Q4 2024 Product Updates

Another quarter is behind us, and we’re here to summarize all the improvements and developments we’ve released over the past 3 months. 

At Vacation Tracker, we’re always listening. Real conversations with our users guide every update, and this quarter was no different. 

Let’s take a closer look at what’s new. 

Real-Time Calendar Sync

Our enhanced calendar syncing feature ensures that any changes automatically sync with your shared calendar, whether you're deleting, editing, or canceling leave.  No need for manual updates, real-time syncing keeps everyone in the loop effortlessly.

Benefits: 

• Keeps everyone’s calendars up to date, reducing confusion 
• Minimizes the risk of scheduling conflicts or outdated information 
• Helps managers and teams rely on a single source of truth 

Improved Blackout Period Visibility

In Q3, we introduced the Blackout Period add-on. This quarter, we’re improving the way it appears within Vacation Tracker for more clarity and transparency across your organization. 

Blackout periods are now fully visible in the Vacation Tracker calendar, so employees know upfront which dates are off-limits before submitting a request. 

This added transparency cuts down on back-and-forth between managers and team members, keeps operations running smoothly, and reinforces time-off policies without any ambiguity.

Benefits: 

• Helps employees avoid requesting time off on restricted dates 
• Cuts down on unnecessary back-and-forth between employees and managers 
• Makes it easier for teams to follow company time-off rules 

Vacation Tracker Now Speaks 8 Languages 

Vacation Tracker is built for global teams, and now, it’s easier than ever to get your international departments onboard.  

Alongside English, French, and Spanish, Vacation Tracker is now available in: 

🇮🇹 Italian 

🇩🇪 German 

🇹🇷 Turkish 

🇵🇱 Polish 

🇵🇹 Portuguese 

No matter where your team is based, everyone can use Vacation Tracker in the language they’re most comfortable with. 

Benefits: 

• Makes the platform more accessible for distributed teams 
• Helps reduce confusion or miscommunication across language barriers 
• Supports faster onboarding in native languages 

Introducing Negative Brought Forward 

We all know about brought-forward policies that let employees carry unused PTO into the next year, but what happens when someone takes more time off than they’ve earned? 

Now, with Negative Brought Forward, admins can set up Vacation Tracker to automatically carry excess used days into the next leave cycle as a negative balance. 

That means that if an employee is entitled to 15 days off but takes 17. The extra 2 days will automatically be deducted from their next year’s leave.

Benefits:

• No need to manually track or correct overused leave 
• Keeps leave balances accurate and fair 
• Helps businesses enforce policies while staying flexible 

Custom Length of Workday 

Not every team operates on a standard 8-hour day. We get that. 

That's why Vacation Tracker now lets you define a custom workday length for each location, ranging from 2 to 12 hours. Once set, leave quotas and balances will automatically reflect the appropriate values based on your defined workday. 

Benefits: 

• Makes leave tracking easier for part-time teams, international offices, or companies with non-standard work hours 
• Allows for accurate leave calculations based on real working time 

👀 What’s Coming Next?

Our roadmap is full of exciting improvements for 2025. We’re continuing to work on enhancements to help you manage time off with confidence.  

Want to learn more about our latest updates? Join our next Office Hours to hear all about all our most recent releases and some exclusive tips to get the most out of Vacation Tracker.