Struggling with Latecoming Policies: How Do You Handle Grace Time and Repeat Offenders?

Latecoming Policy Assistance Needed

I am working for a manufacturing firm and I need help regarding the latecoming policy.

• Grace Time for Employees

How much grace time should we give to our employees with respect to their actual timing? For example, if a person's timing is 10:00 AM, how much grace time should they be given? We have a punching machine where we can track in-time and out-time for each employee.

• Frequency of Late Arrivals

How many times can a person come late, and what action must be taken if they exceed it? For instance, if a person is allowed to come late three times, what action must be taken if they come late for the fourth time?

• Official Work Excuses

Many employees say they were late because they went for official work, without informing me the same day. When I notify them that they have exceeded the number of latecomings, they reply that they went for official work and were not late.

• Dispatch Department Late Arrivals

There are also some staff working in the dispatch department who arrive late by 1-2 hours or even more. Sometimes they claim that they are intentionally late, so they should be considered for latecoming. What policy should I establish for people who arrive late compared to their actual timing?

What should I do for such issues? Please guide me, friends. People like me who arrive before time are facing difficulties due to this situation, as no proper action is taken against the latecomers, and they continue to take advantage of this. Can someone help me with this pointwise?

Regards,
Curious Guy.

Latecoming Policy Framework

You can frame the policy as follows:

1. The grace period can be 15 minutes. Maximum late coming by 15 minutes should not exceed more than 3 times a month. Late coming by 30 minutes can be allowed twice a month. Late coming by 2 hours can be allowed once a month.

2. You can deduct 1/2 day or 1/4 day of leave for every instance of extra late coming exceeding the limit.

3. If an employee arrives late and states that they were on official business, in such cases, the employee must obtain approval from their immediate supervisor. If the supervisor does not approve it, consider it as late coming exceeding the limit and deduct the leave (as indicated above).

I hope this information proves helpful.

Regards,
Rashmi

I think the 15-minute grace period can be reduced to 5 minutes. In the earlier stages, we were lenient and allowed everyone to treat office timing as grace time, which resulted in there being no actual grace period. Therefore, if they are utilizing time efficiently, you can continue with 15 minutes; otherwise, you can reduce it to 5 minutes.

Some Company's Rule on Late Coming

Dear All, Greetings! Kindly put into practice reporting to work by a maximum of 9:00 AM. Please inform your colleagues who do not have email IDs (official/personal) about this email. Disciplinary action will be taken against those who fail to adhere to the above norms. No lame excuses will be accepted, except in genuine, unavoidable, and problematic situations, wherein you should inform the department head and/or HR about the same. I am sure that this little effort and adjustment will go a long way in creating better rapport with existing clients, enabling us to procure more clients, and enhancing first-rate customer service, thereby improving our goodwill in the market.

The new rules regarding late coming have been defined below. Any clarifications regarding this can be addressed with the Human Resource Department/Office In-charge.

Seeking your cooperation for the advancement and progress of our organization, and in return, ourselves!

Late Coming Rule

Office Timings – 9:00 AM or 0900 Hrs to 6:00 PM or 1800 Hrs

9:00 to 9:10 would be a Grace Period

1st Slab: 9:00 AM – 9:10 AM
- If an employee comes 3 times in this slab in a week, one (1) day's salary will be cut.
- If an employee comes 6 times in this slab in a month, one (1) day's salary will be cut.
- If an employee comes 8 times in this slab in a month, two (2) days' salary will be cut.
- If an employee comes 10 times in this slab in a month, three (3) days' salary will be cut, and so on.

2nd Slab: 9:11 AM – 9:30 AM
- If an employee comes 2 times in this slab in a week, one (1) day's salary will be cut.
- If an employee comes 4 times in this slab in a month, one (1) day's salary will be cut.
- If an employee comes 6 times in this slab in a month, two (2) days' salary will be cut.

3rd Slab: 9:31 AM – 12:30 PM
- If an employee comes in this slab in a day, half a day's salary will be cut.

4th Slab: 9:00 AM or 0900 Hrs to 6:00 PM or 1800 Hrs
- If an employee comes in this slab the whole month, an attractive and useful gift (the price of which will not be less than the salary of one day) will be provided to him/her.

Note: If an employee works overtime on a working/non-working day (apart from office timings), the company will pay twice the usual salary.

This policy is in effect from July 31, 2010. You are requested to follow and cooperate with the new/revised policy to ensure it functions well.

