Staff Attendance Policy in Nepal: Late, Absent, Holidays

A written attendance policy is the cheapest improvement a Nepali manager can make. When late arrival, absence and holiday work are defined in advance, discussions become about facts: what the policy says and what the record shows. Without a policy, every case becomes personal. This article lists what to include and how to apply it, with the caution that legal details must be checked against the Labour Act and your employment contracts.

1. Working hours and weekly off

State the standard working hours for each category of staff, the break time, and the weekly off day. Many private offices keep Saturday as the weekly holiday, while shops, hospitals, hotels and factories may use rotation. If staff work in shifts, attach the shift table. The Labour Act sets limits on working hours and overtime, so have your hours reviewed by a lawyer or the labour office before finalising.

2. How attendance is recorded

Name the method: biometric device, mobile check-in, manual register. Say that the recorded punch is the official record. Say what happens if the device is unavailable. Explain that sharing credentials, asking someone to punch for you or tampering with the device is misconduct. This sentence matters because it makes buddy punching a policy breach, not a clever shortcut.

3. Late arrival

• The grace period, if any
• What counts as a late mark
• What happens after repeated late marks, such as a warning or a pay deduction in line with your contracts
• How genuine reasons are handled, for instance a strike, landslide or road closure that affects a whole area

Nepali realities such as traffic in the valley, rain-blocked highways and sudden bandhs are part of life. A fair policy allows a supervisor to excuse a late mark with a recorded reason, and the software should keep that reason rather than erase the mark.

4. Absence and leave

Explain how to report absence: whom to call or message and by what time. Define what separates approved leave from unauthorised absence. State when a medical document is required. Describe the consequences of repeated unapproved absence, including when it becomes a disciplinary matter. Link to the leave policy for balances and approvals.

5. Public holidays and festivals

The government announces holidays each year and the dates of festivals such as Dashain, Tihar and Chhath follow the lunar calendar. Share the company holiday list at the start of the fiscal year. Say which holidays apply to your business, what happens to staff who must work, and how substitute leave or extra pay is handled.

6. Field, remote and site staff

For staff who work outside the office, say how attendance is recorded, such as a mobile check-in with a note or a supervisor's confirmation, and what proof is acceptable. Be clear that these entries are reviewed by a manager. Without this, field attendance becomes the loophole in an otherwise strict system.

7. Corrections and disputes

Specify a time window, for example within two working days, in which staff may request a correction of a missed or wrong punch, and who approves it. Describe how disputes are escalated. Keep every correction logged with reasons.

Applying the policy fairly

Principle	In practice
Same rule for everyone	Managers and directors punch like staff
Early warning	Daily report to the manager, a talk before a penalty
Evidence	Decisions based on recorded punches
Proportion	Sensible handling of one-off events
Consistency	Same case, same outcome, documented

How software supports the policy

Attendance software applies the grace, late and overtime rules without favour, produces daily late and absent lists and keeps an audit trail of corrections. It does not decide discipline. A person does, using the facts the system provides. The records can feed HR files for appraisal and payroll for deductions and overtime.

Communicating the policy

Give every employee a copy in Nepali and English, ask them to sign a receipt and explain it in a short meeting. Review it every Shrawan when the new fiscal year begins and after any legal change. A policy that nobody reads is the same as no policy.

Sample wording you can adapt

Short plain sentences work best. For example: "Working hours are from the start time in your shift table to the end time, with a break as listed. A grace period of the number of minutes shown in the table applies each day. Arriving after it is recorded as late. Three late marks in a Nepali month are discussed with your manager. Absence must be reported to your manager before the start of your shift. Attendance is recorded by the office device and the recorded time is the official record." Replace the details with your own, keep the sentences short and avoid threats you do not intend to carry out.

Review and training for managers

Managers apply the policy daily, so train them. Show them how to read the daily report, how to approve corrections and how to hold a calm first conversation about lateness. Ask them to record the outcome of each conversation. When all managers apply the same steps, staff trust the system and disputes fall. Review the policy annually and after any labour law change, and keep dated versions so you know which one applied when.

Next step

Draft your own version using the headings above, then ask a lawyer or the labour office to review the legal parts. When you are ready to enforce it consistently, message us on WhatsApp and we will show how the rules are applied in the system.

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