Whether or not a company has purchased a time clock or attendance system, a supervisor still has responsibility for monitoring and analyzing employee attendance.
The most important job of a supervisor in the area of attendance is communication. The supervisor needs to make sure that all employees know what is expected of them. How much should employees work each week? Do they know how to work the company attendance systems? Is overtime acceptable, and, if so, under what circumstances? What kinds of breaks are allowed? What should they clock in/out for? It is far better to clarify these policies up front rather than try to deal with attendance problems and excuses later.
The supervisor is not only the communicator; however, he is also the judge. The supervisor needs to decide policies on employee comp time and make-up time. In addition, the supervisor has the job of coordinating employee vacation and sick time. When it is possible, be flexible with regard to employee attendance, as this will inspire loyalty in your employees.
If your company does have a time clock, the supervisor will likely be the person assigned to maintain employee time records. When employee hours and wages are printed by the time clock, the supervisor needs to keep track of this information and make sure that employees are paid accordingly. In addition, the supervisor should consider the issues that the presence of a time clock raises. Should salaried employees clock in and out or only hourly employees? Can co-workers clock in and out for other employees? Can the supervisor? Decide on policies and then communicate them clearly to your employees.
Finally, the supervisor determines if and when employees should be recognized for attendance, both good attendance and bad attendance. Consider whether you want to have a rewards policy for perfect attendance, and learn to deal with the tough decisions of confronting poor attendance.