Attendance Policy Checklist for Sri Lankan Employers
An attendance policy needs hours, the recording method, lateness, absence reporting, overtime approval, and what biometric data you keep and why.
On this page
- Working hours and the recording method
- Clocking rules: who, where, and proxy punching
- Lateness and the grace period
- Unplanned absence and how to report it
- Overtime: pre-approval and records
- Biometric data: consent and retention wording
- Publishing, acknowledging and reviewing the policy
- Frequently asked questions
- Do we need a separate policy for field staff using the app?
- Can our policy set a fixed late-coming fine?
- How long should we keep biometric attendance data?
- Does the policy need the Labour Department's approval before use?
- How often should the attendance policy be reviewed?
Write down six things: working hours, how you record them, lateness, unplanned absence, overtime approval, and what attendance data you keep. Apply each rule the same way to everyone. See the time and attendance guide for Sri Lankan small businesses for how these clauses fit into a full attendance workflow.
Working hours and the recording method
State the normal hours. Normal hours are up to 8 hours a day and 45 a week, excluding meal and rest intervals. The day, start to finish, must not run past 12 hours. Name the recording method for each site: a biometric terminal, a card, or the employee app with location capture for field staff. Use one method per site, so the record stays consistent. See legal working hours in Sri Lanka for the full hours rules.
Clocking rules: who, where, and proxy punching
State who must clock in, and where. Say that clocking in for someone else is a disciplinary matter. Cover shift handovers as a separate written rule. A queue at the device during a shift change should not count against anyone, if your grace period covers it. See biometric attendance systems in Sri Lanka for the device choices this covers.
Lateness and the grace period
Write down the grace period. This is the window before a late clock-in counts as late at all. Set one rounding rule too. No source sets a rounding rule for clock-in or clock-out times. Round toward the employee, or not at all, and use the same rule for everyone.
Paying only for hours actually worked is not a “deduction” under the Shop and Office Employees Act at all. If someone is contracted for eight hours and works seven because they arrived an hour late, seven hours’ pay is what is due.
A fixed fine on top of that is different. That is a deduction from remuneration (the Act’s word for salary or wages, including cost-of-living allowance, overtime pay and prescribed allowances) that was otherwise due. It needs to be an authorised deduction (a deduction the Act allows) made with the employee’s consent to be lawful. The total of all deductions taken at one time is capped at 60% of the remuneration then due. Statutory deductions, such as income tax and EPF, and deductions under a court order sit outside this.
No government source confirms a standard late-coming fine rate. Use discipline, not a fine, for repeat lateness.
See clock-in rounding and grace periods and can you deduct salary for late attendance.
Unplanned absence and how to report it
State how an employee must report an absence, by when, and to whom. Say which absences fall under casual leave, and which are unpaid. Keep a record of who was absent and why. The Shop and Office Employees Act requires a record of hours worked, holidays and leave taken, for every employee.
Overtime: pre-approval and records
State that overtime needs approval first, not after the fact. The weekly overtime cap is 12 hours. The rate is not less than 1.5 times the hourly rate. For a monthly-paid employee, the hourly rate is monthly remuneration divided by 240 (30 days times 8 hours).
Tag Poya and mercantile-holiday shifts on their own in the roster. A Poya day is paid at not less than 1.5 times the daily rate. A Gazetted mercantile holiday needs the Commissioner of Labour’s prior sanction first. The Acts use different titles for this office. It is then paid at 2 times the daily rate, or with a paid day in lieu on or before 31 December. Neither uses the ordinary overtime rate.
| Policy item | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Normal hours | 8 a day, 45 a week, and the daily start and finish times |
| Recording method | Biometric device, card, or app, by site |
| Lateness | Grace period, rounding rule, and how a late fine (if any) is authorised |
| Absence | How and when to report it, and who approves leave |
| Overtime | Pre-approval required, rate, and the weekly cap |
| Records kept | What is stored, why, and for how long |
Biometric data: consent and retention wording
Fingerprint and face data are personal data. The Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 is Sri Lanka’s data protection law. Biometric data of this kind is generally treated as needing extra care in how it is collected, stored and used. This is background, not a compliance opinion on the Act.
Tell staff in writing what you collect, why, and how long you keep it. No source sets a fixed retention period for this data. Write your own period, and get legal advice on consent, retention and security under the Personal Data Protection Act before rollout, rather than guessing a number. See mobile and GPS attendance for field staff for a non-biometric option where a fixed terminal will not work.
Publishing, acknowledging and reviewing the policy
Give the policy to every employee in writing. Get a signed, or app-based, acknowledgement from each one. Set a yearly review date. Update the policy whenever your recording method, sites, or holiday calendar changes.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. For a real case, speak to a labour lawyer or the Labour Department.
Do this automatically in Humanised. Time and attendance tracking software connects to ZKTeco and HikVision devices and the employee app. It applies one grace period across every site. The employee app captures location, with configurable geofencing.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a separate policy for field staff using the app?
Write one policy that covers both. Include app-based check-in with location capture, and geofencing if you use it, alongside the biometric attendance rules, so the rules match across your workforce.
Can our policy set a fixed late-coming fine?
The Shop and Office Employees Act limits deductions to authorised ones made with consent. The total of all deductions taken at one time is capped at 60% of the remuneration then due. Statutory deductions and court orders sit outside that cap. No government source confirms a standard late-coming fine rate. Use discipline, not a fine, for repeat lateness.
How long should we keep biometric attendance data?
No source sets a fixed period. Set your own retention period in writing. Tell staff what it is, and take legal advice under the Personal Data Protection Act before you start.
Does the policy need the Labour Department’s approval before use?
No approval process is required to publish the policy itself. Separate sanction from the Commissioner of Labour is needed for specific things it may cover. Examples are work on a mercantile holiday, or accumulating weekly holidays.
How often should the attendance policy be reviewed?
There is no statutory review interval. Review it once a year, and whenever your sites, devices or the holiday calendar change.
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