Balancing Late Arrivals and Overtime: How Can HR Address This Workplace Dilemma?

Respected seniors,

I am working in an IT firm. As it happens in many companies, we are also facing the issue of employees arriving late. Our office hours are from 10 am to 7 pm. However, almost all employees (except the ladies) stay late until 8:30 pm, and sometimes even 9 pm. As the HR personnel, management has requested me to ensure that employees arrive on time since they typically reach the office by 10:15 am or even 10:30 am. When I asked them to come on time, they responded that they stay late and if they are expected to arrive on time, they should also be allowed to leave on time, at 7 pm.

Seniors, I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with some ideas to address this issue. I find myself caught between the management's expectations and the employees' preferences.

Thanks and regards, Priyanky

Make a policy for being on time. For example, "Employees should be in the office by 9:45 at the latest. Three instances of being late will be allowed in a month. For each subsequent 2 or 3 late arrivals, half a day's salary will be deducted.

Employees will be punctual. If not, in case you can convince the management that you are reducing the company's costs."

I agree with Ms. Swarnalata. You may need to create a policy specifically for late arrivals. Simultaneously, it is essential to ensure that employees leave on time. Depending on the workload, some employees may need to stay late, and in such cases, you must communicate effectively with them. Remember, they are not government employees, so as an HR professional, you need to be firm regarding punctuality. Initially, develop a policy, obtain management approval, and then implement it. By doing so, you will likely observe positive changes in employee behavior.

Thank you for your suggestions. I will definitely try to implement them. However, the main issue lies in their habit of staying late in the company, which they do willingly but we can't afford to lose their dedication.

In case you think that employees are staying late in the office willingly, then you can also add one more point in your policy of not sitting late in the office beyond 07:15. If, due to workload, anyone wants to sit late, then they need to take permission from their respective Head of Department, possibly via email with a copy to HR.

I agree with the employees stating that they extend their work hours. If the designated timing is between 10 am to 7 pm, you can allow them until 10:30 am without issue to the management. If an employee exceeds 10:30 am, they should seek prior permission from their reporting manager.

If an employee is consistently late for three days past 10:30 am without permission, a deduction of one hour's salary should be implemented. You should persuade the top management to allow employees until 10:30 am, or else convince management to enforce a strict 7 pm leaving time. If the company requires any employee to work beyond 7 pm, extra pay for the additional hour should be provided.

I believe this approach could be beneficial.

Dear Priyanky,

Greetings!

You may also introduce a new system, i.e., Flexi hours. Firstly, fix the working hours of the company to be 8 hours (excluding lunch and tea time). Secondly, set the office opening time from 10 AM to 10 PM.

Now, employees have to manage 8 hours per day. Initially, you may start with a weekly basis. This means employees have to manage 48 hours per week. If they work more than 48 hours, they must seek approval from the Head of Department/management. If they cannot meet the 48-hour requirement per week, you may deduct from their salary. This is a good way to address the timing issue.

We also belong to an IT company and are working with these flexible hours. I hope you will receive a positive response from your employees.

Best regards, [Your Name]

Dear Priyank,

Greetings!

You may also introduce a new system, i.e., Flexi hours. Firstly, fix the working hours of the company to be 8 hours (excluding lunch and tea time). Secondly, set the office opening hours from 10 AM to 10 PM. Now, each employee has to manage 8 hours per day. Initially, you may start on a weekly basis. This means the employee has to manage 48 hours per week. If they work more than 48 hours, they must seek approval from the Head of Department or management. If an employee cannot complete 48 hours per week, you can deduct from their salary. This is a good way to address timing issues.

We also belong to an IT company and are currently working with Flexi hours. We hope you will receive a positive response from your employees.

Kind regards

Dear Priyanki,

Please inform your employees that coming in late and staying late to compensate for the tardiness can only be done by employees who are paid wages based on hours worked, i.e., Time Rate Payment, which is typically applicable to blue-collar workers. Therefore, the aforementioned excuse is not valid.

