When I became an Executive Pastor at the beginning of 2018, I quickly learned that we needed an HR System. The issue that we needed help with the most was PTO tracking. No matter how small or large your team is, it is vital that you have a way to manage and track PTO. Without a good system in place to help you, things can quickly become a mess.
Prior to my arrival (and even during the first few months after I got here), the main way that our team was tracking PTO was a combination of “the honor system” and updating a shared Excel spreadsheet. However, people would often forget to update the spreadsheet, and there also wasn’t a clear way to approve requests. I knew that there had to be a better way.
After several weeks of research, I narrowed my options down to a few companies. One of the companies was an industry-leading large company, and they offer a complete suite of features. However, as I mentioned earlier, I was mainly looking for PTO tracking. I didn’t need all of the other features that they were offering (such as hiring, onboarding, payroll and benefits management, performance reviews, etc.). And, unfortunately, they didn’t have a way to only give me access to the PTO tracking tool without also giving me access to everything else. If I would have moved forward with this company, I would have ended up paying a fortune for features I didn’t want or need.
But thankfully, there was another company,
Built For Teams, that offered EXACTLY what I was looking for, and they allow you to sign up for the features that you want (which keeps your monthly cost significantly lower). Their system is easy to use, they have great customer service, they provide an app for your smart phone, and they even offer a discount to churches.
As a result of using Built For Teams for our HR needs, we now have an excellent way to track and manage PTO. When someone wants time off, all they have to do it login to their account, select the dates they want off, and hit submit. Built For Teams will then send an email to whoever oversees this on your team asking if the request is approved or denied. And, the best part is, it only allows someone to make a request if they have the time available in their PTO balance. This means that you no longer have to be the bad guy and tell someone that they don’t have the available time. Instead, Built For Teams will do that for you.
Built For Teams also offers other great features that you can add to your account at any time (such as digital timesheets, org charts, etc.). But, for me, their most powerful feature is their PTO tracking. I can say with full confidence that it has completely solved this issue for us, and I am sure that you will find it helpful as well.
To see what other systems I recommend for you and your church, please visit my XPMinistry website HERE.
