How Can We Ensure Employees Meet a 20-Day Work Requirement to Avoid Project Delays?

Addressing Employee Leave and Work Completion

My company operates on a 5-day workweek, but even within these 5 days, employees are frequently taking leaves. This situation results in incomplete work, which poses a significant challenge for us. As a small company with a limited number of employees, the workload heavily relies on their presence.

Recently, my director tasked me with creating a policy that ensures employees work for a minimum of 20 days each month to address the issue of incomplete tasks. The primary concern is meeting project deadlines and securing revenue for the company. I seek guidance on how to approach this situation and whether implementing such a policy is feasible.

Your insights and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Regards

Hi Sonalo3, do one thing. Maintain a fixed number of leaves for an employee to be taken in a respective calendar year. For example:

- Sick Leave: 6
- Casual Leave: 6
- Probation Leave: 6
- Vacation: 5
- Maternity: 3
- Bereavement: 3
- Loss of pay: -
- Comp off: -

This approach will help in preventing employees from taking more leaves than the company has allocated.

Regards, Santosh

No, but my question is after the allotment of these leaves, if a person takes leave, what happens? They do not fall into the leave approval category, i.e., they are not confirmed.

I suggest you find out the reason for employees taking leave because your company already seems like a paradise with only 5 working days. If employees are taking additional leaves, we need to address this as a serious issue. Maybe the carrot theory could work for some employees, while for others, we may need to consider the stick theory. Before that, as Mr. Santosh mentioned, please ensure all HR systems and procedures are in place so that rules can be clearly communicated from management's side. Then, you can make a decision based on their reactions.

All the best.

If the employee is not confirmed, then the employee falls under the probation category. So, set some fixed probation leaves. I hope this can solve the issue.

Regards,
Santosh

No, but if their salary gets cut due to leaves, they are okay with taking leaves because of sickness, marriages, puja, and all.

Yeah, even that can solve the issue. Good, but plan and think carefully before implementing anything.

Regards,
Santosh

Dear Sonal,

Company Staff Strength and Leave Policy

What is your company's staff strength? What is your company's leave policy? Are the employees taking leave beyond their eligibility? How has your company planned for leave without pay? Are your employees obtaining leave approval before taking time off? What is your management's view on absenteeism? Do you have a discipline policy in place for your company? What punishments are awarded to employees who are absent without leave?

If you reply to these questions, our members can provide effective responses. Otherwise, the reply will be incomplete and seem like beating around the bush.

Wish you all the best.

1. 20

2. The leave policy is not applicable to them as none of them are confirmed. There is no eligibility.

3. There is no planning on that. Can you please guide me on how to plan for leave on Loss of Pay (LOP)?

4. I didn't understand. They are also frustrated and asked me to do something.

5. No, not yet. There have been no punishments as yet.

First, discuss with the employees in your organization. Identify where the problem exactly starts. Then, try to find a solution for it. Offer some rewards and grades to the employees and try to motivate them to reach the goals of the organization. Adopt some rules, and if they try to cross those rules, enforce consequences. Maintain a page in your profile or company about the rules so that in the future, you can avoid these types of problems.

I don't know whether this will solve your problem, but I tried. I am pursuing my MBA, so I don't have any work experience. I am open to accepting remarks on my comment.

Regards, Lakshmi

We also have a small team, and our work has critical deadlines that cannot be missed. Our clients plan for these dates weeks in advance.

Leave Policy During Probation

During probation, no one is granted leave except for a medical emergency. For all other cases, leaves need to be approved, and we refuse leave when work pressure does not allow for it. People have been removed from service for taking unauthorized leave.

Penalty for Unauthorized Absence

Recently, our team leads asked us to implement a penalty of 1.5 days without pay for every case of absence without authorization (all team members agreed to it). Also, try explaining to employees the impact of their absence.

