How an Attendance Point System Works (And When to Use One)

Managing employee attendance is an ongoing challenge for any company. Unplanned absences can disrupt workflows, strain resources, and ultimately impact productivity and profitability. While many businesses rely on traditional disciplinary actions, these often lack the objective framework needed for consistent application.

This is where an attendance point system offers a measurable and fair alternative to track attendance efficiently. It moves beyond subjective evaluations, providing a clear, transparent method to address employee absence and foster accountability across your workforce. Below we look into what an attendance point system is, and how this method can benefit your organisation.

What is an Attendance Point System?

An attendance point system is a structured method businesses use to monitor and track attendance. Unlike traditional approaches, it assigns points for various attendance infractions, such as unapproved absences, tardiness, or early departures. Each accumulation of employee points serves as a quantifiable record, aiming to foster greater accountability. This system provides a clear framework for management employee oversight, moving away from subjective judgments towards a more objective assessment of attendance.

How Does an Attendance Point System Work?

An attendance point system works by assigning a set number of points to employees for specific attendance issues. These points are then recorded, and accumulated over a set period, like six or twelve months. As an employee accumulates a predetermined number of points, specific actions are triggered. Reaching different point totals leads to written warnings, suspension, or even termination. 

For instance, a full-day unapproved absence might incur two points, while tardiness could be half a point. This approach ensures fairness and transparency in managing attendance-related disciplinary actions. This provides both employees and management a clear understanding of expectations and consequences.

A company might implement a tiered system for example:

• Level 1 (3 points): A verbal warning is issued, serving as an initial alert for the employee to improve their attendance.
• Level 2 (5 points): A written warning is placed in the employee’s file, outlining the attendance issues and reiterating expectations.
• Level 3 (7 points): The employee may face a one to three-day unpaid suspension, emphasising the seriousness of continued attendance problems.
• Level 4 (10 points): This final threshold could lead to termination of employment, indicating that the employee has not met the company’s attendance requirements despite prior warnings and interventions.

These levels provide a clear, escalating scale of consequences, ensuring that employees understand the potential consequences of their absenteeism.

Pros and Cons of a Point-Based Attendance Approach

Implementing a point based attendance system offers several advantages, but it also comes with potential downsides if not managed carefully. Understanding both sides is crucial for operations leaders aiming to optimize their workforce management.

Pros:

• Fairness and Consistency: A clear attendance point system ensures that disciplinary actions are applied consistently across all employees, removing subjectivity and fostering a sense of equity in the work environment.
• Reduces Absenteeism: By clearly outlining the consequences of missed work, such a system can effectively reduce absenteeism. In South Africa, the average absenteeism rate is between 3.5% and 6%, or between 8 and 15 days per worker annually. This means that if a company has 50 employees, 400-750 days of work are lost every year. This approach can encourage employees to be more accountable for their presence.
• Clear Expectations: Employees understand precisely what constitutes an attendance infraction and the points associated with it, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Cons:

• Impact on Employee Morale: If perceived as overly strict or punitive, a point system can negatively affect employee morale and lead to resentment, especially if it doesn’t account for genuine emergencies or unique situations.
• Administrative Burden: While automated systems can help, manual attendance point system tracking can still be time-consuming to manage, requiring careful record-keeping to avoid disputes.

Focus on Punishment: The system might inadvertently shift focus from understanding the root causes of absence to simply penalising it, potentially missing opportunities for support or intervention.

An attendance point system isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, but it proves particularly effective in specific operational environments. It makes considerable sense for organisations grappling with high turnover rates or managing large, dynamic workforces, such as those found in call centres, retail teams, or the security and cleaning industries. These environments often experience sporadic employee absence, which can severely impact service delivery.

Consider a large call centre with hundreds of agents. Even a small percentage of unexpected absences can lead to significant service level agreement (SLA) breaches and frustrated customers. 

Here, implementing a points system provides a clear process for employee accountability. It offers a transparent way to identify patterns, address issues proactively, and consistently apply policies.

How EasyRoster Supports Attendance Management

While a well-defined attendance point system purely provides the framework, robust software is essential for effective implementation. EasyRoster’s workforce management platform streamlines the entire track attendance process. Its features extend to recording attendance in real time, ensuring that all data is current and accurate. This aids proactive decision-making and addressing issues as they arise.

Additionally, EasyRoster securely stores attendance records, eliminating the need for manual tracking and reducing the risk of errors or disputes. Our platform enables fair and consistent processes by allowing you to create custom reports for assigning attendance points and setting thresholds.. This empowers management teams to apply their attendance policies uniformly, maintaining transparency within the workforce.

Conclusion

An attendance point system is an approach for managing workforce presence with fairness and consistency. By adopting clear attendance point system tracking, businesses can significantly reduce absenteeism and enhance operational stability. Ready to see how EasyRoster can transform your attendance management, ensuring compliance and improving employee accountability? Book a Customised Demo or download our free Attendance Tracking Template today to streamline your processes and support consistent workforce policies.