Leave & garden leave

Long absence hits both licence cost and access rights—CHAOS structures both.

Problem

Garden leave and parental leave create grey zones: mail must stay reachable, Teams may be constrained, cost should drop, compliance wants no data holes. Departments define “leave” differently; licence managers negotiate exceptions per employee. Without automation, expensive bundles stay active while people are not productive.

Approach with CHAOS

CHAOS defines leave profiles with SKU tiers, leave duration and exceptions. HR signals or manual flags can trigger rules; simulation shows cost and risk before rollout. The Why-layer documents why, for example, a downgrade is acceptable now—or why a higher tier must remain.

Outcome from CHAOS

Predictable savings during absence, consistent execution across teams, and audit exports for HR/works council conversations. Fewer one-off ticket debates.

Insight

The clearer leave rules are aligned with security up front, the fewer political blockers appear. Invest in edge-case tests before policies go live.