Template · Time off and attendance
Attendance policy template
In short
An attendance policy sets out when employees must be at work, how to report an absence or late arrival, what counts as excused and protected time off, and what happens when attendance problems repeat. This template covers call-out procedures, tardiness, no call no show, protected leave and a progressive discipline path.
Attendance and Punctuality Policy template
Attendance and Punctuality Policy
Replace every [placeholder] with your own details. Review the protected leave section against the federal, state and local laws that apply at each of your locations before you publish.
1. Purpose and scope
[Company Name] depends on employees being at work, on time and ready to work for their scheduled shifts. When someone is absent without notice, coworkers cover the gap, customers wait longer and schedules have to be rebuilt at short notice. This policy explains what we expect, how to report an absence and how we respond to attendance problems.
This policy applies to all [nonexempt / hourly] employees at [all locations / Location Name]. Exempt employees are expected to keep the working hours agreed with their manager; pay for exempt employees is handled in line with federal and state salary-basis rules and is not reduced under this policy except where the law allows.
2. Definitions
Scheduled shift: the start time, end time and breaks on your published schedule.
Absence: missing [more than half / all] of a scheduled shift.
Tardy: clocking in more than [5] minutes after your scheduled start time, or returning more than [5] minutes late from a meal break.
Early departure: leaving more than [15] minutes before the end of your scheduled shift without prior approval.
No call no show (NCNS): missing a scheduled shift without contacting [the call-out line / your supervisor] before the shift starts, as described in section 4.
Occurrence: a single absence, tardy or early departure that is not excused or protected. Consecutive days missed for the same reason count as one occurrence when supported by [documentation / notice].
3. Scheduling and time off requests
Schedules are published at least [14] days in advance where possible. Request planned time off through [system or form] at least [14] days ahead. Requests are approved based on staffing needs and, where needs conflict, in the order received. Approved time off does not count as an absence under this policy. If you need to change a shift, you may request a swap with a qualified coworker using the shift swap process; the swap must be approved by your supervisor before it takes effect.
4. How to report an absence or late arrival
If you will be absent or late, you must personally contact [the attendance line at Phone Number / your supervisor by phone / the absence reporting app] at least [2] hours before your scheduled start time. A text to a coworker or a social media message does not count as notice.
When you call, give your name, the shift you will miss, the reason in general terms (you do not need to share medical details) and when you expect to return. If you cannot call because of a genuine emergency, contact us as soon as it is practical to do so, or have someone call on your behalf.
If you are absent for more than one day, report each day unless your supervisor or HR has confirmed a return date with you.
5. Protected and excused absences
The following are not counted as occurrences and will not lead to discipline under this policy:
- Approved vacation, PTO or holidays. - Leave protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or a state family or medical leave law. - Use of paid sick leave protected by state or local law, within the amounts and for the reasons that law covers. - Absences that are a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, or under a similar state law. - Absences related to a work-related injury covered by workers' compensation. - Military service and training protected by USERRA. - Jury duty, witness duty when subpoenaed, and voting time where state law provides it. - Leave protected by state laws for domestic violence, bereavement, school activities or other reasons, where they apply. - Bereavement leave under [Company Name] policy.
We may ask for documentation where the law allows it. If you think an absence may be protected, tell your supervisor or HR; you do not need to name the law. HR will review before any occurrence is recorded.
6. Occurrences and progressive discipline
Unexcused occurrences are counted over a rolling [12]-month period. Each occurrence drops off [12] months after the date it happened.
- [3] occurrences: documented verbal coaching. - [5] occurrences: written warning. - [7] occurrences: final written warning. - [8] occurrences: termination of employment.
A tardy or early departure counts as [one-half] occurrence. Employees in their first [90] days may move through these steps faster. [Company Name] may skip steps for serious situations, such as a pattern of absences around weekends and holidays, or falsifying a reason for absence. If you prefer a weighted points approach, see the separate attendance points policy.
7. No call no show
A first no call no show results in [a final written warning]. A second within [12] months results in termination.
If you do not report for [3] consecutive scheduled shifts without contacting us, [Company Name] will treat this as a voluntary resignation (job abandonment). Before closing the record, HR will attempt to reach you by phone, email and letter to the address on file. If you were unable to contact us because of an emergency or a situation covered by section 5, tell HR as soon as possible and the decision will be reviewed.
8. Recognizing good attendance
Employees with no unexcused occurrences in a [calendar quarter] receive [reward, e.g. a $50 bonus / an extra floating holiday / priority in shift bidding]. Protected absences do not disqualify an employee from this recognition.
9. Pay and timekeeping
Nonexempt employees are paid for all hours actually worked. Time missed through absence or tardiness is unpaid unless covered by PTO, paid sick leave or another paid leave program. We do not deduct pay for more than the time actually missed. Clock in and out accurately; clocking in for another employee or misreporting time is a separate policy violation.
10. Questions and acknowledgment
Questions about this policy go to [HR Contact Name, email, phone]. [Company Name] may update this policy with notice to employees. This policy does not change the at-will nature of employment [where applicable].
I have received and read the Attendance and Punctuality Policy and understand how to report absences.
Employee name: ____________________ Employee signature: ____________________ Date: __________
How to use this template
- Decide your thresholds first: what counts as a tardy, how much notice employees must give, how many occurrences lead to each step, and the rolling period.
- List every type of leave that is protected where you operate, including state and city paid sick leave laws, and make sure none of it can create an occurrence.
