You may have come across different names for it: employee attendance policy, attendance management policy, absenteeism policy, or tardiness policy. All of these terms refer to the same thing - an internal document whose purpose is to maintain regular attendance, punctuality, and, ultimately: the Company's efficiency.
Life is unpredictable and unforeseen situations will happen: a last-minute family emergency is just one example. Therefore, you want to be flexible when your employees are late or absent. But for this to be an exception and not a rule, your team needs to be on the same page regarding absenteeism and tardiness.
In all honesty, being late, tardy, or absent frequently puts co-workers under pressure and causes disruptions in work.
If you're looking to give your business a leg up and encourage both accountability in your staff and productivity - the attendance policy is a foundation. In this article, we'll not only give you actionable advice on how to write it properly, but we'll also give you a free employee attendance policy in pdf format.
To learn more about best GPS employee tracker apps, read our article.
This term describes a document containing a set of company rules about employee attendance. In other words, it defines a number of leaves allowed by a certain company. It includes, but isn't limited to sick leaves, vacation leaves, maternity leaves, and other types of leaves a company authorizes.
The goal of this document is to reduce absenteeism and encourage productivity in the workplace.
Perhaps a more important question is what Is a reasonable attendance policy? To promote a healthy workplace environment, it should aim at maintaining a steady work schedule while encouraging employee autonomy at the same time.
The answer is simple yet effective: every business owner or manager wants smooth and efficient processes. One of its main pillars is punctuality and presence at work. It also helps organizations treat their workers equally and set clear expectations.
Having an effective attendance policy promotes order and when it's aligned with the company culture and both parties comply with it, it also helps in maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship.
And if this didn't convince you, maybe the numbers will. The productivity that gets lost due to absenteeism equals an astonishing $1,685 per employee each year or $225.8 billion each year, according to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Establishing clear expectations is the key. You want your attendance policy to contain a clear set of guidelines on attendance management issues. The next important question is: what exactly should you include in the employee attendance policy? What's an essential part of it, and what's optional?
In the next few sections we'll cover essential components your time and attendance Policy should include. And after we're done with explanations, we'll finish off this article with an attendance policy pdf, so you have a template you can tailor according to your business's specific needs.
Now that you know the key elements of a comprehensive attendance policy, it's time to introduce legal considerations you need to be mindful of when creating your guidelines. Take a look at relevant laws in the context of time and attendance policy writing:
Aside from these laws, there are a few more regulations to take into account:
Structure and clear rules are essential for all of us - it helps us navigate our daily lives and know what to expect. The same goes for the work environment and your employees. When they know what's expected of them and what's your Company's culture, it will be easier for them to follow it and organize their workdays accordingly.
However, we all know how unpredictable life can be, so it's important for your employee attendance policy to not just outline the guidelines but to be fair as well. Make sure to allow some room for issues that can emerge at the last minute and prevent your team from fulfilling their work responsibilities as they usually would.
For example, you may opt to grant a one-time excuse (without a penalty) for an absence that's not scheduled or tardiness. Even the best of your employees, with spotless attendance records, may sometimes be late or absent due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead of disciplinary action, you'll allow them a bit of wiggle room.
This type of flexibility is an optional part of your Policy. Still, it's a great way to show your employees you appreciate their effort and that you are willing to be flexible as long as they have a good attendance record.
An important factor of a healthy work environment is equal treatment of every employee. When it comes to time attendance, your safest bet is to go with software built exactly for that purpose. Buddy punching is a frequent issue employers deal with.
Timeero will let you have a clear overview of time tracking data and much more! Our GPS time clock will prevent mistakes and work as your team's ally. And as a bonus, time cards and detailed reports are generated in just a few clicks!
And remember: a fair work environment is a healthy and productive work environment!
To give you a headstart, we've created an employee attendance policy pdf that you can download, print, and use as a guide. This document will help you tailor a policy that will suit your business's needs in no time!
Disclaimer: The purpose of this Policy is to serve you as a general guideline, so use it as a reference. It is not a legal document, and it may not consider all relevant local, state, or federal laws. Therefore, before implementing it, consult your legal counsel and review this Policy for compliance with applicable law on all levels.
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