Regards,
SC

Dear Priyanky,

Under the Flexible Starting Times Program, employees have an increased responsibility to fit their work hours to the needs of the work situation. The degree to which employees may utilize flexibility in varying their starting time will depend on what the work situation allows (as defined by management). The Manager and Supervisor have the final responsibility. Imbalances that would adversely affect the work may be remedied in a variety of ways:

- Making clear to employees the approximate number needed by certain times in the morning, and then letting them decide among themselves who will cover what time.
- Limiting the range of starting times for the section or particular employees.
- Rotating early and late times to ensure fairness.
- Requesting certain key employees to keep to specific times.
- Requiring advance notice of significant changes from a regular pattern of starting time.

Let’s start over with the flex-time policy. It is a good place to start. Create a manageable system where time due is written down and reviewed, and policies about when it can be taken are clear for everyone. Be sure to come up with a fair way to count flex time that may already be due when you start the new system.

Cheers and best regards,

John

Hi,,,

U can try for this-------->

Late-coming Policy:

A grace period of 30 minutes will be allowed in a calendar month to all the associates, only 3 late comings are allowed in a month. Thereafter, “for every 3 late comings half-a-day's salary will be deducted and no leave adjustments will be done for late comings.”

Employees coming after grace period will sign in a separate register besides swiping the card.

All associates, while reporting to duty and leaving at the end of the day shall swipe/sign (whichever is to be done) on all working days without fail. Any associate who has not swiped the card/signed the register will be marked absent for the day.

Swiping Correctly:

How do you ensure swiping?
When you swipe the card, you will hear a beep sound and will be able to see a green light.
In case of any problem in swiping the card, please report to HR Dept.

Forgot Identity Card

In case you forget the identity card, you should inform the same in writing to the functional head and submit to the HR Department.

Associates should bring their ID Card regularly without fail. We will be monitoring the attendance regularly and any associate forgetting the identity card frequently will be closely observed and will be viewed seriously.

Regards,

Maruti G

HR-Bangalore
+919964142052

Hi Priyanka,

I have read all the ideas shared by the senior members here, and all of them are really good. However, I would like to suggest another idea to address the issue of late arrivals. My suggestion is that you stand at the gate at 10:15 am with some red roses and simply pin a flower to the employees who come in late. You may think this could be seen as insulting, but in reality, cutting their salary or pay would be more of an insult. This approach aims to create a psychological impact and control tardiness. The employee with the most roses in a week or a month will be recognized as the "Employee of the Month."

For more ideas, please feel free to email me at kalpesh@zenithrubber.com.

Regards,
Kalpesh
09665888165

Hello. Our company is a mineral-based company, and most of the staff have been working for quite a long period of time (15-20 years). The issue we are facing is that some senior staff members arrive at the office after 9:30 am, while our office hours are from 9 am to 5:30 pm.

Please advise on how to address this situation. We are unable to implement flexible timing, and we also cannot confront them as they have close ties to the top management.

Priyanky,

This is a problem everywhere. First of all, to tackle the issue, you need to have a good attendance recording system (biometric or card reader). You need to get accurate reports on employees' late attendance. Then, you take up the late employees' list with their in-charge/HOD, ask him to counsel his employees first, then call them to counsel them from HR. If still, it does not work, issue a notice stating that if an employee is late three times in a month, half-day salary or leave will be cut automatically. You need to be firm in these kinds of issues; only then will you see some improvement. All the best!

Dakshina Murty
HR Manager

Hi,

This is the perennial problem in all IT companies as they won't pack up in time from work normally. By having this plea, many will pretext that they are working late at night. However, you need to check their time of leaving and can tell them to come on time if you happen to see them packing up on time the previous day. By and large, there is no stoppage for this as they work a lot of extra hours in case the project demands it, and if needed, you need to proceed carefully. Please send some articles that explain the importance of time and punctuality.

Best of luck,
Thanks

Dear Priyanky,

Yes, I also agree with Bhrugisha. Because you belong to an IT company, if you deduct half a day's salary for every late arrival, employees will be demotivated. It's best to consider Bhrugisha's idea. I think it's good for you, according to me.

