Managing Employees

Attendance Manager

Your company needs a plan for managing employee attendance. An attendance manager can be just the ticket for documenting and recording employee attendance and other workforce issues.

Excessive absenteeism is a serious workplace problem.

When employees fail to show up for assigned work periods, it has a trickle effect on the entire business. Lost productivity, disrupted workflows and production delays are only a few of the problems that can happen when worker absenteeism is left unchecked.

Attendance monitoring is the only viable alternative to a workplace dominated by unauthorized employee absences. An employee attendance policy won't get the job done - you need reliable attendance tracking tools to help you stay on top of employee absences.

Although time clocks work well in some environments, they can be humiliating in others. Sophisticated tracking software is also effective, but not appropriate for every workplace. Most small business employers find that the consistent application of a monthly attendance manager report gives them the information they need to adequately monitor their workforce.

Form Design

The best attendance manager forms are tailored to accommodate each company's unique workflows and business requirements. Weekly attendance tracking forms are helpful, but a monthly report makes it easier for managers to spot attendance trends and chronically absent workers. When an employee is absent, the form includes codes to document the nature of the absence, e.g. sick day, vacation day, personal day, etc. At the end of the month, the form is forwarded to the HR department to track each individual's accumulated time off.

Form Uses

Employee discipline. An attendance manager form can lay the groundwork for disciplinary action or termination if the employee exhibits a pattern of unexcused absences. Though your company may have other mechanisms for tracking employee performance and discipline issues, attendance management reports are frontline evidence of a negative attendance trend.
Performance reviews. Managers and supervisors should routinely review attendance management forms during annual performance reviews. Employees who demonstrate a track record of consistent attendance should be rewarded for their loyalty while excessive absences should be factored into merit-based pay raise decisions.
Scheduling. A monthly attendance manager report can sometimes highlight a larger issue. For example, if workers are disproportionately absent on the one day a month your company counts inventory, a larger issue may need to be addressed.