Blog

Thoughts on leave management, small business life, and building Absently.

6 April 2026

Sick leave vs annual leave: what's the difference and why it matters

Sick leave and annual leave are two very different things - here's what every small UK employer needs to know.

2 April 2026

How to handle holiday requests fairly (without the headaches)

A practical guide to managing leave requests in a small team - fairly, consistently, and without the back-and-forth.

30 March 2026

What types of leave do UK employees get? A plain-English guide for small businesses

Annual leave, sick leave, parental leave and more - here's what every UK small business owner needs to know about the different types of employee leave.

28 March 2026

Still managing leave on a spreadsheet? Here's what it's costing you

Spreadsheets are fine for a lot of things. Managing staff leave for a growing team is not one of them.

26 March 2026

Why we built Absently (and who it's for)

Absently is a simple leave management tool built for small UK businesses tired of tracking holidays in spreadsheets. Here's the story behind it.