Regards

My first advice would be to find reasons for the employee remaining on leave. If necessary, counsel them. If the leave is unjustified or without reason, issue a warning letter or arrange for a substitute employee.

Dear Sonal, all the experts have already given their views on that matter. So, make a leave policy for your organization, seek approval from your top management, and educate your employees about the leave rules. Include a clause in your appointment letter stating that if any employee's performance is not up to expectations during the probation period, the company will terminate them.

Most importantly, educate your employees about the leave rules.

Regards,
Ratikanta Rath

Employees are always eligible to take the minimum leaves as per the government policy, as I feel, and the additional leaves are the ones which are unplanned, like being sick, or planned, such as attending vacations, functions, or parties. However, Employers Should Clearly Communicate that whatever leaves or flexibilities you take or use, completing your task will be calculated. Make it a powerful communication.

Regards,
Raghu

The only reason seems to be the employees' negligence, as they are not properly warned about the actions that can be taken for repeated absenteeism. If an employee is undergoing probation, they are restricted to only a few leaves during that period. Violation of any of the company's policies may sometimes lead to their termination as well. This should be made clear to them, and they should be informed about the seriousness of the issue and the actions that can be taken by the management as a result of this. This may yield positive results if the message is delivered by the appropriate source.

All the best,
Vijaya

First, find out the number of productive hours that contribute to the margin after accounting for all overheads. These hours should remain consistent for at least six months, specifically the work order hours. Squeeze that to -20%, meaning if a job normally takes 8 hours, it should be completed within 6 hours while maintaining quality. Next, multiply these adjusted hours with the number of days in a month. It must be mandatory for the entire year that the employee produces a certain number of hours of work to receive a full salary (set a target). Consider offering incentives, whether monetary or gift coupons, as motivation.

If employees do not fulfill the minimum required hours, enforce it.

Regards,
James

Hire and Fire Rule Suggestion

I would suggest you go for a hire and fire rule because if the probation period is ongoing, only Casual Leave (CL) is authorized for non-confirmed employees. If, in this case, employees take personal leave, the leaves would be counted as Leave Without Pay (LWP).

Repercussions of Absenteeism

Absenteeism may have repercussions, which include:

- Decrease in Productivity
- Employees may be carrying an extra workload or supporting new or replacement staff.
- Employees may be required to train and orient new or replacement workers.
- Staff morale and employee service may suffer.

Trends in Absenteeism

Surveys indicate the following generalities in absenteeism:

- The higher the rate of pay and the greater the length of service of the employee, the fewer the absences.
- As an organization grows, there is a tendency towards higher rates of absenteeism.
- Women are absent more frequently than men.
- Single employees are absent more frequently than married employees.
- Younger employees are absent more frequently than older employees.
- Older employees are absent for longer periods of time than younger employees.
- Unionized organizations have higher absenteeism rates than non-unionized organizations.

I hope this helps you understand and prepare your company's leave policy.

Best Regards,

Vandana Sharma

I do not agree with Vandana's comment ("I would suggest you go for a hire and fire rule."). This is not a solution. First, check all your policies. Identify any loopholes between the policies and take proper action.

Establishing Working Hours Policy

If you have a five-day week, decide on the number of working hours per day. Calculate everybody's working hours for a week for a few days. Establish a policy (e.g., for one week - 9 hours * 5 days = 45 hours). Everyone must complete 45 working hours per week. If someone's working hours are 35 (10 hours less), you can deduct one leave. Create a policy along those lines. Keep this practice for a few months. If anyone does not comply, inform them that their salary will be deducted.

Communication and Understanding Reasons for Leaves

Additionally, make an effort to communicate with people. Understand the reasons behind their leaves.

Regards

I would also suggest that you communicate to the probationers that if they have unauthorized leaves or take too much leave during the probation period, their confirmation will be delayed, or it would have an effect on their reviews.

