Inside Amazon’s HR Tech: Unpacking How They Manage Annual Leave
Introduction
Amazon is one of the world’s largest employers, with hundreds of thousands of staff across the globe. Managing leave, performance, and HR processes at such scale calls for robust systems. So, what does Amazon use to handle annual leave and wider HR management?
Key Findings
- Amazon relies on its own in-house HR platforms: Roster and ES Tech.
- Roster is the core HR system, developed after Amazon stopped using Workday in 2021.
- ES Tech brings together various HR services, supporting automation and employee requests.
- Annual leave is managed within these proprietary systems, not external software.
- Historical leave-tracking issues have been tackled through these custom solutions.
Analysis
Amazon made a deliberate shift away from third-party HR products a few years ago. Custom tools allow them to scale HR processes to fit their size and changing global workforce^2. Their main tools are:
- Roster: This Central HR system manages hiring, personnel records, and headcount. After ending its Workday partnership, Amazon chose to control all sensitive HR data in-house, enabling deeper integration and faster responses to changing needs.
- ES Tech: Short for Employee Services Technology, ES Tech automates repetitive HR tasks and responds to employee queries. The platform also draws on Amazon Web Services features to improve efficiency.
When it comes to annual leave, the exact interface or process isn’t publicly detailed. However, according to several reliable sources, Amazon’s leave requests and tracking run entirely within Roster and ES Tech^2. These platforms cover major HR functions for all staff, so annual leave falls under their remit.
Amazon’s commitment to internal, consolidated HR tech is in part due to past problems—there were reports of errors with leave tracking, which have since been targeted for improvement^4.
Conclusion
If you’re curious what happens behind the scenes at Amazon, the answer is simple: they use tightly integrated, in-house software, designed for the job. Both Roster and ES Tech handle everything from hiring to holiday, including annual leave management. For organisations exploring their own options, finding the right staff holiday software can be a vital decision—especially at scale.