How to track work from home attendance

Decide what a WFH day is

Write down that an approved WFH day is a working day, paid like any other, and that it carries the same working hours unless the policy says otherwise. Decide whether half-day WFH is allowed, for example a morning at home before an afternoon client meeting. Decide who is eligible: roles that need a machine, a patient, a customer or a shop floor are not, and people in probation may have a lower limit. Put the answers in a short WFH policy so managers are not deciding eligibility person by person.

How WFH days are recorded

There are two workable ways to record a WFH day. In the first, the employee raises a WFH request before the day and the approval itself marks the day as WFH, with no punch needed. In the second, the employee also punches in and out from home, which records working hours as well. Choose based on what you need: hours for overtime or shift-based work, or only presence for office roles. If you restrict web punches to the office network, remember that punches from home will be refused unless the day is covered by an approved request.

Example: a monthly WFH limit in practice

A Hyderabad product company allows 4 WFH days a month with manager approval, requested at least one working day ahead. In October 2026, Neha Reddy, a business analyst, requests 3 WFH days in advance and gets them approved. On the 22nd she wakes up with a fever but can work, and asks for a fourth WFH day that morning; her manager approves it as an exception with a note. A fifth request later in the month is refused because she has used her limit, so she applies for a day of earned leave instead. Her attendance shows 4 WFH days, all approved, and payroll treats them exactly like office days.

Availability and output, not screen time

Tracking screens, keystrokes or webcams damages trust and adds little. Instead, agree core availability hours, such as 10 am to 5 pm, when the person answers calls and messages within a reasonable time, and judge the day by the work delivered. Managers who plan the week's tasks with each person know within a few days whether WFH is working. If it is not, the answer is a direct conversation and, if needed, a lower limit for that person, recorded in writing.

Step by step

1. Write the eligibility rules. List the roles that can work from home, any limits during probation and the roles that cannot, with the reason. Share the list with managers and employees.
2. Set a monthly limit. Pick a number of WFH days a month for each eligible role. In ZeniaHR, the work terms policy sets WFH days per month, and WFH requests are checked against that monthly limit.
3. Require a request before the day. Ask for WFH requests at least a day ahead. Allow same-morning requests only for illness or emergencies, and note them as exceptions.
4. Decide whether WFH days are punched. Choose between request-only recording and punching from home. If web punches are limited to office networks, home punches need an approved request to be accepted.
5. Agree availability hours. Set the hours when a WFH employee must be reachable, and how quickly they should answer calls and messages within that window.
6. Judge by output. Managers plan the week's work with each person and review what was delivered. Avoid screen monitoring tools, which erode trust without improving the work.
7. Review WFH use every quarter. Look at WFH days by team and person, and at the exceptions granted. Adjust limits by role if needed, with notice to the people affected.

Frequently asked questions