What is an attendance compliance policy?

An attendance compliance policy is a written document that sets out an organisation’s expectations for working hours, punctuality and how employees report an absence or lateness. It explains attendance standards, the notification process, which absences are legitimate, how attendance is recorded, and the fair, progressive consequences for unresolved issues.

How do I create an attendance policy?

Start with this template, then tailor it to your business. Define your standard working hours and any grace period, set out exactly how and when employees must report an absence or lateness, explain how leave is requested, and describe a fair, escalating process for repeated issues. Align it with the relevant modern award or agreement and capture employee acknowledgements in your HR software.

Do I need to customise this template for my business?

Yes. The template is a solid foundation, but you should adapt it to reflect your time-recording system, pay cycle and any modern award or enterprise agreement that applies. These can set their own rules on ordinary hours, breaks and notice for absence that your policy must work alongside.

What are the key elements of an effective attendance policy?

An effective policy covers its purpose and scope, clear working-hours and punctuality standards, a simple absence and lateness reporting process, the proper way to request leave, which absences are legitimate and protected, how attendance is monitored and recorded, a fair progressive-discipline process, and an employee acknowledgement.

What is an example of an attendance policy rule?

A typical rule is that employees must be ready to work at their rostered start time and must notify their manager of any absence or expected lateness as early as possible — for example at least one hour before the shift — using an agreed method. Genuine illness and other protected leave taken with proper notice are not counted as attendance breaches.

What are the record-keeping requirements for employee hours in Australia?

Under the Fair Work Act, employers must keep accurate records of hours worked — including start and finish times, breaks and overtime — for seven years, and they must be readily accessible for inspection. Using time and attendance software makes these records objective and easy to produce.

Can I discipline an employee for taking sick leave?

No. Paid sick and carer’s leave is a National Employment Standards entitlement. Taking it with appropriate notice and evidence is lawful and must not be treated as an attendance breach. An attendance policy should only address unexplained or unauthorised absence and lateness — see our guide on how to manage sick leave requests.

FREE HR TEMPLATE Last updated 27 June 2026

Attendance compliance policy template

A free, ready-to-edit attendance compliance policy template for Australian workplaces. Set clear standards for working hours, punctuality and absence reporting, with fair, consistent consequences that still protect employees' leave entitlements under the NES and modern awards — no signup required.

Attendance compliance policy

PDF format • Ready to download

Working hours & punctuality standards

Absence & lateness reporting steps

Fair, progressive consequences

Protects NES leave entitlements

By downloading, you agree to our template disclaimer

This attendance compliance policy template reflects Australian workplace standards at the time of publication and is provided as a general guide to adapt for your business, modern award and enterprise agreement. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.

References HR Hub disclaimer Modern Awards Fair Work

Why your workplace needs an attendance compliance policy

An attendance compliance policy sets clear, written expectations for working hours, punctuality and how employees report an absence or lateness. When everyone knows the standard before issues arise, teams run smoothly, shifts are covered, and managers can act consistently rather than making it up case by case.

The policy does two jobs at once. It gives you a fair, documented basis to address repeated lateness or unexplained absence, and it protects employees’ genuine entitlements — personal/carer’s leave, annual leave and other protected absences under the National Employment Standards and the relevant modern award. Without documented standards, attendance gets handled inconsistently, which invites unfairness and even discrimination claims.

It applies to all employees and, where relevant, contractors and casuals — across every shift and location. Pair it with reliable time and attendance software to capture start, finish and break times accurately, then store the policy and employee acknowledgements in your HR software so you can show every worker has read and agreed to it.

What an attendance compliance policy should cover

The essentials of a fair, enforceable attendance framework

Working hours & punctuality

Core hours, ready-to-work start times and reasonable grace periods.

Reporting absence & lateness

Who to notify, how, and by when when you can't attend.

Leave & time-off requests

The proper process for requesting and approving planned time off.

Legitimate absences

Genuine illness and protected leave that won't count against the employee.

Monitoring & records

How attendance is recorded, reviewed and kept for the required period.

Consequences

A fair, progressive process for repeated unexplained absence or lateness.

What's included in this template

A complete framework for setting and managing attendance standards

Purpose & scope

Why the policy exists and who and when it applies to.

Attendance standards

Expectations for regular, reliable attendance.

Punctuality & working hours

Core hours, start times and reasonable grace periods.

Absence & lateness notification

How and when to report an absence or running late.

Leave request procedures

The process for requesting and approving planned time off.

Legitimate & protected absences

Genuine illness and NES leave that are not breaches.

Monitoring & record-keeping

How attendance is tracked, reviewed and retained.

Progressive discipline

Fair, escalating steps for unresolved attendance issues.

Support & accommodation

Help for employees facing genuine difficulties.

Review & acknowledgement

Policy maintenance and employee sign-off.

Keeping the policy fair and compliant

Enforce attendance without breaching the National Employment Standards

Protected leave is never a breach

An attendance policy can’t override the NES. Taking paid sick or carer’s leave, annual leave, or other protected absence with proper notice and evidence is a lawful entitlement — not an attendance issue. Make this explicit so genuine absences are never disciplined.

Accurate records are a legal duty

Under the Fair Work Act, employers must keep accurate records of hours worked — start and finish times, breaks and overtime — for seven years. Capturing this with a digital clock-in system makes attendance objective and your records audit-ready.

Handling an attendance issue

Document

Record the pattern of lateness or unexplained absence with dates and times.

Discuss

Meet privately to understand the cause before assuming wrongdoing.

Support

Offer reasonable help or accommodation where there's a genuine difficulty.

Escalate fairly

Apply progressive steps consistently only if issues continue unresolved.

Always check the employee’s modern award or enterprise agreement — many set their own rules on ordinary hours, breaks and notice for absence that your policy must work alongside.

Address attendance promptly and consistently, and keep the focus on facts rather than assumptions. The Fair Work Ombudsman sets out employer obligations on hours, breaks and rosters, while accurate digital records protect you if a dispute ever arises.

Who should use this template?

Essential for any business that relies on people turning up on time

Hospitality & cafes Retail stores Healthcare & aged care Manufacturing Construction & trades Security

Especially valuable for shift-based teams where one no-show leaves a gap that has to be filled fast.

Compliance resources

Official Australian guidance on hours of work, rosters and record-keeping.

Fair Work — Hours, breaks & rosters Fair Work — Record-keeping Fair Work — Sick & carer's leave Fair Work Commission

Track attendance the easy way

RosterElf captures accurate clock-in and clock-out times, flags lateness and no-shows in real time, and stores your policy with employee acknowledgements — all in one place.

Start free trial See Time & attendance software

Related guides

Put your attendance standards into practice

How to track employee hours

The best methods for recording staff hours accurately and compliantly.

Read guide

How to implement digital clock-in

Move off paper timesheets to objective, audit-ready attendance records.