From Spreadsheet Stress to Streamlined Success: How a UK Architecture Firm Transformed Holiday Tracking with Givver

For years, managing employee holidays at a 60-person architecture firm in Manchester meant a clunky spreadsheet and a lot of crossed fingers. From overlapping requests to out-of-date records and last-minute panic during payroll runs, their manual system was holding back more than just their HR team—it was affecting the whole business.

But all that changed when they switched to Givver.

The Problem: Spreadsheets Just Weren’t Cutting It

Like many growing UK SMEs, the firm started small. A single spreadsheet worked when the team was 10 people. But as they scaled, the system became:

• Prone to errors: “We were constantly double-checking formulas and chasing line managers to update it,” said their HR manager.

• Disconnected: Holiday approvals lived in emails, the master sheet lived in SharePoint, and payroll had to dig through both.

• Non-compliant: Tracking part-time staff leave entitlements and calculating carryover became a legal and administrative minefield.

By 2024, the tipping point had come. “We’d outgrown spreadsheets. We needed something built for the real-world complexity of holiday tracking.”

The Solution: Switching to Givver

After exploring various HR software options, the team chose Givver for one simple reason: it was designed with UK payroll and employment law at its core.

Here’s what changed immediately:

• Automated leave calculations
  Full-time, part-time, and zero-hour contract staff all had their statutory and enhanced leave entitlements calculated correctly—no spreadsheets required.

• Integrated approvals
  Line managers now approve holidays directly in Givver, with real-time visibility across teams, making it easier to avoid overlapping absences.

• Accurate payroll sync
  Paid leave records flow directly into payroll, meaning fewer last-minute adjustments and no risk of under- or over-paying staff.

• Carryover tracking made simple
  Givver automatically applies the 5.6 weeks statutory leave rule, and flags any unused leave for carryover—perfect for staying compliant with Working Time Regulations.

The Results: Time Saved and Errors Eliminated

Six months in, the change has been transformational:

• 60% less time spent on holiday admin

• Zero payroll errors from incorrect leave balances

• Full audit trail of requests and approvals

• Better employee experience: “Staff love being able to see their allowance and book time off in seconds,” says the HR manager.

And perhaps most importantly, HR and Finance are finally aligned. “We no longer start every month with a scramble to reconcile time off. It’s just done.”

Tips for Other UK SMEs Making the Switch

If your team is still managing holidays with spreadsheets, here’s what this firm recommends:

• Start with a clean baseline: Export your existing data and let Givver help you validate entitlements.

• Train line managers early: They’re key to a smooth approval process.

• Use reports to spot trends like peak leave periods or teams with low usage.

• Keep it simple: Givver is designed to work with your existing payroll, so you don’t have to overhaul everything at once.

Ready to Leave Spreadsheets Behind?

Spreadsheets may have got you this far, but as your business grows, your systems need to grow too. Givver makes it easy to stay compliant, connected, and completely in control of your team’s leave.