If you asked someone during an interview, “How often do you intend to come to work?” there’s no doubt they’re going to say, “Every day,” “100% of the time”, and “I never get sick, so every day.”
However, life frequently gets in the way. A 100% employee attendance rate is almost impossible to achieve.
An attendance policy helps you manage employee attendance. It sets out exactly what types of leave an employee is allowed to take, the processes around taking leave, and the consequences for excessive absenteeism. But what is an inclusive attendance policy? How do you write one? What’s the difference between an inclusive policy and a standard one?
If you’re struggling with the answers to these questions, don’t worry. Read on to learn everything you need to know about inclusive attendance policies.
An attendance policy outlines how much absence employees can take, the types of absence permitted, and how that absence will be managed. It can include a range of absences including holidays, unpaid leave, and different types of public service leave; jury duty for example. It doesn’t usually include sickness, as this will usually be outlined in a separate policy.
The policy should outline how teams can request leave, the consequences of not following procedures, and how excessive absence will be addressed. It also usually outlines any disallowed types of absence and how the company will handle this. For example, being Absent Without Leave or AWOL.
An inclusive attendance policy is an attendance policy that is supportive of those with disabilities, young families, caring responsibilities, or other responsibilities that mean they may need extra time off work.
Writing an inclusive attendance policy means making the policy inclusive by default. That means ensuring the policy accommodates the needs of your teams without special caveats.
Of course, there will always be people whose circumstances don’t fit the specifics of the policy, and adjustments will need to be made for those people. However, writing a fair and clear policy means managers and teams understand what’s expected of them, their available leave, and where to draw the line. This ensures an equitable employee experience for everyone.
Attendance policies are an important part of any workplace. They help:
Ready to start writing your attendance policy? Here are the key elements to include.
It’s important to outline the scope of your policy, explaining what type of absence your teams are entitled to. As a minimum, you should include:
As a minimum, you should include the definition of each type of absence; how much absence the employee is allowed under each category, how the absence will be paid, what documentation is required to prove this absence (if any), and the procedure for using this type of absence.
Include a line or two about the consequences of abusing the attendance policy. Something simple like, “Abusing or other misuse of the company’s attendance policy will be handled informally wherever possible. However, we reserve the right to handle this under the disciplinary policy where necessary and appropriate.”
When writing your inclusive attendance policy, break up each type of leave into separate subheadings. This will help teams easily find the information they’re looking for and understand the specific guidelines and procedures for each type of absence.
It’s important to explain exactly what the process is for requesting each type of time off.
For example, how should teams request holiday, notify you of emergencies, or notify you or their intention to take carer’s or parental leave?
Spelling out the processes for each type of leave request prevents any miscommunications and helps ensure that both teams and managers are clear on the procedures to follow.
Your attendance policy should clearly outline the consequences for not following the processes for requesting absence, not showing up to work when expected, or repeatedly failing to follow the attendance policy. Sanctions will hopefully reduce the amount of absenteeism and help to maintain accountability within the team.
When outlining sanctions in your attendance policy, strike a balance between corrective measures and being supportive. Explain that having a meeting to discuss absence won’t necessarily result in anything further, but that it may be a possible outcome. This allows for flexibility and inclusivity within the absence process.
Sanctions for being AWOL, misusing the attendance policy, or not following due process may include:
There should be a clause in your attendance policy that highlights that the policy is regularly reviewed and updated in line with legislation changes and best practice. You can make small changes to your policy without consultation. However, bigger changes, like changes to how many holidays teams are allowed, may constitute a change in contract or benefits and will require consultation. Make sure you follow the proper process when making changes to the policy to prevent team complaints.
It’s a good idea to track when the policy was last updated and the pages where changes were made. By documenting the date of the last update, employees can easily track any modifications to the policy and understand the rationale behind them. It also demonstrates a continued commitment toward employment law compliance.
Attendance policies are intended to be supportive. They help employees plan their time so they can be there for the moments that matter. With the right wording and a little compassion, there’s lots of wiggle room around how you can implement an attendance policy to ensure it’s supportive.
For example:
People with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and other health conditions may require flexibility in their attendance due to medical appointments, treatments, or flare-ups of their condition. When crafting an attendance policy, it's essential to account for the needs of employees with disabilities by offering reasonable adjustments and understanding their unique circumstances.
Consider flexi-time start and finish hours, time off for appointments, and using inclusive language. These are all small ways you can be considerate of those with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
The scope of your adjustments will depend on the needs of your teams. What suits one person's needs doesn’t suit another, so it’s important to be flexible.
Wiggle room might include offering slightly more emergency leave for teams whose religion dictates holding funerals across multiple days, or a longer period of unpaid leave for someone caring for elderly parents. This type of flexibility indicates understating and compassion on the part of the business.
If you issue sanctions in line with breaches of the attendance policy, you should also allow for employees to appeal against these decisions. An appeal should be heard by a more senior manager than the one who issued the sanction, and should be considered neutrally.
Allowing teams the opportunity to appeal against decisions breeds a culture of fairness and transparency within the organisation. It demonstrates that the company values voices and opinions, and is committed to ensuring that all disciplinary actions are conducted fairly.
An inclusive attendance policy is a policy that accounts for the specific needs of your teams. These small accommodations to a standard attendance policy can make a big difference in employee morale, productivity, and overall well-being.
Create an environment where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to perform their best. It’s a small change for a business, but to your teams, it means a lot.
Ready to simplify people management, optimise performance, and take better care of your team? To experience the impact of our comprehensive approach first-hand, book a demo now!