Regards,
Gayathri

Addressing Employee Absenteeism

In your case, HR policy may not be effective because your employees might be too young, without household responsibilities, and may be taking leave without valid reasons. Disciplinary action against them might also not be effective.

In such a situation, you should call each employee and counsel them. Ask them the reason for their habitual absenteeism. Create a comparative statement of their salary for the last three months, highlighting their total loss, including indirect benefits like leave, bonus, PF, etc.

Secondly, you can introduce different types of Attendance Bonuses, such as weekly Attendance Bonus, Fortnight Attendance Bonus, and Monthly Attendance Bonus. For example, if an employee attends the full week, they will receive an additional amount as a bonus in their salary for a week, fortnight, or month. This will reduce absenteeism and prevent production loss.

To conclude, I would comment that if you have high absenteeism, then you may have recruited the wrong people.

Regards, Clement

As rightly mentioned by Mr. Bhaskar, please ensure a proper HR policy is documented and communicated to employees during induction. You can limit the number of leaves taken in a month to 2 or 3.

Clarification on Leave Policy

I need clarification: if most employees are new and the leave policy doesn't apply to them, how are they taking leaves? Additionally, investigate why employees are taking leaves without valid reasons. Is there a lack of motivation in the workplace?

Addressing Persistent Issues

If issues persist, consider taking disciplinary actions and seek more committed employees. Regarding completing tasks on time, many organizations work for 5 days and meet deadlines. You could consider extending working hours by 1 hour each day (e.g., 9 am to 6.30 pm).

Regards,
Sanjeev
Bangalore

Your employer is very open and has expressed the incompletions in work due to a few reasons. You can notice that every employee must work for 48 hours a week. However, any employee can avail leave, and necessary prior approval is required from the concerned authority. You can refer to The A.P Shops & Establishment Act, 1988, or The Factories Act, 1948, wherein the rules are defined.

Evaluating Work Performance

Another way to evaluate the work performance of all employees is to define job responsibilities/descriptions so that they will perform well and the organization will benefit. You can also implement a well-structured HR policy to protect and apply rules as per the law; accordingly, it will be easier to implement for better performance.

Regards,
Mohanrao
Enso Secutrack Limited

I would like to suggest that you first talk to each employee and find out the reasons for taking so many leaves. Try to communicate the company updates to the employees, I mean, about the projects and the assigned time to complete their tasks. Explain to them clearly how the company's success (achieving the company goals) is related to their personal life as well as their career.

Policies to Ensure Smooth Operations

Also, try to establish a few policies one by one to ensure smooth operations:
- Leave policy (total number of leaves allotted and the usage of leaves every month according to your company policy)
- Working hours policy
- Attire policy

Since the headcount of your company is low, try to have one-on-one discussions with your employees once or twice a month so that you can understand any issues or problems from the employees' perspective.

Warm Regards,
Shirisha

Here are a few suggestions.

Long Run:

1. First and foremost, you should have your own leave policy/rules and also Conduct and Discipline Rules in place. If they are not there, frame them and implement them immediately.

2. Don't declare a weekly holiday en masse for all; these days could be given to them by rotation, viz., Mr. X will avail on Monday/Tuesday, Mr. Y on Friday/Saturday like that. Place a roster for every month in advance so that not everybody will be on leave or holiday.

3. Service conditions should be suitably modified to solve such problems.

4. Strictly implement a performance appraisal system with a link to productivity.

Short Run:

1. Issue a circular suitably detailing "availing leave is not a right."

2. Any leave shall be availed only with prior approval, subject to official exigencies. Availing leave during probation should extend their probation automatically. (Many employers don't permit leave during the probation period.)

3. In order to ensure work is completed on time, issue work allocation letters individually, fixing a time limit within which such work shall be completed. Any time overrun will either extend the probation or result in termination due to unsatisfactory performance, not up to the mark.

4. Review timely performance individually and implement incentives for those who perform on time.

5. Form teams/groups together for specific work and allocate work with a time schedule. Encourage a competitive spirit among the groups. Implement a credit rating for successful performers entitling incentives, increments, and promotions.

