of booking time off from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, they can now request it from 2:15 PM to 3:15 PM. This update gives everyone more control over how they manage their time.

Benefits: 

• More accurate tracking for hourly and part-time teams 
• Supports flexible and modern work arrangements 

New & Improved Reporting 

The reports section just got an upgrade! While all the reports you rely on are still available, we’ve added new features to make reporting even easier and more flexible. 

The overview has been redesigned for a cleaner look, and you can now fully customize your reports with filters and editable columns, giving you exactly the data you need, when you need it.  

Benefits: 

• More detailed breakdowns of leave usage, balances, and trends.
• Easier filtering by date range, department, or user. 
• Exportable insights for presentations or audits.

Smarter Imports 

Importing just got a whole lot more powerful. 

Admins can now import and update user profiles in bulk, speeding up onboarding and minimizing manual entry. You can also import leave history, brought forward balances, and previously approved Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) to ensure accurate records from the start.

Benefits: 

• Onboard multiple users at once by importing profile data.
• Maintain consistency with accurate rollover and TOIL tracking.
• Save time and reduce errors with bulk updates.

Email Integration Update 

You can now configure everything, including roles, quotas, policies, and more, for a user before they accept their invite or even activate their email. Whether you’re onboarding a new hire or preparing ahead for seasonal staff, this update helps you stay one step ahead. 

You can also add “ghost” users using inactive or unconfirmed email addresses. This is ideal for testing setups or planning team structures in advance. Admins can still track absences and manage leave for these users, no email required.

Benefits: 

• Fully configure user settings before they activate their profile.
• Add placeholder users to map out teams, test settings, or prep for onboarding.
• Save time and reduce setup delays for growing teams.

What’s Next?

We’ve got some exciting things on the way for Q2.

From long-awaited releases to brand-new features you didn’t even know you needed, we’re continuing to build tools that make managing time off easier, smarter, and more collaborative for everyone.

Stay tuned!

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Claudia

Claudia is an experienced marketer with a passion for writing and creating engaging content that connects with readers.