I am Khan

Hi,

You can create a policy wherein if an employee arrives after 11:00, it will be counted as half a day, and if there are three instances of arriving between 10:00 to 11:00 in a month, it will also be counted as half a day.

Regards,
Nishu

Hi,

Flexi-hours are a positive solution. If this is not possible, ask employees to record their arrival time daily. After three instances of arriving late, reprimand the employees. Subsequently, consider implementing a proportional wage deduction.

Regards,
Prabhu

Hi Priya,

I can't say it's the best solution, but this is what we do in our office: when we have work, we inform everyone for extension. When there is no work, we leave as early as possible. Be friendly with them, try to handle the situation as easily as possible. In such situations, you must act very smartly. Just keep an eye on who all are coming late.

I hope your company has a bulletin board. Just put their names on the board if they come late, and at the same time, encourage people who arrive early by praising them and giving them chocolates or something innovative so that others might feel they should also be appreciated. You will really get a positive response.

ALL THE BEST :)

Sowmya Rao

Hi,

Whatever the work may be, as HR professionals, it is our duty to schedule the working time. The working hours should neither exceed nor fall short. Creating a schedule and ensuring timely shift closures will lead to high employee satisfaction. Extended working hours may result in work not meeting expected standards; hence, it's crucial to complete tasks on time.

This is the only way to tackle this issue, and together, we can satisfy the employees.

With regards,
Vijay

Hey Priyanky,

Although most of the suggestions are the most apt ones if they can be followed, I feel they aren't practically possible. Changing office policies would not be a one-night task. I suggest you talk to their department manager and try to find out why his/her department's people do this regularly. You can then issue circulars/memos to the employees stating that office timings are at 10, and they are expected to be in the office by then. You can monitor this and conduct daily/weekly reviews, reporting the employees as well as their seniors about the defaulters.

All the best.
Take care.

Hi,

This is a pretty common problem most organizations face, and I feel that it is more of a problem related to work structuring and work practices than the behavior of employees. If your employees need to stay 1-2 hours beyond the scheduled working hours on a regular basis, then there is a problem with how the work is structured and the manpower planning process. Making employees stay back late every day is not a very healthy sign and ultimately affects employee morale.

I am sure 8 hours a day is sufficient for a day's work and can be utilized effectively if we cut down unproductive work during working hours (unnecessary emails, coffee breaks, unnecessary meetings, gossip, etc.). Research has also shown that the maximum productivity for a human mind is for 7-8 hours at a stretch, beyond which it begins to drop.

So go ahead, urge your employees to work hard for 8 hours and follow the office timings. I am sure they would be happy and productive employees. And of course, coming to the office at the scheduled time is imperative for a disciplined workforce.

Regards,
Jagjit Singh

Hello!

See attachment, good one!

Regards,
Arbind Modi
PM Dimensions

Dear,

Why don't you make a policy for late coming? I am working in a garment industry as an executive HR. We are using a late coming policy for workers and staff. We allow 3 days late for workers for up to 10 minutes, and for staff, we give them 3 half an hour and 3 one-hour late coming permissible in a month. Why can't you make this type of policy to reduce late coming?

Regards,
Ajay

Dear Priyanky,

I too face the same issue in our company. So we framed the policy like this. Please find the below mentioned points. It's working out smoothly.

1. Office timing: 10:00 am till 7:00 pm
2. Lates: Three lates can be allowed to come per month. The 3rd late will be considered as half-day leave.
3. The person who is working after 7:00 pm should get permission from their team leaders or team in charge. The team leaders/team in charges should send a list of person names to the HR department.
4. The persons who are working after 7:00 pm can come the next day morning before 11:00 am or 11:30 am.

I hope these points are useful for you. Thank you.

Our company follows a flexi-time policy. Our timings are from 9 am to 5 pm. If the employee swipes his/her attendance by 9:10 am, they can leave at 5 pm. If the swipe occurs by 9:30 am, they can leave after 5:30 pm. For arriving after 9:30 am and until 10 am, written permission from the supervisor is required, and the employee can leave after 6 pm. Arrivals after the flexitime window will be considered a full-day absence.

