Attendance is a crucial part of workforce management as it is directly associated with payroll, compliance and employee satisfaction. No matter how advanced a company’s attendance system is, discrepancies may occur. Staff may forget to punch in, biometric devices may malfunction, and official travel may cause employees to miss marking their attendance. Companies rely on attendance regularisation to address these issues systematically.
What is Attendance Regularisation?
Attendance regularisation is the process by which an employee who misses marking their attendance on a particular day of work adjusts the records. Instead of being unfairly marked absent or losing pay, staff can submit a request to adjust records.
It will help to maintain transparency, and payroll will also be calculated correctly. If an employee forgets to record attendance during a client site visit, attendance regularisation allows them to update their records.
Why is attendance regularisation important?
The importance of regularisation extends beyond just fixing attendance mistakes.
- Payroll Accuracy: Even a small error in attendance can lead to incorrect deductions or disputes during salary processing.
- Compliance: Attendance records are subject to audits and labour regulations, and it helps maintain transparency and accuracy in these reports.
- Trust: When they know that mistakes can be corrected, they are more confident in the organisation’s HR systems and policies. It upholds fairness in the workplace, ensuring employees are not penalised for reasons beyond their control.
Attendance Regularisation Process
When an employee notices discrepancies in their attendance data, they can submit a request through attendance software (if used) or a designated form. The HR department or reporting manager reviews the request.
As per the company policies, the request will be approved or rejected. Approved attendance data is added to the system, which is later used for payroll calculations. Moreover, the record is stored for compliance, reporting, and audits.
Automating this process through HR software reduces manual work, speeds up resolution, and ensures greater fairness.
Reasons for Regularisation Requests
- Employees often forget to punch in or out due to oversight, which leads to gaps in the system.
- Sometimes, biometric devices fail to capture attendance because of technical glitches or power failures.
- Business travel, client meetings, or off-site work may also cause discrepancies if the system does not log the hours.
- In some cases, shift changes or approvals may not be updated in the system in time, leading to incorrect entries.
- Network issues in organisations using cloud-based systems can affect attendance data.
Best Practices
- For attendance regularisation to be effective, organisations must adopt structured practices. One of the most important steps is to use HR systems that incorporate an attendance regularisation feature.
- Modern HR tools help employees to submit requests through a web portal or even a mobile app, and managers can also approve/reject the regularisation requests via the same.
- Another best practice is to have a clear attendance policy. This policy should outline when regularisation can be applied, the timelines for submission, and who is responsible for approvals.
- Training HR professionals and managers is critical. Consistent handling of requests avoids bias and ensures fairness.
- Organisations should also audit regularisation records regularly. Frequent patterns, such as repeated missed punches by the same employee, can highlight issues that need to be addressed.
Compliance in Attendance Regularisation
The attendance records may be reviewed during labour audits or legal inspections. Regularisation ensures that discrepancies are corrected so the records remain accurate and legally defensible. Compliance also means treating all employees fairly and applying the same rules to everyone. Moreover, data security must be prioritised. Attendance records contain sensitive employee information, and companies must safeguard this data while processing requests.
1. How long does a regularisation process take?
It totally depends on the approval speed followed in an organisation. HRs can communicate with the employees to verify whether attendance is regularised at least a week before the salary process.
2. When should employees apply for regularisation?
It is best to apply immediately after noticing an error so there are no discrepancies in the payslip.
3. Is there a deadline for attendance regularisation?
Yes. Most organisations set deadlines, such as within seven days of the incident or before payroll closure.
4. What happens if attendance regularisation is rejected?
The attendance record remains unchanged, which impacts salary or leave balances.
5. Who approves attendance correction requests?
The reporting manager or the HR department usually approves the requests, but it may differ based on the company’s regulations.