6. Keep your communication mechanism clear and effective.

Above all, review whether or not to continue the 5-day week system, considering reverting to a 6-day week with suitable adjustments in working hours.

Regards,
Kumar.S.

As per the above discussion, I felt that your major concern is whether the work has been done or completed within the stipulated period. You can either assign an individual assignment to an employee or assign a project to a team of employees. You can then ask them to finish within the stipulated period, after which you can allocate employee leave and other HR benefits. It is important that your employees feel motivated to finish the assigned quality work within the given time.

Your feedback would be appreciated.

Regards,
Anant Karad

To control heavy absenteeism, we can introduce some monetary benefits as follows: Assume if the salary is Rs. 10,000 per month, the basic, DA, HRA, and other allowances may total Rs. 7,500 per month. An attendance incentive of Rs. 2,500 per month can be implemented.

Attendance Incentive Policy

The attendance incentive policy could be structured as follows: if an employee is present for the full day, they receive Rs. 2,500 per month as an attendance incentive. For one day of leave or absence, the incentive is Rs. 2,000 per month, and for two days of leave or absence, Rs. 1,000 per month. If an employee is absent for more than two days, the incentive is reduced to Rs. 0 per month. This is just one of the options available.

Regards,
Kamalarathinam M.

Why keep attendance incentives as a component in the salary breakup? It should be given over and above the CTC. Make the attendance bonus a motivation for the employee.

Task Management and Accountability

Give a deadline for every task entrusted to them and allocate work and responsibility where each employee will be accountable for their performance. Address issues such as tardiness and absenteeism promptly.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

With just 20 employees, we are looking for better discipline. Just having rules will not suffice. Theoretically, you may be able to achieve discipline for some time. However, good quality human resources will not sustain and may find better openings. The low-quality ones will build up their strengths over it and arm-twist the management.

The Best Approach to Employee Discipline

The best way is to work on the basis of individual targets and timelines duly committed on paper. Availing leaves is within the rules, and directly nobody can prevent it. But proper pre-planning can be encouraged. Moreover, during festivals, everybody prefers to enjoy with family. So target planning must be compiled with a clear view and understanding.

In case we have people availing leave en masse on the same day, the trouble is much more than you feel it now.

Annual Leave Planner: A Strategic Approach

If made mandatory for staff, an annual leave planner can be beneficial as it allows leaves to be granted in a way that does not hamper the work schedule. For this to be effective, the leave policy must be properly laid out, demarcating them into types such as sick leave, casual leave, privilege leave, etc.

Incorporating a Carrot and Stick Policy

The above idea of a carrot policy with an attendance bonus can be applied. Additionally, the stick, in terms of disciplinary actions for absenteeism, can also be implemented.

Understanding Absenteeism

Before implementing these strategies, conducting a small survey to inquire about the causes of absenteeism can be beneficial. The controllable reasons can then be effectively addressed.

I suggest that you take action regarding unwanted employee leave. If any person needs to take leave, they should inform the HR department at least two days in advance; otherwise, they may be subject to a fine.

Understanding Employee Leave and Attitude

Please read the leave policy so that you can understand this issue. First of all, you need to understand why people take leaves. I have a friend who works in a call center as a CRO. He works 13 hours per day and only thinks about work. He will start his journey when work is completed. This reflects his attitude. Don't you think about employee attitudes?

Divide the employees into three categories based on their attitudes, counsel them, and if they do not change, give them a period to say goodbye. Check your recruitment pattern. Create questions regarding employee attitudes, and if they show poor attitudes, do not hire them to avoid these problems.

Best Regards,
Ashok
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

I believe S. Bhaskar's suggestion is the best way to resolve Sonal's problem. Thank you, Bhaskar, for your most effective suggestion.