Employees staying late, even if they have work, is not a new occurrence, especially in a private organization. Therefore, no employee should take advantage of that excuse. The employee's immediate supervisor needs to be convinced that working beyond regular hours is productive for the organization; otherwise, the company may incur additional costs such as electricity. Also, overtime should not be allowed for the white-collar employees to discourage them from staying late, putting pressure on them to complete their tasks within normal working hours. Employees should also be encouraged to spend quality time with their families to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which is essential for good HR practices.

Regarding the suggestion from bhrugisha@vcantech.com, the spelling and grammar corrections are as follows:

"Permission of his superior can come late."

Hello Priyanki,

I think that the management in your company needs to be more flexible. When they don't question people staying back late after work hours, and since you have also indicated that it is a general trend except for female employees, their worry is unwarranted and baseless.

I have seen employees, and the only way the management can implement any rule successfully (there is a huge difference between implementing successfully and implementing forcefully!!!!) is only when the management doesn't give its employees an "ethical" space to argue. And since I infer that it is not the case with your management, I feel implementing blind rules like "3 late entries a month" or "proportional salary cut" based on the lapsed duration will only lead to "unrest" and "hot debate topics" during tea time!!!

So, a flexi work time of 8 hrs (excluding breaks) or "meeting deadlines rather than work times" sort of approach could be better!!!! Hope you find the above useful!!!

It depends on your management how they are going to implement the system of disciplinary action to be taken for late-coming employees.

1) Either talk with the top management for flexible timings.

2) If you want to set up the procedure for habitual late-coming employees, kindly follow this procedure:
- Keep a security guard near the time office with a register. This procedure will make the employees think that their behavior of late coming is monitored.
- Check the register and call the employee who has come late and counsel them.
- If you think that even after continuous counseling some employees remain very rigid and continue to come late,
send a show-cause notice asking for an explanation.
- If the explanation is not satisfactory, send an intimation letter for conducting a domestic inquiry.

I think this approach will serve the purpose. If you need any further explanation, you can inquire/call me at 9909001742.

Regards,
Abhijeet Sawant

Hello,

Can you tell me the fixed times for the hotel industry staff and also the administrative employees who are working in the hotel industry? For roles like accounts, HR, and F&B staff, what should be their work timings?

Help me out.

Hey,

You can try this if you are finding it hard to get your employees out of the office on time! We have implemented this in our office, and it is a huge success! Take an excuse that the company is going "eco-friendly" and hence to reduce global warming, there will be a compulsory power shutdown during breaks and after office hours. Give a 10-minute break so that employees can "save" whatever they had been doing at the end of the day! Now you can ethically enforce "3 late entries/month" or whatever you find sufficient! We have implemented this during lunch as well, and it has been great! No drop in performance either!

Always remember, "The management can never win until its employees are on the winning side!"

Hi Priyasarmah,

When the management is strict about the timings, they should also be consistent with work allotment to employees. If the work allotted for the day is not completed by the employee before their work-time, it is their fault due to a lack of proper planning in completing the work on time. Thus, there would be no chance for the employee to blame the management, as the cause of their hard work would only be a result of their unplanned nature. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the scenario closely and clearly communicate expectations to both management and employees.

Morning time should be strictly adhered to, as it reflects the punctuality and discipline of the organization. While it is common for employees to work longer hours in the evenings in many private organizations, punctuality in the mornings sets the tone for effective management.

Implement a policy where irregular attendance results in consequences for late-coming employees. Have employees appear before their superiors if they consistently fail to arrive on time, despite warnings. Issue memos and mark them as absent for half a day. It is crucial to discuss and obtain approval from higher-ups for these rules.

There is no need to assign blame; you are simply carrying out your duties with prior approval on new policies.

Good luck and all the best.

Please also keep me informed about any HR openings within your organization.

