An attendance policy sets the working hours, how to report absence and lateness, what counts as an occurrence and what happens when occurrences add up. For remote and hybrid teams it should also say how attendance is recorded and how people correct mistakes. Copy the template below, then adjust the hours, grace period and steps to your business and your local law.
Key takeaways
- Say exactly when the day starts, how long the grace period is and who to tell.
- Count unplanned absence and lateness. Never count protected leave.
- For remote staff, define what "present" means in terms of the record.
- Give people a simple way to correct the record.
What should an attendance policy include?
Ten parts of a complete policy
- Purpose and who it covers
- Working hours, working days and time zone
- How attendance is recorded
- How to report an absence, and by when
- What counts as late, with the grace period
- What counts as an occurrence
- The steps that follow repeated occurrences
- Leave that is never counted
- How to correct a wrong record
- Who to ask
Attendance policy template
Replace the text in brackets.
ATTENDANCE POLICY 1. Purpose This policy explains what [Company name] expects on attendance and punctuality, and how attendance is recorded. It applies to all employees, wherever they work. 2. Working hours Standard hours are [09:00 to 18:00], [Monday to Friday], in [time zone]. Teams with different hours are listed in [location]. Employees are expected to be working and reachable during these hours, apart from breaks. 3. How attendance is recorded Attendance is recorded by [time tracking software] on company computers during working hours. A day counts as present when work starts within the grace period. Employees can see their own attendance record at any time. 4. Reporting an absence If you cannot work, tell [your manager] by [phone or message] before your start time, or as soon as you are able. Planned leave is requested in [system] at least [number] days ahead. 5. Lateness You are late if you start more than [10] minutes after your start time. If you expect to be late, tell [your manager] before your start time. 6. Occurrences An occurrence is: - an unplanned absence that is not protected leave - a late start beyond the grace period - leaving early without approval - an absence with no notice (no call, no show) 7. What follows Occurrences are counted over a rolling [12] months. - [3] occurrences: a conversation with your manager - [5] occurrences: a written warning - [7] occurrences: a final written warning - [9] occurrences: review of employment A no call, no show counts as [2] occurrences. [Number] consecutive days of no call, no show may be treated as resignation, subject to local law. 8. Leave that is never counted Approved vacation, company holidays, leave protected by law, approved medical or disability-related absence, jury duty and bereavement leave are not occurrences. 9. Corrections If your record is wrong, tell [your manager] within [5] working days. Corrections are made with a note explaining the reason. 10. Questions Contact [name, role, email]. Effective date: [day, month, year]
How does an occurrence system work?
| Event | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Late start beyond the grace period | 1 occurrence, or half in a points system |
| Leaving early without approval | 1 occurrence |
| Unplanned absence with notice | 1 occurrence |
| Absence with no notice | 2 occurrences |
| Approved or protected leave | Nothing |
The numbers in the template are examples. What matters is that the rule is written, the same for everyone and applied without surprises.
What must never be counted?
Leave the law protects. In the United States, the Department of Labor lists counting FMLA leave under "no fault" attendance policies among the things employers are prohibited from doing. Using an employee's request for or use of FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions is prohibited as well.
State and local sick leave laws, disability law and other protections can take more absences out of the count. This is the part of the policy most worth a lawyer's hour.
Do
- Exclude every kind of protected leave by name
- Apply the same grace period to everyone on the same schedule
- Look at the reason behind a pattern before you act
- Record corrections with a note
Do not
- Count medical leave as occurrences
- Reward perfect attendance in a way that punishes legitimate sick days
- Start formal steps without a conversation first
- Change a record without saying why
What changes for remote and hybrid teams?
Questions a remote attendance policy must answer
- What does "present" mean?
- Work starts within the grace period, as shown in the attendance record
- Which hours apply?
- The team's hours and time zone, not the head office's
- What about flexible hours?
- Core hours when everyone is reachable, with the rest flexible
- How are office days recorded?
- The same way as home days, so the record is consistent
- What if the tool fails?
- The employee tells the manager, and the day is corrected with a note
More on the practice is in remote employee attendance tracking.
How do you introduce the policy?
Share it before it applies
Give at least two weeks' notice and take questions.
Start everyone at zero
Do not carry old, unrecorded lateness into the new count.
Show people their own record
Trust comes from seeing the same data the manager sees.
Review after three months
Check whether the grace period and steps are producing sensible results.
How does BirdsEye support an attendance policy?
BirdsEye takes attendance from tracked working time, so nobody fills in a register.
- Daily record. Each person is marked present, absent, late, on leave, on holiday or on a weekend, every day.
- Late detection. Someone counts as late once they pass a grace period you set after their start time.
- Per-team hours. Teams can override the organization's start and end times, on the Team plan.
- Manual correction. Override any day's status and add a note explaining why.
- Leave and holidays. Approved leave and company holidays show as such, not as absence.
- Not-started alerts. Managers get a push notification on the Android app when someone has not begun work past the grace period.
BirdsEye records the facts. Counting occurrences and deciding what follows stays with you. See attendance.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reasonable grace period for lateness?
Five to fifteen minutes is common. Pick one number, write it down and apply it to everyone on the same schedule.
What is a no call, no show?
An absence where the employee neither comes to work nor tells anyone. Most policies count it more heavily than an absence with notice.
Can an attendance policy count sick days?
It depends on the law that applies. Leave protected by the FMLA, by state or local sick leave law or by disability law must not be counted. Take advice on your policy.
How do you track attendance for remote employees?
From the working record: the time work starts and stops each day, against the scheduled hours. See remote employee attendance tracking.