Late, missed punch-out and absent alerts

How it works

1. Switch on the attendance rules in the policy settings; the alerts run only for companies whose rules are on.
2. Every ten minutes ZeniaHR checks the live board for each company.
3. Late: when someone punches in later than the late step of the rules, or after grace if no step is set, they and their manager get a bell, once that day.
4. Punch-out missing: if someone is still punched in 60 minutes after their rostered shift ends, both get a bell; with no shift, the reminder comes the next morning from 7 am.
5. Absent: from 11:30 pm, people who were expected, with no punch and no approved leave, get an absent alert, and so does their manager.
6. From 9:30 am, each manager with active reports gets one bell with how many of the team are in, late, not in yet and on leave.

What you can set

• Late alert: past the late step, or past grace if no step is set; once per person per day.
• Punch-out missing: 60 minutes after the rostered shift end.
• Absent alert: from 23:30 company time; shifts running past midnight wait until their day ends.
• Manager summary: from 09:30, sent until 12:00 if delayed.
• Recipients: the employee and the manager.
• No summary on days when nobody in the team was expected and nobody came in.
• Email and WhatsApp copies through notification rules once live sending is on.
• Needs the attendance rules switched on.

Why same-day alerts beat month-end surprises

Most attendance disputes start with a surprise. An operator forgot to punch out on the 3rd, the day was graded a half day, and he finds out when his salary is short the next month. By then the correction window may be closing and his supervisor has forgotten the day. A same-day bell fixes this. The employee can raise an attendance correction while the day is fresh, within the company's monthly and back-date limits, and the manager knows about it before approving.

Worked example: a 9 to 6 office in Bhopal

A software services office in Bhopal runs a 9 am to 6 pm shift with 10 minutes' grace, and arriving more than 30 minutes late counts as a half day. Rajesh punches in at 9:42, past the 30-minute step, and within ten minutes he and his team lead get a late alert. Meena punches in at 9:14; the day counts as late under the rules, but no alert goes because she is inside the late step. At 7:00 pm Neha is still punched in, so she and her lead get a punch-out missing bell. Imran has no punch and no leave, so at 11:30 pm he and his lead get an absent alert. Next morning the lead's summary reads 15 in, 2 late, 2 not in yet and 1 on leave, out of 18.

Rolling out alerts

Tell people before the first alert arrives, or the first late bell will feel like an accusation rather than a helpful reminder. A short announcement on the wall that explains the rules and the correction process sets the right tone from day one.

• Explain the late step and grace to employees in a wall announcement.
• Make sure every manager has a ZeniaHR login, or their alerts have nowhere to go.
• Keep rosters current so punch-out alerts use the right shift end.
• Remind employees how to raise a correction from self-service or the app.

Frequently asked questions