Struggling with Attendance Compliance in Consulting Firm: How to Draft an Effective Memo?

Attendance Compliance Issue in Management Consulting Firm

I am working in a management consulting firm and facing a problem interacting with employees, primarily due to one issue. Most employees, from senior staff to those down the line, are not signing the attendance register daily and are not informing HR about their business development visits, compensatory offs, or work-from-home arrangements. Although I have already informed them that the office in-time is 9 a.m. with a grace period until 9:10 a.m., anyone arriving after that must sign in and note the time, with a warning that salary deductions will occur. Despite this, they choose to sign the register whenever they feel like it, in the afternoon or evening, leading to no improvement.

Now, I am planning to draft a letter and send it to all. Please help me in drafting the letter.

Regards,
Pooja

It will be better if you draft the mail and share it on Citehr for inputs from senior members and any rectification if required. Raise all the issues in the email that you are facing in your organization and specify the policies you want to apply. Accordingly, we will help you, and self-practice will also improve your skills.

Good luck!

Dear All,

Mandatory Daily Attendance Register Entry

As per our company policy, daily entry in the attendance register is mandatory. Non-compliance with this requirement will be viewed seriously.

The importance of making a daily entry in the register has been emphasized to all employees on numerous occasions in the past. To ensure compliance, we will be considering both the attendance register and swipe card entries for the payroll process. We kindly request all employees to update HR and the attendance register for business development visits, leaves taken, comp-offs availed, and any half-days.

Employees are requested to cooperate. However, I would like to inform you that some employees have not been informing me or signing the register for leaves taken, comp-offs availed, half-days, etc.

Thank you.

Regards

Circular: Office Timings

Applicable: To All Employees

With Effect From: April 2014

Dear All,

It has been observed that most employees are not adhering to office timings and attendance guidelines. This is not acceptable in our organization. Kindly note that office timings are 9 AM sharp. There is a relaxation of 10 minutes, i.e., up to 9:10 AM. If you reach the office after 9:10 AM, you need to enter your manual attendance in the respective register; otherwise, your salary for that particular day will be deducted. Also, make sure that you inform your HOD before going on any client meeting as well as put an entry in the register.

This policy should be adhered to strictly to maintain office decorum. Any discrepancy and non-adherence will lead to strict action.

Regards,
XYZ

Seniors, please rectify where I am wrong :)

You have already received a draft from Lavika. Appreciate her effort! However, every cause has a reason. Why aren't the employees owning their actions? The leadership team has been in the firm longer than you have worked. What has been their outlook on it? What corrective actions have they taken towards it?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Attendance Guidelines Reminder

It has been observed that most employees are not adhering to the following attendance guidelines:

1. Daily entry in the register or swipe card entry.
2. Informing HR and updating the attendance register for BD visits, leaves taken, comp off availed, and half-day if any.

You are hereby requested to extend your kind cooperation.

Regards,

I am also facing the same problem. For this, I have sent an email to everyone. You can see that.

Policy on Late Arrivals

Dear All,

It has been observed that a lot of employees are regularly coming late. As per our policy, only two late arrivals are allowed in a month, with a grace period of 10 minutes after the shift time. However, many employees are reaching the office 15 to 30 minutes late after the shift timings, which will be considered as late arrival.

Starting from the next salary cycle, late arrivals will be treated the same as early departures, and data will be provided to everybody. More than two instances of late arrival will be considered as a half-day absence.

This policy is applicable to all employees across the hierarchy of Umax. This is for your information.

Thanks & Regards,
Pratibha Bhandari

Notice for Employees on Punctuality

It has been observed by the management that many employees are habitual latecomers. This is not at all acceptable to our management, and the same is being viewed seriously. As per our company policy, a minimum ... minutes of grace period is allowed after the commencement of the shift/... minutes of grace period before the closure of the shift. Such grace period is allowed only ... times in a month.

If any employee is availing more than the prescribed grace period, such recorded timings shall be treated as "late coming" or "early going" (as the case may be), and a proportionate wage/salary cut shall be effected by the management, in addition to initiating appropriate disciplinary actions, as the management shall deem it fit and necessary.

Therefore, all such late-coming/early-going employees are hereby advised to desist from such practice and fully cooperate with the management in adhering to the prescribed work timings of the establishment.

Thank you.

For XYZ COMPANY

FACTORY MANAGER

Regards,
R K Nair

I have asked my CEO to forward the disciplinary action email to the employees. I have obtained full authorization from management to deduct half a day's salary if employees arrive late (3 late marks are allowed), fail to inform HR about a Business Development visit, take any comp time off, or if approval from a senior person is missing for leave taken.

We have communicated this policy to all employees via email through the CEO.

Regards,
Pooja

You are in HR. We HR people are not only for deducting salary; thus, we have to find out the root cause and rectify the issue accordingly. It's good that you involved your CEO in a particular issue. Now employees will follow the policy to some extent, but don't you think you are playing it safe?

Employees are getting smarter; they will be aware that you have done it indirectly, meaning through your boss, and you will lose their trust. Believe me, for some days, they will follow the policy, and when your CEO is busy with other tasks, they will start doing the same thing again.

Dear, come forward and have an open discussion with employees. Try to find out other issues as well and take initiatives to avoid these kinds of irregularities.

Sorry seniors if I am wrong somewhere, but I just want HR professionals to be more independent and full of initiatives. Deducting salary is not a long-term solution according to me. Proper feedback and bonding are also required between employees and HR so that both can work for each other's benefits.

Dear Lovika,

Deducting the salary is not a new initiative; it's a policy that has been in place for the last five years. My concern was that employees are not informing me about their visits, half-days, or leaves. Hence, I sent them an email to keep me in the loop, which helps me process the salary without any problems.

We follow very strict HR rules, such as allowing only three late marks, employees can avail of comp off within a month's time only, and approval for leaves, etc. It's not about playing games; I take care while deducting the salary. It's not like I am doing this blindly or something like that. We excuse them sometimes for train issues, bus problems, strikes, and so on.

Regards

Kindly read my reply again. Did I mention anywhere that involving the CEO is not good? I have suggested finding out the reasons for late comings and eradicating them. Perhaps their reporting heads are not taking the issue seriously and not providing feedback on arriving late. That's why it has become a habit for them to come late. It was my concern.

Attendance and Office Timings Policy

Dear All,

It has been observed by the management that a few employees are not adhering to office timings and attendance guidelines. As per our policy, a grace period of 30 minutes is offered, but this should ensure 8 working hours in a day. Kindly note that office timings are 9:30 AM. If any employee is availing more than the prescribed grace period, such recorded timings shall be treated as "late coming" or "early going" (as the case may be), and proportionate adjustments in the annual leaves shall be incorporated by the management, in addition to initiating appropriate disciplinary actions if reported repeatedly.

You need to enter your manual attendance in the register at the reception in case of deviations.

Reinstating the Attendance Guidelines

Working Hours

Normal working hours: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM

For Planned Leaves/Deviations

- Planned Leaves: Leaves need to be approved by the reporting manager at the earliest, and leave applications should be submitted at least one week in advance.
- Outside Duty/Travel for work/Attendance deviations: Should be informed as soon as it is planned to update as OD (on duty) in our records.

For Unplanned Situational Deviations

All unplanned/emergency leaves/attendance deviations or work travel should be informed to the reporting manager and HR by email only. On re-joining, staff should take responsibility to cross-verify their OD (on Duty) or leave status to ensure it is entered correctly. (In the case of leave, leave applications should be submitted immediately on return).

Looking forward to your cooperation across the hierarchy in adhering to this policy to maintain a productive work culture.