It is a set of rules related to employees’ attendance. It means that all employees should report for duty as scheduled. If they cannot do so due to unavoidable circumstances, they should inform their immediate supervisor or personnel officer. The importance of the rule has been recognized by Management which emphasizes good attendance with positive communication and transparency.
The policy clearly states how to handle employees who are habitually late or absent from work. The attendance policy must cover different types of leave, including sick days, vacation days, family medical leave, military leave, and sick days for dependents. Poor attendance can negatively impact group productivity. Policies provide guidelines for employee communication and offer consistency in decision-making around attendance.
A good attendance policy outlines the consequences of arriving late and possible penalties and rewards for arriving to work on time. A good attendance policy can cover instances of medical, sick leave, family emergencies, and even unexpected business trips.
A “no-fault” attendance policy is based on a point system, wherein the employee is granted a certain amount of leaves and accumulates points each time they use one of their leaves. When a certain point limit has been reached, the employee has exhausted all his available leaves and cannot avail of any additional leaves. In some organizations, this policy is also used to evaluate an employee’s work record and to determine whether they should be dismissed from employment.
An organization’s policy on employee attendance aims to ensure that employees are present for work on time every day. It also informs employees of the consequences of being absent from work without authorization and not turning up for work at the scheduled time. These policies also remind employees that being late for work is also treated as an absence from duty unless there is an acceptable reason.
Attendance issues are a common problem for employers, but they do not need to be. Attendance policies should be clear and concise. Any attendance policy should include details like what constitutes an unexcused absence, how warnings are communicated, penalties are enacted, and how an employee’s attendance record is used in evaluations. Educating managers and supervisors on managing their teams will also improve managers’ ability to see patterns or problems that indicate an employee with attendance issues.
There are three main kinds of attendance policies:
Point system: Attendance is recorded through the use of a point system.
Rolling attendance system: Attendance records are maintained with checkmarks or other symbols indicating whether or not the employee was present.
Tardiness Policy: If late more than a specified number of times, employees will be disciplined accordingly. Some organizations may not accept an employee who is tardy too many times.
Absence notification: Absence notification enables you to inform your team members about a shift to be covered or rescheduled, made available only internally.
No-call/no-show policy: This policy requires employees to call absent or tardy.
Work from home (WFH) policies allow employees to work remotely with the technology and tools. These policies establish the rules and expectations of employees who WFH, as well as outline the process for receiving approval to begin WFH.
WFH policies should include:
A paid time off policy is a great way of reducing absenteeism and boosting productivity in an office. PTO offers employees the opportunity to take paid leave from their jobs for vacation and other short-term leave requirements.
Attendance is crucial to any organization – and will markedly affect the organization’s productivity and profits. Incorporating absence policies that discourage excessive or unnecessary absences can minimize workplace disruptions.