Case Study: How Swire Coca-Cola Solved “Leave Liability” with AI
Managing factory holidays requires more than just spreadsheets; it demands intelligent AI leave planning. For a giant company like Swire Coca-Cola, balancing production peaks with employee rest was a massive challenge.
They have thousands of workers. They also have distinct seasons. Summer is their busiest production period. However, it is also when employees want to take a break.
This creates a big problem. If too many workers take a holiday in summer, the factory cannot make enough drinks. But if workers do not take breaks at all, the company faces “Leave Liability.”
According to financial standards, unused leave days become a debt on the company’s balance sheet. This creates huge financial pressure. Therefore, Swire Coca-Cola needed a solution.
They stopped using Excel spreadsheets. Instead, they chose GaiaWorks to automate the process with AI leave planning.
The Problem: The “Leave Paradox”
Swire Coca-Cola follows a clear rule: Annual Leave Clearing. Every employee must use all their holiday days by the end of the year.
But in the past, this was difficult to track.
1. Manual work was slow: HR used paper forms and Excel. They could not see the full picture in real-time.
2. Production conflicts: Employees often asked for leave during busy times. Managers had to say “no” at the last minute. This upset the staff.
3. The end-of-year rush: Many employees forgot to take leave until December. Then, everyone wanted to leave at the same time. This threatened production lines.
The company was stuck. They needed to keep the factory running. Yet, they also needed to let people rest.
The Solution: Proactive AI Leave Planning
Swire Coca-Cola introduced the GaiaWorks Smart Annual Leave solution. This system changed the game. It moved from “waiting for requests” to “planning ahead.”
1. The AI Suggests the Best Dates
At the start of the year, the system looks at the Production Forecast. It knows when the factory will be busy.
Then, the AI leave planning engine sends a plan to each employee. It suggests: “Please take your holidays in March or November.” It avoids the busy summer months automatically.
2. The “Semi-Mandatory” Rule
This is the most important part. The system makes sure holidays actually happen.
The system gives employees a deadline. Employees must submit their leave plan by this date. They can accept the AI’s suggestion or pick their own dates (if the dates fit the production plan).
What if they forget?
If an employee does not pick dates by the deadline, the system automatically turns the AI’s suggestion into a formal request. It sends this to the manager for approval.
Consequently, 100% of leave days are planned early in the year. There are no surprises in December.
3. Keeping It Flexible
Robots do not control everything. Humans are still in charge.
Employee Choice: If an employee needs to change their dates later, they can. The system allows a “swap.” They can trade their holiday dates, as long as the total number of days stays the same.
Manager Control: The AI leave planning tool only gives suggestions. The manager still has the final say. If there is a special emergency, the manager can override the AI.
The Result: A Win-Win
By using AI leave planning, Swire Coca-Cola solved the puzzle.
For the Business: The factory always has enough workers. Even during the busy summer, production never stops.
For Compliance: The company reduced its “Leave Liability.” Legal risks are gone because all leave is cleared on time.
For Employees: They get their holidays guaranteed. They don’t have to fight for dates or get rejected at the last minute.
Swire Coca-Cola proved a key lesson: Good workforce management isn’t just about tracking hours. It’s about planning ahead.
Is your factory facing a leave liability crisis?
