How Can We Encourage Punctuality Without Salary Deductions in Our Attendance Policy?

Dear all,

My company comprises of 300+ employees, and we have implemented a "hand punch" attendance system, where the check-in time and the out time are recorded on a daily basis. Now, I am interested in developing an attendance policy to monitor latecomers and reduce the rate of absenteeism.

Can anybody help me with his/her valuable ideas? I have researched a lot on this, but what I am exactly looking for is a policy that doesn't affect the salary of the employees, i.e., to make them observe the rules without taking any strict action.

I look forward to your assistance.

Regards,
Mehwish

Dear Mehwish,

Regarding the attendance policy and to reduce absenteeism, you can introduce the following policy:

- Give the employees a grace period of 5 minutes.
- Deduct half a day of PL if they are late more than twice in a month (after the grace period).
- Deduct half a day of PL if employees arrive late on any day.
- Provide a 15-minute grace period thrice a month, and if there are more than 3 occasions, you can deduct half a day's salary.
- To reduce absenteeism, top management can motivate employees by arriving on time at the office.

If you need more clarification, please email santshukla123@yahoo.co.in.

Hope this helps you.

Sant Shukla

Dear Mehwish,

Regarding the attendance policy and to reduce absenteeism, you can introduce the following policy:

- Give the employees a grace period of 5 minutes.
- Deduct half a day's paid leave if they are late more than twice in a month (after the grace period).
- Deduct half a day's paid leave if employees arrive late on any day.
- Provide a 15-minute grace period thrice in a month, and if there are more than 3 occasions, you can deduct half a day's salary.
- To reduce absenteeism, top management should set an example by arriving at the office on time.

If you need further clarification, please email santshukla123@yahoo.co.in.

Hope this helps you.

Sant Shukla

Hello Mehwish, I commend your desire to avoid financial punishments. Having a written and well-communicated policy is one thing – and very important. Changing people's behavior is another thing. The key person in making this successful is the frontline supervisor. When there is a late arrival, the supervisor will need to meet face-to-face with the employee and find out why the person is late and to help that person overcome any barriers to arriving early. This is not a soft approach, because if the person continues to arrive late after assistance is given, the supervisor will need to begin the formal disciplinary process. During this all-important discussion, the supervisor will need to impress on the employee the importance of their on-time arrival and how late arrival impacts the organization.

The other aspect is employee engagement. Absenteeism is low in those organizations where employees find their work fulfilling and challenging, can see the big picture, have a personal relationship with their supervisor, is supplied with the appropriate resources to do the job well, and so on and so on. All of these factors depend on the capabilities and attitude of the supervisor. Having a purely punitive approach without tending to the factors that lead to work satisfaction will have, at best, a short-term positive impact.

Vicki Heath

Human Resources Software and Resources

http://www.businessperform.com

Hello,

Please see the attached for the details regarding the attendance policy that is followed in my company. I never support financial penalization as a measure to control absenteeism. We can implement flexible work timings and can place latecomers on different shifts on a rotational basis to determine which shifts they are comfortable in. Direct face-to-face interaction with the immediate reporting boss could also reveal the possible reasons why he/she is unable to arrive on time.

Thank you and regards,
Ayona