Thanks & Regards,

Authorized signatory

Yeah, Meena, I agree with you. Well, we have given a 10-minute grace period. Most of them come within the grace period, except for a couple of them. Even in my company, people take it for granted and consider the grace period as their actual timing.

Dear Arbind, Thank you for your great contribution. The policy you have provided is excellent, and I will definitely forward this to my boss. Let's see how it works.

Regards, Curious Guy

Addressing Latecoming Issues in the Workplace

I was facing the same problem when I joined the company as an HR professional. People were coming late, but being responsible, I used to come on time. At the same time, I communicated indirectly to everyone about the solution to their queries and the consequences of coming in late. Additionally, my company has a few employees who used to come in too early, acting as support to me.

For me, it seemed pointless to implement any strict policies because I believe that every employee in any company should take responsibility for the rules and responsibilities themselves. HR needs to simply provide support where employees are lacking.

Thank you.

I agree with Mr. Arbind that workmen in a manufacturing company are paid double the normal rates of wages for working beyond working hours (working for more than 9 hours a day or 48 hours a week), and hence a wage cut is to be effected for late coming.

Suggested Policy for Late Coming

The following is suggested for late coming:

1. 10 minutes grace time may be allowed to all those who are entitled to overtime wages.

2. Wage cut is to be effected for late coming beyond 10 minutes in multiples of 15 minutes and subject to a maximum of one hour of late coming. For instance:
- Those who come late for 11 minutes to 15 minutes - 15 minutes wage cut
- Those who come late for 16 minutes to 30 minutes - 30 minutes wage cut
- Those who come late for 31 minutes to 45 minutes - 45 minutes wage cut
- Those who come late for 45 minutes to 1.00 hour - 1 hour wage cut.

If anyone comes beyond one hour, he/she has to apply for half a day's leave.

For those who are not entitled to overtime wages, grace time may be half an hour or a maximum of one hour (considering the fact that they stay beyond working hours). However, a condition may be put in place that they are required to compensate for late coming either on a weekly or monthly basis. Beyond one hour late in a day, they are also required to apply for half a day's leave.

Furthermore, disciplinary action, as per the provisions of conduct rules, may be initiated for habitual latecomers.

Regards,

I suggest not deducting salary, as that would be unfair. Instead, you can deduct leaves for lateness. If there are no leaves in his account, then we may go for LOP (Loss of Pay).

I suggest not deducting salary, which is unfair. Instead, you can deduct leaves for lateness. If there are no leaves in his account, then we may go for LOP. We have removed the grace period concept. Initially, we faced complications from employees, but slowly they got accustomed to being on time. I feel punctuality makes everything work smoothly. We can also deliver output on time. It is all a chain process.

What about the employees who work until a little late by the hour? If they come in late, they respond by saying they are staying late. Please advise.

Additional Measures for Managing Latecomers

One more point to add here:

1. Every month, extract the system punch record from the system and organize that data in Excel for the late-coming report, department-wise.

2. Identify habitual latecomers based on this data.

3. Every month, send this report to the respective Department Head. They should be aware of how many times each person working under them is late.

4. Create a PowerPoint presentation department-wise every month for late-coming and conduct meetings with all Department Heads.

5. Late-coming and absenteeism are two areas directly connected to the loss of productivity and a casual approach to work.

6. In the meeting, decisions regarding actions on latecomers will be made with all concerned department heads and your superior.

Regards,
Prasad,
Compliance Officer

Addressing Late Arrivals in the Workplace

Late coming can be reduced to a minimum, though it cannot be entirely eliminated as we are human beings, and several factors affect us. There are many controllable and uncontrollable factors influencing us in the environment. Every employee faces struggles in their life before entering the office. Family problems, traffic issues, health concerns, etc., are some of the factors that hinder an individual's punctuality. Even loyal employees may sometimes be late due to genuine reasons.

Therefore, as mentioned earlier, a salary cut is a severe punishment for late arrival. Alternatively, consider deducting the salary in the current month and reimbursing the deducted amount at the year-end. Employees should not be made aware of this method; instead, explore other strategies to minimize tardiness.

Strategies to Minimize Tardiness

One effective measure could be advancing the office timing by 15 minutes. For instance, if the expected arrival time is 9:30 AM, adjust the office timing to 9:15 AM with a 15-minute grace period. Since not every individual can be expected to adhere strictly to time management, late arrivals are common occurrences.

Regards, Chandrasekaran, Madurai.

Latecoming Policy in Manufacturing Factories

In a manufacturing factory, employees should arrive at least 10 minutes in advance, take instructions from a superior, and proceed to work. Late arrival is considered misconduct as per the Standing Orders of the Factory. Individuals who are consistently late may face discharge from service.

