Unacceptable levels of absence must be actively managed because of the cost to the business and the impact on service, other members of the team and team morale. To be able to act, a business must have systems and policies in place to monitor absence and set standards of performance, including: 

• Recording systems €“ Every business should record the attendance or absence of each employee. A simple paper record will suffice and could be constructed in the form of a simple table with employee names on one axis and the date on the other. Without this information it would be impossible to identify trends of take effective disciplinary action against an employee if needed.
• Attendance policy €“ Every business should also have an attendance policy that provides a clear description of what an employee should do if they are to be absent, the sick pay policy and how excessive or extended periods of absence will be managed between the employee and employer. This should be clear and unambiguous and consistently applied.

Having an appropriate attendance policy and a suitable attendance recording system is vitally important in managing attendance. A recording system is required to demonstrate current performance and changing performance though the disciplinary process. If a case were to be heard by a tribunal, the employer would be expected to have these clear records. Good attendance records can be used for other purposes. Some companies will use an employee's attendance record to contribute to a bonus scheme, with those with a poorer attendance record receiving less of a bonus.