Introducing the Ask Que™ AI Leave Planner: Streamline Leave Requests

Posted by Margaret Kahng
On July 1, 2026
0 Comments

How much time is your HR team spending on answering the same questions about employee leave of absence?

“Am I eligible for FMLA?”

“How do I apply for protected leave?”

“How do I plan my leave for my upcoming pregnancy?”

These inquiries, while straightforward to answer, consume hours each week. That volume is exactly the shift we cover in leave management trends, and it repeats at every stage of the employee leave of absence life cycle. that could be directed toward complex case management, policy strategy, and compliance oversight.

At the same time, employees struggle to navigate the leave process independently. Unfamiliar terminology and overlapping regulations create friction before the leave request even reaches HR’s desk.

Introducing the Ask Que^™ AI Leave Planner, built directly into MyLeave to provide leave information and guidance to employees while keeping HR in the lead of every eligibility determination and approval.

WHAT IS ASK QUE?

Ask Que is Qcera’s AI assistant embedded within LeaveSource^® and MyLeave. Ask Que’s newest capability is the AI Leave Planner, designed to help employees understand leave eligibility, explore their options, and submit leave requests all within a single conversation.

HOW DOES THE ASK QUE AI LEAVE PLANNER WORK?

Employee-Guided Leave Planning

An employee enters MyLeave and starts a new chat with Ask Que. They answer simple questions about their leave including the reason and the time they need to take off work. Ask Que guides them through the leave planning process, helping them understand their eligibility under FMLA, ADA, state leave programs, and more.

Real-Time Information

Ask Que answers common leave questions and saves HR teams hours each week from fielding the same inquiries, giving employees the clarity they need upfront.

Streamlined Leave Requests

Once Ask Que has the information it needs from the employee, it will generate a preliminary leave plan that can be submitted to HR. Once submitted, the request feeds directly to LeaveSource^®, where leave administrators can review and manage the case. The employee will be able to see the leave request in MyLeave.

HR Remains in the Lead

Ask Que is an AI assistant, not an HR decision-maker. All leave requests submitted through the Leave Planner flow into LeaveSource^® for review by your leave team. Ask Que augments your HR process; it doesn’t replace it.

WHY NOW?

The data is clear. Half of employers spend 3+ hours managing each individual leave case. Nearly two-fifths of HR teams spend more than a quarter of their work-week on compliance-related tasks. Increasingly, companies are turning to AI to speed up their workflow – the proportion of organizations planning to use AI for compliance nearly doubled over two years, from 22% in 2024 to 42% today (HR.com).

Ask Que is designed to save time and explain complex leave scenarios for both employees and HR. Employees get answers immediately. HR gets back time to focus on complex cases, regulatory changes, and strategic leave program design.

The result: faster turnaround on leave requests, fewer back-and-forth emails, a better employee experience, and a more efficient HR process.

BUILT FOR SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE

We recognize that introducing AI into leave management requires rigorous safeguards.

As a result, Qcera has embraced Core Responsible AI Use Principles and Practices.

Ask Que cannot make leave decisions or override HR policy. Employee privacy is protected, all submissions go to HR for review, and the system is continuously monitored to improve accuracy.

See our full AI policy here: https://qcera.com/ask-que/

WHAT’S NEXT

The AI Leave Planner is the first in a series of “Ask Que” capabilities planned for the LeaveSource^® platform. We’re already working on additional features designed to help HR teams manage leave more efficiently.

This is the future of leave management: a partnership between human expertise and intelligent automation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I access Ask Que AI Leave Planner?

Ask Que AI Leave Planner will be released to a select group of MyLeave clients for a limited time starting Wednesday, July 8^th. Contact your LeaveSource^® Account Manager to learn more about how to use Ask Que AI Leave Planner.

What types of leave can Ask Que answer questions about?

Ask Que provides guidance on FMLA, ADA, state paid leave programs, and more. For employer policies, it will refer the employee to reach out to their HR department. Ask Que helps employees understand eligibility and plan their leave across multiple leave types and regulations.

Does Ask Que approve or deny leave requests?

No. Ask Que is an AI assistant that guides employees through leave eligibility and helps them submit requests. All leave approval or denial decisions are made exclusively by your HR team in LeaveSource^®.

Is employee data private?

Yes. Employee privacy is protected. Ask Que conversations are confidential and no data is retained beyond the session. Other than eligibility criteria and leave entitlement usage, Ask Que cannot access personal employee details. All chat history is deleted upon completion. For more details, see our full AI policy at https://qcera.com/ask-que/.

READY TO ASK QUE?

The Beta version of Ask Que^™ AI Leave Planner will be released to a select group of MyLeave clients for a limited time starting Wednesday, July 8^th. We will be including additional MyLeave clients on a weekly basis. Those clients who have previously opted out of all AI capabilities on LeaveSource will be excluded from Ask Que access. For any client wanting early access to experience Ask Que, please contact your LeaveSource^® Account Manager.

Not a client of ours yet? Give your employees a smarter leave planning experience. Schedule a demo with the Qcera | LeaveSource^® team to explore the LeaveSource platform, learn more about the MyLeave self-service portal, and see Ask Que in action.

Sources

2026 NFP U.S. Leave Management Report, NFP, an Aon Company

HR.com State of Legal and Compliance 2026, HR.com Research Institute