For the first instance of lateness, issue a warning. For the second occurrence, impose a fine. On the third instance, either mark the employee as half-day present or instruct them to leave and return on time the following day. Implementing a strict late policy may lead to difficulties in managing employees and affect work productivity. It is advisable not to enforce such a policy strictly.

When it comes to individuals working late and arriving late, adjust their working hours according to the requirements of their tasks.

Regards,
D. Gurumurthy
HR, IR Consultant
Hyderabad

Hi,

1. Regarding the grace period, please note that it should not exceed 15 minutes. In case of any delays such as transportation issues or lack of employee-related information, a 15-minute delay is permissible. However, if an employee is late three times by 15 minutes, half-day pay should be deducted.

2. For instances of official work, ensure that employees going out for official tasks fill out an outgoing pass detailing the purpose and duration of the work.

3. In terms of time management, employees are expected to clock in at the designated time. Management can consider providing compensation, such as adjusting leave, as a measure.

Regards,
Tarkeshwar.

Office Punch-in Time Policy

Your office punch-in time is 10:00 am. Late arrivals have a grace period of 5 minutes, twice a month, with genuine reasons. All other instances of late punch-ins should be marked as half-day absences. In case of any queries regarding half-day absences, a written application must be submitted, approved by the Head of Department (HOD), and forwarded to HR along with their comments. Subsequently, approval must be obtained from your senior.

Creating another shift for dispatch staff, such as 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm, could be a viable solution to address this issue. Official work outgoings or latecomings should only be authorized by their seniors. As the HR judge, distinguish between those arriving late with genuine reasons and those providing unreasonable excuses. Once marked absent for half a day, employees will grasp the severity of the situation.

Alternatively, adjusting the office hours to 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with tea breaks at 11:15 am, a lunch break at 1:30 pm, and a third tea break at 3:15 pm, could be implemented. Suggest this schedule to all employees. This adjustment aligns with the requirement of an 8-hour workday and ensures a 15-minute break every 2.15 hours.

Utilizing shift analysis can serve as an effective tool to prevent late arrivals and enhance employee satisfaction.

Nice opinion... We have already minimized our grace period, and now it's 10 minutes.

Current Late Arrival Policy

Further, we have our own policy as mentioned: "For 3 late counts in the month, 0.5 day salary would be deducted. For 6 late counts, 1 day salary would be deducted, and so on."

We have been following this rule for the past year, but now management wants to change the rule. Thus, they have advised us to look into outgoing/late-going employees.

New Adjustment Rule

Therefore, we initiated a new rule: adjustment of late coming against late going. One late arrival would be adjusted against one late departure of 20 minutes beyond office hours.

However, this rule isn't as fruitful as employees are staying in the office in order to recover LWP. Now, we need to modify the rule. Kindly suggest.

Dear Arvind, your late coming policy is really very nice. Keep up the good work, guys.

Regards,

Naresh Kumar

"Being unique is better than being perfect."

Grace Period and Latecoming Policy

Please allow a grace period of 10 minutes beyond the beginning hour of the day. One day of leave will be deducted for every three delays. If the same pattern persists, it will be considered misconduct and will warrant penal action as stipulated in the rules.

Employees working late will be compensated with overtime pay; however, the necessity of working late must be verified by the controlling officer, providing full justification, and ensuring it does not become a regular occurrence.

No employee should engage in official work before the designated starting hours, except with the prior approval of the controlling officer, and only in exceptional circumstances.

Regards,
S.K. Johri

I concur with Gurumurthy. Dealing with late arrivals should be approached on a case-by-case basis rather than as a policy matter. Deducting fractions of leave time, such as 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, or 1/1, should be considered after discussing the reasons for tardiness. It is essential to work on changing their habit through persuasion.

Once, an employee was always late due to his habit of waking up late in the morning. His boss would constantly reprimand him for this behavior. One day, after receiving a long lecture, the employee realized his mistake and pledged to be punctual. To ensure he woke up early, he purchased sleeping pills from a medical store. After taking two pills, he managed to sleep well.

The following morning, he woke up early and arrived at the office ahead of time to impress his boss. When his boss arrived, he proudly greeted him, stating, "Good morning, Sir. As promised, I am early and on time."

The boss retorted, "That's right. But where were you yesterday?!!"

It contains an interesting incident. Late coming should be viewed in terms of habit or otherwise. Habituals deserve no compassion.

Regards,
S.K. Johri