Comprehensive Guide to Attendance & Late Calculations

Prerequisites & Setup:

• Working Shifts: (Attendance > Shifts) You must create at least one shift defining the exact Start Time, End Time, and Minimum Required Hours for a full day and half-day.
• Organization Settings: (Settings > General) Set the global Grace Time (e.g., 15 minutes) and decide on your Late Arrival penalty policies (e.g., 3 late marks = 1 half-day deduction).

Complete Field Reference (Shift Configuration):

• Shift Name: E.g., General Shift, Night Shift.
• Start Time & End Time: The exact hours the employee is expected to be working.
• Min Full Day Hours: The absolute minimum number of total logged hours required to be marked present for a full day (e.g., 8 hours).
• Min Half Day Hours: The minimum hours required to be marked present for a half day (e.g., 4 hours). If they log less than this, they are marked Absent.
• Grace Period Allowed: Number of minutes an employee is allowed to punch in past the Start Time before being flagged as Late.

How It Works (Automated Processes):

• Punching In/Out: Employees punch in via the dashboard. The system records the timestamp.
• Late Calculation: If an employee's first punch-in is at `09:16 AM`, but their shift starts at `09:00 AM` with a `15-minute` grace period, the system automatically flags the `DailyStatus` record as `is_late = true`.
• Half Day / Absent Calculation: When the employee punches out for the final time, the system sums up their total active hours. It checks these hours against the `Min Full Day Hours`. If it falls short, it checks the `Min Half Day Hours`. If it still falls short, it marks the entire day as an unauthorized Absence.
• Integration with Payroll: During the monthly Payroll Run, the system reviews the entire month's attendance records. Every unauthorized Absent day directly reduces the employee's payable days, resulting in Loss of Pay (LOP).

Edge Cases & Restrictions:

• Missing Punches: If an employee forgets to punch out, the system cannot calculate total hours. Managers will need to manually correct the log.
• Night Shifts: If a shift crosses midnight, the system groups the punches into the "Shift Date" based on the punch-in time, preventing split logs across two calendar days.

Troubleshooting & FAQs:

• *Q: An employee forgot to punch in. Can I fix it?*

A: Yes, HR Admins and Managers can go to Attendance > Daily Logs, locate the specific date for the employee, and manually add or edit a punch record. The system will automatically recalculate their total hours.

• *Q: Why was an employee marked absent when they were on official travel?*

A: If they didn't punch in, the system assumes absence. The employee should either log an "On Duty" request (if available) or the manager must manually adjust their attendance log to mark them as Present.