Thanks and Regards,

CRK

Email: crk.mbahr@yahoo.com

Hi,

When the management is strict in office timings, they should pass a rule that everybody should log in by 10 am, and logout timings will depend on their work. However, logout time calculations will be done until 7 pm. If you work more than 8 hours, that depends on the project (i.e., client priority). One thing to be remembered by management is they should give employee salary based on productivity. This way, both the employees and management will be happy. :)

Regards,
Shilpa

Hi, Priyanka.

I agree with all the individuals who have already responded to this question. As a process, you should implement a late-coming policy where employees can arrive between 10:10 and 10:20 up to three times a month. If occurrences exceed this limit, a verbal warning should be issued. If there is no improvement, a formal warning letter should be provided by HR.

Since we, as HR professionals, need to handle this situation carefully, it is important to spend time with the employees to understand why they stay late. Determine if they have legitimate work reasons for staying late or if it is simply a habit. Please identify this distinction. Additionally, these are mature candidates. If occasional late hours are necessary due to work demands, that is acceptable. They are responsible individuals, and tasks should be completed. However, if staying late becomes a daily occurrence, an investigation is necessary. If there are staffing shortages, consult with the Head of Department to assess if additional manpower is required.

Regards,
Akshatha Karangutkar

Use a policy of partially flexible hours instead of full flexibility. In-time to the office should be between 9:30 to 10:30 am. Out-time should be between 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The total logged hours should be a minimum of 9 hours per day. All staff must be available in the office between 10:30 am to 6:30 pm. If somebody is late beyond 10:30 am, mark him/her as a latecomer and deduct half a day for 3 late marks. A person late more than 5 times in a month will have their name listed and submitted to top management for further action. Punctuality is a fundamental value for any organization and must be given due importance.

Prasanna Shembekar HR System Consultant, Counselor & Corporate Trainer 09423565101

Hi Priyasarmah,

When the management is strict about the timings, they should also be consistent with work allotment to employees. If the work allotted for the day is not completed by the employee before their work-time, it is their fault for lacking proper planning to complete the work on time. Therefore, the employee would have no grounds to blame the management, as the cause of the extra workload is solely due to their lack of planning. Therefore, it is essential to closely analyze the scenario and clearly communicate it to both the management and employees.

Morning time should be strictly adhered to, as it reflects the punctuality and discipline of the organization. It is common in any private organization for employees to work longer hours in the evenings, but they must arrive promptly in the mornings. This practice depends on effective management.

Establish a policy where irregular employees fear the consequences of being late. Require employees to meet with higher-ups if they fail to arrive on time despite warnings. Issue a memo, mark them as absent for half a day. All these rules should be discussed with higher-ups for prior approval.

There is no need to assign blame. You are fulfilling your duties by implementing new policies with prior approval.

Good luck and all the best.

Thanks and Regards,

CRK

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Hi Priya,

Yes, to an extent, I agree with the employees that if they are coming late, then they should also extend themselves for the same. I guess what matters is that if the employees are doing their work without affecting the productivity line, then I guess you should leave it the way it is. Considering the fast-paced life we have, we must provide some kind of flexibility to the employees. But if you are very keen on the timelines, then you better implement some policy with punishment for the people who are not following the same.

Regards,
Jiffy Johny

Hi Seniors,

Late coming is common in every organization, due to personal or geographical reasons. Based on that, we plan our timings.

For your problem, first, you should inform everyone about office timings, like 9:45 AM to 6/7 PM. Do not allow those who do not stay beyond the designated leaving time. Also, provide 1-2 chances to employees per month for lateness. After more than two instances of late coming, it will be treated as an absence or loss of pay.

Employees must provide a written explanation for their lateness.

Note: Rules are established for our convenience and the smooth operation of the organization. Changes are possible.

I browsed all the answers, very sadly, most of the answers reflect on IR mechanisms -- policy, punishment, monitoring, policing, etc.

With due respect to the frequent traffic jams in big cities, you can introduce a REWARD for early coming. Request your bosses and project managers to conduct a short early morning review of their teams at 10:00 AM. This review serves a dual purpose -- one to review the progress, second to keep an eye on latecomers.

