Is Our Attendance Policy Fair? Seeking Your Thoughts and Solutions on Punctuality Rules

Dear Experts,

I would like to seek your opinion on our attendance policy. Currently, we have a policy in which everybody is granted a 15-minute grace period per day, and everybody is advised to request sick leave on the day of returning to work and before taking planned leave.

Additionally, if someone misses the fingerprint record or forgets their card at home, they will be marked as absent, requiring approval from the CEO.

It is a rule that individuals will be marked as absent and face a financial penalty if they are in violation of any of the aforementioned reasons. However, in practice, no one has been penalized so far, regardless of the rule, and people frequently break these rules.

Many individuals hold negative opinions about such policies. They suggest that if management wishes to cut costs, they should do so directly. Some feel that penalizing individuals for being 10 minutes late when they work an extra 2 hours in the evening is unfair. Various theories and concerns have been raised.

I would appreciate it if you could share your experiences and, if possible, suggest some effective solutions.

Regards,

Many companies have faced the same issue for several decades now. Your message implies that your company has rules and systems in place, but they are only on paper. CREATING A RULE WILL YIELD THE DESIRED EFFECT ONLY WHEN IT IS IMPLEMENTED. You can make an internal memo to draw the attention of the CEO through the proper channel.

- Regarding people coming late for a few minutes and staying back for a couple of hours to finish the work: If they consistently put in more work than the specified hours, why not consider flexitime for these people?

- It may not be that all people who come a few minutes late do overstay. Having come late, they may still leave on time and thus not fulfill the stipulated working hours. Deductions have to be made to stem this rot.

- If flexitime can solve the issue for all, in your opinion, then recommend it to your management accordingly.

Regards,
V. Raghunathan