Best Regards,
Vikas Ranjan

You mentioned that your company's staff strength is 20 members and that your company's work mainly depends on them. However, the main problem is absenteeism. I have some suggestions for you that may be useful. Consider the following points:

1) Employee absenteeism mainly occurs when they have personal problems, encounter office politics, face heavy workloads, or expect additional benefits (especially related to pay).

My suggestion is that you first identify the reasons behind this problem. Additionally, since your organization has a small staff, you have the option to interact with everyone easily. Try to convince them and also understand their perspective.

The easiest way to solve any organizational problem is by interacting with the relevant individuals. This is the better option we have because they are educated.

Regards,
Satish

The point made by Mr. Bhaskar is correct. Apart from that, you can undertake additional measures to benefit both you and your organization. You should call a meeting with employees to inform them that the organization has already provided a 5-day work environment for their benefit. However, absenteeism is increasing, and work is being delayed. Therefore, if there is no change in behavior, management may decide to change the 5-day policy and implement a 6-day working week.

Your Managing Director should connect employees with the organization's goals and clarify how everyone will benefit if the organization grows.

You need to start an employee engagement program where you provide a small gift to employees who had 100% attendance in the last month.

I believe that if you work on the above-mentioned points, it might solve your problem to a great extent.

Regards, Amit

[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

What I see is that your company is trying very hard to retain employees, despite having a small staff strength of 20 employees. The company wants to keep pace with other companies bigger than yours, so that at least that wouldn't be a reason for your employees to quit.

However, productivity is affected, and jobs aren't met on specific timelines. Just a suggestion that worked for me—your employees aren't bothered if their pay is cut due to absenteeism, but they surely would appreciate some extra money, wouldn't they?

Reward the employee who doesn't take a single day off the whole month. No one minds a little more money. It wouldn't matter to a few, but it would matter to most. Seeing the others taking home extra money, those to whom it didn't matter would also start valuing every single day.

Thank you.

Dear Sonal, Firstly, we need to determine whether the employees are going on planned leave or unplanned leave. If they are taking unplanned leave, it is evident that it disrupts the workflow. Establish a policy that clearly states that if an employee wishes to take leave, they should plan it and inform the management well in advance. This way, the team can strategize to ensure the work is completed by then.

We have implemented the same practice in our company, and it has proven to be very beneficial.

Thanks,
Dheeraj Pariekh

Dear Sonal, please create a leave policy that states, "All vacations and sick leaves will be accrued on a monthly basis." This means that if you decide to provide your employees with 12 days of Vacation Leave in a year, each month they work, they will accrue 1 day of VL. The same rule will apply for SLs. Additionally, specify in the leave policy that all vacation leaves must be requested at least 3 weeks in advance and require pre-approval from their respective manager.

If an employee's absence from the office exceeds the number of available leaves (VL + SL) in a particular month, the additional days will be considered as "Unpaid leave of absence." Implementing deductions for unscheduled leaves will likely result in a significant reduction in unscheduled absences.

Good Luck,
Arnabi Ghosh

Thank you so much for all your suggestions and advice. I have tried everything here, but the employees are not interested in anything other than getting their salaries and doing the work. They take approvals from their HODs and then go for leaves. I hope this will not be the case from January. Mine is a media company. Of course, I am reading Shaswata.

You can't do anything unless the top management agrees with the action. You have to recruit people as a backup and provide training. In the meantime, create a new company policy that includes leave entitlement per month: January - 2 leaves, February - 2 leaves, etc. If any employee takes more, issue a warning. In the case of gross misconduct, terminate at least one employee. Seeing the result, others will comply.

If employees are not working regularly, what is the use of those employees in your organization? Bid goodbye to them one by one. At least, others will comply.

There is no need for more policies and procedures, as you don't have many employees.

Thanks.

I think Sonal received a lot of suggestions on how to handle their employees. Management, as everybody knows, is about managing people, including functions like retaining them, and as a last resort, firing them, among others as laid down by management gurus.

