Are you ready to tackle the daunting task of how to write an attendance policy? Writing one that works for your business can be tricky, but with attendance policy templates you can easily create one for your organization.

Whether you're just getting started or are looking to revamp an existing policy, this blog post will provide all the tips and tricks on how to write an attendance policy aimed to reduce absenteeism and attendance infractions.

From establishing guidelines for employees' attendance records to drafting language that reflects your business goals, we'll cover everything you need to know about crafting a strong yet fair employee attendance policy.

So don't put off writing your attendance policy any longer — let's get started!

What is an Attendance Policy?

Attendance policies are a set of rules and regulations that outlines when employees should arrive and leave work. It also explains the disciplinary system for arriving late, leaving early without approval, and other policy violations. An effective attendance policy helps to ensure productivity in the workplace and can be tailored to fit the needs of any small business.

How to Write an Attendance Policy

When creating a fair employee attendance policy, it’s important to define when employees need to be at work. This applies both to typical 9-to-5 jobs as well as shift-based employment with rotating schedules.

You should also outline your disciplinary system — whether it’s a warning system or a point-based system — so that everyone knows what will happen if they violate attendance rules.

During the process of how to write an attendance policy, you must distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. These include tardiness, sick days, unexcused absences, and paid time off. These definitions help you track attendance and absences more easily while still allowing some flexibility in employee schedules.

Finally, consider developing a protocol for employees who are unable to attend work so that they can report their absence quickly without having to call each individual manager.

Creating an effective small business attendance policy is key to achieving increased productivity from team members. By outlining clear expectations around arrival times, absences, and reporting protocols, you can ensure that your employees are contributing to company goals while avoiding unnecessary disruptions.

Establishing Your Company’s Attendance Policy

A small business attendance policy is critical in ensuring that employees are showing up on time and not taking advantage of company resources.

There are several reasons why employee attendance policies are important.

• They establish expectations around employee punctuality and reliability.
• They ensure fairness in disciplinary actions related to absences.
• They help reduce excessive absenteeism.

Types of Attendance Policies

1. Flexible policies: These allow employees some flexibility when it comes to work hours, as long as they meet certain requirements such as a minimum number of hours worked per week or month.
2. Fixed policies: This type of policy requires employees to adhere strictly to set working hours with no exceptions allowed.

Having a clear attendance policy is essential for any business, and setting expectations for employees will ensure that everyone understands the rules and regulations. Now let's outline specific components of an effective attendance policy.

How to Write Your Business’s Attendance Policy

Start by clearly stating your attendance policy objective, then outline what constitutes a violation of your attendance policy. This could include arriving late or failing to call in when absent from work. Specify how many days an employee can be absent before they face disciplinary action and if there are any exceptions such as emergency leave or jury duty that won’t count against their total absences.

Once you have outlined the rules and regulations of your attendance systems, set clear rules on how often employees must report their absences in advance so that other team members can plan accordingly. For example, require that all employees notify their supervisor at least 24 hours prior to taking time off work due to illness or personal reasons unless it is an emergency situation where advanced notice isn’t possible.

Lastly, outline the hierarchy of consequences associated with violating your attendance policy such as verbal warnings followed by written warnings which may lead up to suspension or even termination for severe offenses. Make sure these are clearly stated in writing so that everyone understands what will happen if they commit attendance infractions.

Writing a clear attendance policy is essential for ensuring that all employees understand their responsibilities and are held accountable. After you have completed your first draft, it's time to communicate your new policy to your employees.

Communicating Your Attendance Policy to Employees

Everyone in your organization must understand the attendance policy and its implications. To do this, make sure that employees are aware of the policy when they first join the company and then provide regular training on it throughout their employment.

It’s not enough to just tell people about attendance systems. They need to understand why it exists and what will happen if they don’t follow it. Providing regular training sessions allows you to explain both sides of the equation — why good attendance matters for productivity and morale and why attendance infractions have consequences.

So how do you track attendance and make sure your policy is implemented?

How to Track Employee Time and Attendance

Monitoring attendance issues is essential for enforcing your company policy. This means that managers should be aware of when employees are absent, how often they are absent, and the reasons behind their absences. From this information, you can identify patterns or trends that may indicate a need for additional training or coaching.

For small businesses, time and attendance software is likely the best bet for keeping all of the information about your business on track. These attendance software systems provide companies with simple online solutions for employees to punch in and out.

To get started, you need to identify your tracking needs and then choose a time and attendance system that meets those needs. There are several great options on the market, so choosing the best one depends on what features are most important to you.

Features like mobile punching, job/project tracking, overtime alerts, and GPS-enabled clocking in/out can all help managers track the attendance of team members.

Many programs also integrate with other popular programs such as accounting or payroll software so it's easy to compensate employees for the hours they worked. Some systems even offer advanced reporting capabilities which allow managers to quickly generate reports based on data collected from employee timesheets.

When selecting a time and attendance system for your business make sure you research different providers carefully — look at factors like cost, hardware requirements, and customer support before making a decision.

Disciplinary Action

When an employee violates the attendance policy, take appropriate disciplinary action. Make sure all employees are treated fairly and consistently regardless of their position or seniority level within the organization. If one employee receives leniency while another is disciplined more harshly for similar offenses, it can create resentment among team members and lead to bigger issues.

Unexcused or unreported absences are not counted as hours worked so these days won’t be compensated. If you suspect an employee abusing their sick leave, ask them to submit doctor’s notes in order to avoid disciplinary action.

If tardiness is unintentional, then corrective counseling will usually be the first attempt at a solution. However, if there are repeated violations of company policy, then further punishment could follow.

It's important for managers and HR professionals to document each step taken during this process in order for all parties to understand why certain decisions were made.

Ultimately, businesses should strive towards creating an environment where employees feel comfortable coming forward while also ensuring that policies are enforced fairly.

Conclusion

To write an attendance policy, ensure that employees are held accountable for their attendance and punctuality, while also providing clarity on consequences. By establishing a fair attendance policy, you can help create a positive work environment where everyone feels respected and valued.

Are you an entrepreneur, founder, manager, or operational leader looking for solutions to help grow and scale your business? Trainual can provide the tools needed to document processes and policies and ensure superior onboarding, offboarding, and training experiences.

With our comprehensive guide on how to write an attendance policy, you'll be able to create a framework that will set clear expectations with employees while also protecting the company's interests. Get started today with Trainual!