AutoChain
Employee Management

Your whole team in one place, from roles to holidays.

Add every member of staff with the right role and a default site, and run holiday and absence requests in AutoChain, with each person's allowance, carry-over and your leave year. Technician specialties make sure MOTs only go to MOT testers.

Every garage runs on its people, but keeping track of who can do what, and who is off when, usually means a wall chart and a notebook. AutoChain keeps it with everything else. Add each member of staff with the right role, from business manager to technician, invite them by email to set up their login, and set their default site. Set your leave year once, give each person their holiday allowance and any carry-over, and staff request leave in AutoChain for a manager to approve. Approved leave shows on the calendar, so nobody books work for a technician who is on holiday. Record each technician's specialties too, so only MOT testers can be given an MOT.

  • First month free on the core plan
  • No card required
  • Set up in about 10 minutes
  • Cancel anytime
100+ UK garages

From independent bays to multi-site groups, built for the way you work.

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Overview

Holidays without the wall chart

Technicians and advisors request time off from the Leave Tracker, choosing the type of leave and the dates. Managers see every request on the Employee Leave tab, with cards for pending requests, who is currently away, approved days off and holiday remaining.

Set the start of your leave year once, then give each employee their annual allowance and any days carried over. Leave types cover annual leave, sickness, maternity, paternity, unpaid, compassionate, study, jury service, public holidays and other absence.

Approved leave appears on the calendar, so the team plans the week around who is actually in.

The Employee Leave tab: pending requests, who is away and how much holiday is left.
What's included

Every capability, at a glance

Everything on this page is in the core plan (£69.99/mo + VAT) unless it's marked as an add-on. SMS (£15/mo, 200 credits included) and HaynesPro (£49.99/mo per site) are optional add-ons. Prices exclude VAT.

  • Roles: Business Manager, Business Site Manager, Advisor and Technician
  • Invite staff by email to set up their own login
  • Unlimited employees, no per-seat fees
  • A default site for each employee
  • A leave year that starts on the date you choose
  • Annual leave allowance and carry-over for each employee
  • Staff request leave, managers approve it
  • Leave types including annual, sick, maternity, paternity, unpaid and compassionate
  • Staff leave shown on the calendar
  • Technician specialties, including MOT testing and Hybrid & EV
  • Hourly rate and employment status for each technician
Start your free trial Book a demo First month free on the core plan. Add-ons are billed from day one. No card required.
How it works

Simple from day one

Setup takes about 10 minutes and there's no training course to sit through. Built for busy garages.

  1. Add your team

    Add each member of staff with their name and role, and send them an invite to set up their own login.

  2. Set roles, sites and specialties

    Choose each person's role and default site. For technicians, add their hourly rate, employment status and specialties, such as MOT testing.

  3. Set up leave

    Choose when your leave year starts, then set each employee's annual allowance and any carry-over.

  4. Approve requests

    Staff request leave in AutoChain, managers approve or decline it, and approved leave appears on the calendar.

Ready to see Employee Management in your garage?

Why it matters

The real impact on your garage

  1. The right access for each person

    Business managers, site managers, advisors and technicians each get the screens their role needs.

  2. No per-seat fees

    Add every technician, advisor and manager. The core plan includes unlimited employees.

  3. Holidays in one place

    Requests, approvals, allowances and carry-over all sit in AutoChain, instead of a wall chart and a spreadsheet.

  4. Plan around who is in

    Approved leave appears on the calendar, so nobody books work for someone who is off.

  5. MOTs go to MOT testers

    Mark which technicians are MOT testers and only they can be given or start an MOT.

  6. Every site covered

    Each employee has a default site, which matters when you run more than one branch.

FAQ

Employee Management: common questions

Straight answers to what garages ask us about this feature.

What roles can staff have?

Business Manager for running the business, Business Site Manager for running a site, Advisor for customer service and jobs, and Technician for the work in the bays.

Do I pay for each employee?

No. The core plan at £69.99/mo + VAT includes unlimited employees, each with their own login.

How do staff book holiday?

Technicians and advisors request leave in AutoChain, choosing the type and dates. A business manager or site manager approves it, and approved leave appears on the calendar.

Can I set our own leave year?

Yes. Choose the month and day your leave year starts, then set each employee's annual allowance and any days they carry over.

What are technician specialties for?

They record what each technician is qualified to do. Only technicians with the MOT speciality can be given or start an MOT, and online bookings for hybrid and EV services only go to technicians with the Hybrid & EV speciality.

Ready when you are

Run your garage smarter from today

Join 100+ UK garages, from single-bay workshops to multi-site groups, already streamlining jobs, customers, MOTs and online bookings with AutoChain from £69.99/mo + VAT.

  • Set up in about 10 minutes
  • No long-term contract
  • Cancel anytime