Cheers

Dear Priyanky,

Late-coming problem is being faced by HR personnel in most organizations. On one hand, you have to show results to management, and on the other hand, there is resistance by employees to most policies.

I suggest, with the help of management, to come up with a policy where employees will be given a maximum of 30 minutes grace period for reaching the office and leaving on time. No employee should stay back unless the work is urgent. I believe everyone should be able to finish their work within 8 hours. Many employees, in an attempt to please their bosses, spend the entire day on just one task that could be completed in 30-45 minutes, showing dedication by staying late.

Furthermore, you should convince management to instruct the respective Heads of Department that it is their responsibility to ensure employees finish their work and leave on time.

Regards,
Kalyani

Yes, flexitime is the answer, especially in the IT industry.

Moreover, another brilliant idea is working from home. As long as the employee completes the assigned work, they are allowed to work from home, coming to the office either once a week or on an as-needed basis. Many large multinationals are promoting this culture. In fact, IBM has been successful in their New York office.

Best of luck. Anupam

Latecoming in the office is a problem in every company. However, a clear policy should be made. Before implementing any policy, take views of HOD and then finalize. I agree with the responses given by experts. However, while making a policy, consider giving a grace period of 10 minutes and then up to 15 minutes late can be allowed on three occasions, since employees are traveling from distant places by train, bus, car, etc.

Prepare a monthly late attendance statement of each department and forward it to the HOD of each department for their views. This will ensure that the matter of latecoming is known by the HOD of the concerned employee before taking any actions as they are responsible for the department's achievement.

It is not that since the employees sit late after office hours for completing their work, they should attend the office late in the morning. Timely attendance is a must for each employee since now it is a performance-based work everyone is handling. It is their duty to complete the work during office hours or by working late, but they should attend the office in the morning on time.

Hi all,

Some really good suggestions above. However, just remember that as someone working in HR, you are NOT the employees' line manager. It is the line managers' responsibility to manage their staff; yours is to ensure that there is a reasonable, legal, and workable policy in place and that it is being consistently and fairly applied. Also, why penalize someone for being 5 minutes late when they freely give 60 minutes at the end of the day? This is a common issue not just in India but in the UK as well. Here's a thought - set up the jobs so that employees are rewarded for outcomes - not inputs; does it then matter if they are late!

Dear Priyanky,

I agree with all the replies. I am also following the same thing in my company, but first of all, you have to implement a flexi-timing system. For example, you can set the timing from 9:30 to 10 am, allowing anyone to come in, and leave between 6:30 to 7 pm. This means if you arrive at 9:30, you can leave at 6:30, and if you arrive at 9:40, you can leave at 6:40. Additionally, a maximum of 3 to 4 instances of being late for up to 10 minutes (once a week) in a month will be allowed without any deduction. If there are more instances, even being late by just 1 second will result in a deduction of 30 minutes. You can consider applying this system in your organization.

Dear,

Please check first why they are going late in the evening. Is it due to workload or to show that they are working hard? Ask them to submit the report daily on their pending work.

This question will help you, and they will come on time from the next day.

Bhaskar Rao

Dear Priyanka,

To motivate the employees to come on time and stay late when necessary, you can implement motivation schemes such as a monetary reward of Rs. 500 or 1000 for an employee who arrives on time continuously for 1, 2, or 3 months—whatever period is affordable for your management. This approach really works, and employees themselves will strive to be punctual.

Alternatively, you can establish a policy of rewarding (not in monetary terms) the individual with zero late arrivals in a month as the "Punctual Man/Lady of the Month." A few words of appreciation from senior management to the winner can further boost motivation among employees. As human beings, we always strive to succeed.

Regards,
Rimpy

Dear Priyanky,

Please review the slides. You will notice that when we deduct something from their salary, we are actually providing more than the deduction. This information will be beneficial for you.

Thank you.

Framing policy, management's approval prior to its implementation is something that should serve the purpose of rolling out the policy. However, I strongly feel it would be equally important to consider the process of communication you would like to follow to introduce this policy to employees.

An open forum should be held before enforcing the policy to understand the real reasons behind the delay. This would also help in deciding the degree of strictness of the policy.