Conducting Communication Meetings

Sonal needs to conduct a communication meeting emphasizing the importance of the job they are doing, appreciating their work, and explaining how their absence could damage their reputation, which is not beneficial for their career.

Every month, gather statistics on attendance and recognize the most punctual employees with a small monetary award, whether it's 100/- or 500/-, or an amount you find appropriate, during a communication meeting.

Addressing Low Attendance

Address the person with the lowest attendance separately in your office, issue a warning for two months, and in the third month, send a letter. If the behavior does not improve, take necessary action. (Note: This method should only be used if the person exceeds the allowed number of leaves.) Meanwhile, follow your policy to arrange for a replacement, demonstrating the company's stance against indiscipline.

Involve your management in all the processes mentioned above. Leave policies and working protocols are detailed in the posts provided; you can refer to them.

Responding to Mr. Kumar's statement, "Availing Leave is not a Right," this should not be the management's attitude. If so, why do Management/Factory laws provide leaves specifically for employees?

Regards,
Ravikumar

Please refer to Chapter VI, Section 57, 58, 59-61 of the Factories Act, 1948, and Chapter VIII for detailed guidelines on working hours, weekly holidays, etc.

Guidance on Leave and Working Hours in Karnataka

Please browse the following links for guidance on leave and working hours, etc. (Karnataka model) also.

Working hours, Leave policies and Holidays in Karnataka, India « Sadanandnaik's Blog

Regards, Kumar S. BG

Attendance Incentive Policy Proposal

I suggest implementing a policy to address absenteeism, which could be named an attendance incentive policy. This policy should be implemented after calculating the total loss incurred due to absenteeism.

For example, if 20 employees take an average of 2 days of leave per month, totaling 40 days, and you estimate a loss of 1000 rupees per day due to absenteeism, the monthly loss would amount to Rs 40,000.

If you offer a Rs 500 incentive or bonus to employees who work the full month, it would cost around Rs 10,000 for all 20 employees. In this scenario, you would be making a profit of Rs 30,000.

Regards,
Pritesh
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Steps to Address Employee Absenteeism

1) Issue a circular or notice to all employees about the leave procedure.
2) Issue a warning letter to employees who are initially absent from work.
3) If employees continue to be absent, issue a strong letter regarding their absence.
4) Deduct salary for the absent days and pay the PF contribution for the proportionate days of work.
5) If this continues, terminate their employment.

Incorporating Attendance and Performance Bonuses

All said about discipline and deduction of salary/wages. You may incorporate or introduce the attendance bonus, which is a sizeable part of the salary. If employees remain present for a full month (except Saturdays and Sundays), he/she gets a good attendance bonus. For any leave/absence, don't pay any attendance bonus. People will strive to improve their attendance records.

Once implemented, do share your experience and views. Similarly, you may introduce the performance bonus for the target-bound group performance on desired output, etc.

Thank you and all the best,

Divyang

Kindly suggest a good leave policy for our IT firm, which we aim to implement for all our approximately 40 employees. We are eager to receive your feedback as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Your concern is very correct. This is the backlash of blindly following the Western style of functioning, where they don't have 30 X 3 Cr. gods & goddesses, their children, wives, gurus & sages, bundhs/hartals, Avian flus, births & deaths of local corporators, etc. If a holiday falls on either Monday or Friday, almost everyone applies for leave for the rest of the working days, and you will see offices wearing a deserted look, especially government offices. I can only suggest a few options:

1. If your administrators have the guts, say NO to mischievous leave applications.
2. Revert back to a 6-day a week routine, reducing the working hours correspondingly.
3. Fix targets and threshold levels for each and everyone with suitable time limits.
4. Fix attendance bonuses and/or credits for future prospects with minimum threshold levels.
5. Or a combination of these measures.

Good luck, pal.

Regards,
Kumar S.