Handling Poor Attendance or Lateness

Your other employees will expect you to treat them the same so you must set boundaries. If this is there first job though, it may be that they are not used to the schedule or having other difficulties so talk to them about how you can help them improve.

Time & Attendance

Time and employee attendance are important issues in any workplace and you need to make this clear to your apprentices. As part of their training be sure to let them know that you will not accept them being consistently late or having bad attendance.

Explain to them what they can do if they are going to be late and that they can ask for help if they are struggling. By setting out guidelines, you will have something to refer back to if you have a problem.

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Find Out The Reason

If an apprentice is often turning up late, or just not at all then it east to assume they are lazy or unreliable. However, perhaps there is another reason for the situation. Address the problem with them and try to find out why their attendance is not good.

Perhaps they are finding the work difficult or having a problem with a colleague so are reluctant to come in. Maybe they are having transport problems or there is something stressful going on in their personal lives. By finding out the real reason, you can help them work on it.

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Work With Them

Employee attendance is not only down to the individual to solve, but also the employer. If you apprentice is having problems then help them set goals to improve their time and attendance. If they are struggling with the work then give them a mentor or reduce their responsibilities. If they have a problem with a colleague then try and mediate. If you find they are having problems at home then try to be sensitive to their situation.

Implement Consequences

If your apprentice continues to have bad time and attendance and despite your efforts, makes no improvement then you will need to show them the consequences. Tell them in advance that if they don’t get better you will have to give them a warning, dock their pay or make a note on their permanent record.

Whatever it is, make sure they are aware it will happen and always follow through with it. While you want to help an apprentice develop, you need to show them what it is like to work in a professional environment.

Employee attendance is always an issue and your apprentices need to understand that you won’t get any special treatment. Try and find out the reason behind their poor attendance and help them resolve it. If they don’t take your help, or continue to perform badly then you will have to make sure they understand the consequences.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Apprenticeship Eligibility Checker lets you tell us about your situation and find out which UK apprenticeships you qualify for and how to apply. Try it now →