Calculate the approximate losses and make the group aware of them from both individual and company standpoints.

Consider introducing special clauses as not everyone may want to arrive late, and implementing delayed time slots for penalizing employees who are late.

If there are behavioral issues, involve the training team as well as the respective supervisors after the policy is introduced, keeping employee satisfaction in mind.

You can also include this in the supervisors' KRA's (like monthly acceptable delay hours from individual teams) or something similar that promotes shared ownership.

I have corrected the spelling and grammar errors and adjusted the paragraph formatting for clarity and readability.

Dear Priyanka,

The management has every right to demand that employees perform and adopt the policies and procedures of the company. In this process, employees should attend the office on time. Employees do not have the right to demand to leave the office on time because, in order to maintain office discipline, the management insists that employees arrive on time.

As a Manager HR, you should follow the guidelines set by the management and do not have the option to violate them. If anyone asks about their departure time, please ask them to raise the issue in writing. The management will respond appropriately.

Make the difference between H.O.D's and staff. Make one policy as our friends said, and add that there are no fixed out timings for H.O.D's; they should leave staff on time. If there is any workload, permission has to go through HR as well as the H.O.D. If it is routine, recruit sufficient manpower/trainees. Otherwise, implement compensatory leave for their overtime instead of pay.

Hi there,

I have experienced this problem in the firm I manage and I fixed it as below. Introduce biodesk or bioaccess systems at the door and base this attendance data for salary calculation. Extra time is not included in this type of calculation unless specifically sanctioned. Everybody will come on time. However, we have to be liberal. About 20% always tend to fail.

All tactics are really great, but I would suggest the one we try is to keep track of latecomers and inform the individual department head by the end of every month by sending an email. The head will then ask for an explanation and ensure they are on time next time.

Additionally, you can start with a penalty for latecomers. After three instances of being late, the fourth late arrival will incur a charge of Rs. 50/-, and so on. Those staff members whose attendance is punctual should be given a certificate of Punctuality and honored. Also, the names of latecomers along with the number of times they were late should be announced; this method really works.

This was the practice followed at my previous organization, and it was successful. We also implemented a similar system for printouts; every paper left on the printer and not collected by the individual incurred a charge of Rs. 10/-. We were strict in enforcing this policy.

The best way is if anyone is late for three days in a month, then deduct their one-day salary against three days late. Then they will come on time.

If you deduct 0.5 days against three days late, then they will stay the same. Another option is if their HR department is very strict, then you can do one thing: if they are late any day, that day will be counted as a half-day.

Normal office timing, including the spreadover, is 8 and a half hours. In today's corporate world, it's a regular phenomenon that people overstay beyond office hours. We, HR professionals, are here to facilitate people rather than to punish them. Always remember, if you hold a stick and try to control people, you will only see the reverse effect, which will subsequently lead to less productivity.

Instead, you can implement this policy: irrespective of the time they come in (between 10-12), they should work for 8 and a half hours. This has a twofold advantage. Firstly, productivity will never be affected, and secondly, employees will be happy and give their best since the company is providing them with the advantage of flexible hours.

If employees still arrive late and leave early, calculate the number of working hours and convert it to a percentage of work on every working day, for example, 60%, 70%, or 95%. Once it is converted to a percentage, you can determine the number of effectively utilized working hours. After conducting this analysis, you can deduct the salary (set limits after discussing with management) based on productive working hours. This strategy was implemented in an organization and has been quite successful.

As an HR Manager, you must advise your top management that a company strictly adhering to fixed working hours is not a progressive organization. I would like to suggest that you categorize employees into different groups based on their job families. For example, those working as receptionists, secretaries, customer service representatives, administrative staff, and other frontline workers whose outputs are more activity-based should adhere to official work hours. However, for those involved in Research and Development (R&D) and other creative roles, they should not be confined to a traditional 9-5 or 10-7 work schedule. Instead, their performance should be evaluated based on the production of high-quality outputs within target timelines. For employees whose roles fall in between, such as sales and marketing, offering flexible work hours can be an option.