- Set one reporting channel per site, such as a call-out line or app, and put the actual number or link into section 4.
- Have HR or legal review the no call no show and job abandonment wording for each state you operate in.
- Train supervisors on how to record occurrences and when to send a possible protected absence to HR before counting it.
- Publish the policy in the handbook, collect a signed acknowledgment from every employee, and keep it in the personnel file.
- Review attendance data every quarter and adjust thresholds if discipline is landing unevenly across teams or sites.
What a good attendance policy does
A good attendance policy does three things: tells people exactly how to call out, makes discipline predictable, and keeps protected leave out of the count. Most of the trouble employers get into comes from the third. A supervisor who writes up an employee for an absence that was covered by FMLA, a state paid sick leave law or an ADA accommodation has created a retaliation or interference claim, however clear the policy looked on paper.
The policy also has to be enforceable at 6:00 AM on a Saturday. If the call-out line goes to a voicemail nobody checks, or one supervisor accepts texts and another does not, you will not be able to apply the policy consistently. Consistency matters more than strictness.
No-fault occurrence or excused and unexcused
There are two common designs. The excused and unexcused model asks the supervisor to judge whether each reason is good enough. It feels fair, but it creates inconsistency and puts managers in the position of asking about medical details they should not need.
The no-fault model, used in this template, counts every absence that is not protected or pre-approved as an occurrence, whatever the reason. It is easier to apply across many supervisors and sites, which is why most contact centers, warehouses and hospitals use some version of it. The trade-off is that it must carve out protected leave carefully, and it can feel harsh, so pair it with a rolling period that lets people recover and a reward for good attendance.
If you want to weight different events (a tardy worth half a point, a no call no show worth three), use an attendance points policy instead of the simple occurrence count here.
Legal notes for US employers
This is general information and rules vary by state and city, so have counsel review the final version.
- FMLA. Covered employers (50 or more employees within 75 miles) cannot count FMLA-protected absences under a no-fault policy. Intermittent FMLA leave, common for chronic conditions, is where most mistakes happen.
- Paid sick leave laws. A growing number of states and cities require paid sick leave and prohibit counting protected use as an occurrence. Some also limit how much documentation you can ask for, often only after more than 3 consecutive days.
- ADA and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Extra leave or a modified start time can be a reasonable accommodation. A no-fault policy does not override the duty to consider one.
- Exempt employees. Deducting pay from an exempt employee for a partial-day absence can put the exemption at risk. Keep salary deductions to the narrow cases the FLSA allows.
- Job abandonment. A 3-day no call no show rule is common, but make reasonable efforts to contact the person and document them. Unemployment agencies in some states look at those efforts.
- Predictive scheduling. Some cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and Philadelphia, require advance schedule notice for certain retail, food service or hospitality workers. Your scheduling section must match.
Running it in a high-volume operation
In a 400-agent contact center, unplanned absence (often called shrinkage from absenteeism) of 8 to 10 percent on a Monday is common. That means 30 to 40 empty seats against a staffing plan, so attendance is a hiring and forecasting problem as much as an HR one.
- Track occurrences in one place, not in each supervisor's spreadsheet. An attendance tracker template is the minimum; a timekeeping system is better.
- Use the same attendance warning letter wording at every site, so a warning at step 5 reads the same in Phoenix and in Tampa.
- Watch the first 90 days closely. New-hire classes usually show the highest absence rates, and a no call no show in week two predicts early attrition far better than anything in the interview.
- Look at patterns by shift and site before raising thresholds. If one overnight team has twice the absence rate, the cause is often the schedule or the supervisor, not the people.
Common mistakes
- Counting a sick day that a state or city law protects. Check each location.
- Asking employees for a diagnosis. Ask for the expected return date and, where allowed, a provider's note, not medical details.
- Applying the policy to some teams and not others, or forgiving occurrences for favored employees. That is how disparate treatment claims start.
- Letting occurrences sit unrecorded for weeks, then issuing a final warning on the same day as a verbal coaching.
- Writing a job abandonment rule but terminating after one missed shift.
- Forgetting to tell new hires how to call out on their very first day.
Frequently asked questions
What should an attendance policy include?
Definitions of absence, tardiness and no call no show; how and when to report an absence; which absences are protected or excused; how occurrences are counted and for how long; the discipline steps; the job abandonment rule; and an acknowledgment for employees to sign.
What is a fair tardiness policy?
Most employers allow a grace period of 3 to 7 minutes, count a tardy as half an occurrence and treat repeated lateness through the same progressive steps as absences. The fairness comes from applying the same thresholds to everyone and recording tardies promptly.
How many no call no shows before termination?
A common approach is a final written warning for the first no call no show and termination for a second within 12 months. Missing 3 consecutive shifts without contact is usually treated as job abandonment, after reasonable attempts to reach the employee.
Can I discipline an employee for calling in sick?
Not if the absence is protected by FMLA, the ADA, workers' compensation or a state or local paid sick leave law. Unprotected sick days can count as occurrences under a no-fault policy, but check the laws in each location carefully before you do.
What is the difference between an attendance policy and an absenteeism policy?
The terms are used interchangeably. An absenteeism policy focuses on unplanned absences; an attendance and punctuality policy also covers tardiness, early departures and how to request planned time off. This template covers all of them.
How long should attendance occurrences stay on record?
A rolling 12-month period is the most common. Shorter windows, such as 6 months, are more forgiving and work well for entry-level roles with high turnover; longer windows can feel punitive and are harder to explain.