Managing employees correctly can make or break your bottom line. Attendance is one of the important aspects of employee management. The presence of your employees at work can have far-reaching effects. It includes the absence and leave that workers take and how their time is spent while they are present at work. Managing employee attendance can improve work-life balance, which leads to increased production. Here, we share 7 tips to help you improve and manage employee attendance.
What is employee attendance management?
Employee attendance management is one of the key HR processes. It helps managers to keep track of employees' working hours. They better keep records when employees check in and check out and track overtime hours put in by employees. It also includes tracking sickness absences, managing the booking of holidays and other types of leave, such as maternity leave. Employee attendance management ensures employees adhere to their shift schedules.
HR can track attendance with timesheets, encouraging employees to take the correct number of breaks throughout the day. It also sets the company's expectations for employees like when they are supposed to check in and out, what happens when an employee is late, their working location (in the case of hybrid, remote or field employees), how they can mark their attendance, and managing an employee return to work policy.
Why should you pay attention to employee attendance management?
Attendance is important in the workplace. When employees are present and come to work on time, it helps keep everything perfectly work. If your company lack employee attendance management, it can reduce production. A good HR can maintain employees' working hours compliant with labour laws and regulations. When employee attendance is calculated properly, it also helps them to get paid accurately.
Federal labour law says that full-time employees can work 40 hours a week, and beyond 40 hours a week, employers must pay employees who work overtime. When employees are not paid for their overtime, they can file lawsuits. Ensure your workplace has a fair employee attendance policy for all staff and clearly outlines the definitions and procedures for tracking and documenting attendance.
Common work attendance issues you must avoid
The missed days are one of many problems when considering employee attendance issues. However, other issues also fall under attendance at work. It includes showing up late, leaving early, long and frequent breaks, last-minute absences, no-call, no-shows, and repeated illnesses. These issues can affect workflow and decrease productivity, which costs your company money.
How do you manage employee attendance?
Improving employee attendance can increase productivity and boost employee morale. Even if employee absenteeism is not a problem, improving attendance is always a good idea. Here are some tips that can help you to manage and improve employee attendance.
Set clear expectations for your employees
Create a clear attendance policy for your employees that lists rules and expectations. It is the first step in employee attendance management. It helps you run your business efficiently and reduce unscheduled absenteeism. It eliminates any confusion on the type of leave available, the consequences of not having good attendance, and how to request time off. Before drafting your attendance policy, listen to your employees and their expectations. If you already have an attendance policy, review it to ensure it's still accurate.
Use a good employee attendance tracker
Managing employee attendance manually has become a thing of the past. An employee attendance tracker can automate every aspect of employee attendance management. Integrating an attendance tracker with your company's biometric devices can reduce data inconsistencies. All employees can log their working hours within an office or remotely, with suitable IP and geo-restrictions. It converts employee absences into days off and eases payroll processing. Also, it saves the attendance data of all employees in a single location. This can help you show your employees' attendance patterns.
Combine your employee attendance and payroll
Managing employee attendance accurately is crucial for payroll. When there are errors in your attendance data, you can overpay or underpay your employees. Analyzing employee attendance data manually to process payroll can consume time and cause more errors, especially when a large workforce is scattered in different locations. Using HR software integrated with payroll software can save time and simplify payroll processing.
Encourage employees to manage their own attendance
Providing employees with a platform to view and manage their attendance data is a great way to empower them to manage their time. This will reduce the employee's questions for the HR department, and they can easily plan their work and vacations. You can also make the company's attendance policy accessible through an Employee Self-Service portal. It helps employees request annual leave and when they opt to do overtime. This will encourage employees to manage their attendance and feel they have more knowledge and control of their work lives. It will boost their morale and increase their productivity.
Reward good attendance
Rewarding good employees who consistently have good attendance can motivate them to keep up their records. It also encourages other people to show up more consistently. Consider giving employees extra time off if they go a full quarter with no absences. However, there is one drawback: people might show up for work when they are sick to keep their attendance records. It also discourages your employees from going on vacations, which can help them to prevent burnout.
Be flexible
Rigid attendance policies may make employees dislike their jobs, reducing their morale. Being late or taking long lunches can also fall under attendance issues. When employees are offered little time off, unscheduled absenteeism increases, impacting your company's bottom line. A flexible attendance policy can help you improve employee attendance.
An employee who is consistently late because they need to drop their kids off at school before going to work might appreciate being able to switch their schedule to start 30 minutes later. That extra time allows them to drop off their kids and get to work on time. Respect the concerns of your employees and take them into consideration. It will make them feel valued, boosting their morale and increasing productivity. You can also be flexible by giving remote work to your employees when they cannot be physically present at your workplace.
Correct the root problem
If your employees take frequent leaves, come late and go early at work, there must be some issues. You must identify and correct these problems, especially if they are widespread. It affects the employees' morale and makes them feel less motivated. Rewarding or punishing employees for attendance might not help much if there is a deeper problem. Sit down with them one-on-one to find out what's causing the issues. Let your employees know why it is important to have good attendance. Fixing the underlying issue can correct attendance problems.