Hi Priysnky,

I think Patnaik's idea is a good one; you can try it once and see the result. I am working in the hotel industry, which is the reason why it is more difficult for me to manage the time of the employees, as they work late every day.

Help me out if you can.

All the above solutions are the best, and Flexi time is the appropriate one from my point of view. It will permit employees to come in late, but the time is fixed by their convenience, and they have to adhere to that time because it is set by them. This way, there will not be any excuse for arriving late or staying late. Thank you for sharing this problem; we also found some good policies.

Regards,
Veena

Dear Priyanki, Staying late in the office daily is a very bad practice. Please try to understand what they are doing in that extra 1 hour which they cannot finish in the morning. If they are staying for a valid reason, then you have to work out alternatives. Otherwise, please instruct the HODs to monitor them properly.

Regards, Raghavendra B R

Understanding the Importance of Discipline in Organizations

We must understand that organizations operate on discipline under a set of rules and regulations. A code of conduct is prepared to guide employees' behavior and actions, and no employee is above the organization.

Addressing Late Arrivals in the Workplace

It is not acceptable for employees to arrive late at the office because they stay late as a regular activity. You need to create a professional environment that is beneficial for both employees and employers.

It's good to see that your employees are committed and stay late at the office. As HR, you need to find the cause:

- Are employees under tremendous work pressure that compels them to stay late at the office?
- Are they just spending time on the internet and doing nothing?

You need to address these issues depending on the circumstances.

Regards

New System to Encourage Punctuality

We started a new system where we have planned to offer an extra day of leave to employees who come to work regularly on time, instead of imposing punishments on latecomers. As a result, many employees have started to arrive punctually.

Regards,
Kumar
HR

Hi Priya, I guess you have received a good amount of relevant responses. Above all these things, the most important step is to first speak to your senior management team and make them understand the importance. Of course, you need to be very diligent and diplomatic while dealing with these individuals! Once you get their buy-in, you can rest assured that it will become their responsibility to cascade the message down the line.

Regards,
Jiffy

Latecoming: Addressing the Issue

Latecoming, deduction is not a permanent solution. Take disciplinary action against latecomers with due approval from top management. If management does not agree to take this step, then I will not be responsible for this shortcoming.

Regards,
BB JOSHI

Addressing Indiscipline Due to Late Entry

It has been observed that there is growing indiscipline in your department due to late entry into the factory premises, which is causing tremendous inconvenience and affecting the image of the organization.

Actions to be Initiated:

1. An employee who habitually arrives after 9 am shall punch their card before the time office and sign a separate attendance register in the presence of the department head. They must verbally explain the reasons for their delay in attendance. If this continues for more than three occasions, the employee should submit a written explanation for the late arrival.

2. Meanwhile, all employees, including the departmental head, are supposed to attend the office before 8:45 AM to start the departmental meeting, and routine work should commence at 9:00 o'clock.

3. Unpunctual attendance or unauthorized late arrivals will be treated as acts of misconduct, and salary/wage deductions will be initiated for the specific late durations.

Any late arrival beyond four times in a month will be treated as an absence, for which ½ day leave will be deducted if due; otherwise, salary will be deducted. This norm is only a guideline and does not entitle a staff member to have the right to arrive late.

Please note that arriving late to work affects not only your work but also the entire process you are involved in.

You are requested to strictly start following the office timings with immediate effect, failing which we will be compelled to start deducting a day's salary for every day that you arrive late to work.

Please call the concerned and advise them to adhere to the shift timings.

Regards,

Policy for Being on Time

Make a policy for being on time. For example, "Employees should be in the office on time. Three late arrivals will be allowed in a month, and for each 2 or 3 late arrivals, half-day salary will be deducted."

We state these rules to ensure that employees are punctual and regular. If employees need to stay late due to work pressure, announce that those who stay after office hours for overtime will be compensated. The calculation will be done by the project manager based on the value of the work, and employees will receive incentives or appreciation. It is essential for the organization to recognize employees' efforts and reward them accordingly.