Absence and attendance policy templates

Absence and attendance policies are put in place by organisations to provide guidelines and procedures for managing employee absences and attendance. These policies serve several purposes, including:

1. Providing clarity: An absence and attendance policy can provide employees with clear guidelines and expectations regarding their attendance and absence from work. This can help to minimize confusion and reduce the risk of misunderstandings between employers and employees.

2. Promoting consistency: By establishing clear procedures for managing employee absences and attendance, an absence and attendance policy can help to promote consistency and fairness in how absences are managed across the organisation.

3. Ensuring compliance: An absence and attendance policy can help to ensure that the organisation is complying with relevant laws and regulations related to employee leave.

4. Reducing costs: By establishing clear procedures for managing employee absences, an absence and attendance policy can help to reduce costs associated with absenteeism, such as lost productivity and increased staffing costs.

5. Managing risk: An absence and attendance policy can help to manage the risk of legal claims related to employee leave by ensuring that the organization is following established procedures for managing employee absences.

Overall, absence and attendance policies are important tools for organisations to ensure that employee absences are managed effectively, fairly, and in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

• The Equality Act 2010: This legislation prohibits discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. When developing attendance policies, it's important to ensure that they do not discriminate against any particular group of employees or disadvantage individuals with protected characteristics.

• The Working Time Regulations 1998: This legislation sets out the maximum number of working hours per week, as well as minimum rest breaks and holidays for most workers. Employers must ensure that their attendance policies comply with these regulations and do not require employees to work longer hours than is legally allowed.

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: This legislation places a duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees. Employers should consider how their absence and attendance policies might affect employee wellbeing and should take steps to ensure that their policies do not compromise employee health or safety.

• The Data Protection Act 2018: This legislation sets out the requirements for the collection, use, and storage of personal data. Employers must ensure that any data collected as part of attendance monitoring is done in compliance with this legislation.

• The Employment Rights Act 1996: This legislation sets out various employee rights, including the right to statutory sick pay and protection against unfair dismissal. Employers should ensure that their attendance policies comply with these rights and do not place employees in a disadvantaged position.

• The Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999: This legislation sets out the rights of employees to take time off for family-related reasons, such as maternity leave or parental leave. Employers should ensure that their attendance policies take account of these rights and do not discriminate against employees who exercise them.

• The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992: This legislation regulates industrial relations and sets out the rights of employees to join trade unions and participate in collective bargaining. Employers should ensure that their attendance policies do not infringe on these rights or discriminate against employees who are trade union members.