Time and attendance policy template
How hours are recorded and approved, written down so the rules are the same for everybody: clocking in, breaks, a forgotten clock out, running late, and fixing a wrong time.
| Section | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To make sure the hours worked are recorded accurately and approved fairly. |
| Who it applies to | All employees of Marlow Street Bistro. |
| Clocking in and out | Clock in when you start work and clock out when you finish, on your own phone, at the venue. |
| Location and photo checks | At clock in the app checks your distance from the venue and may take a photo. It does not track you at any other time. |
| Breaks | Start and end unpaid breaks in the app when you take them. |
| Arriving early or staying late | Work before or after your rostered times needs a manager’s agreement, and time that is approved is paid. |
| Running late | Tell the manager on duty before your start time if you will be late. |
| A forgotten clock in or out | Send a correction request with the right time and a reason as soon as you notice. |
| Corrections | A manager decides each correction, and the reason stays with the record. |
| Approval of hours | Hours are checked and approved by a manager every week before payroll. |
| Records | Time records are kept for as long as the law requires. |
| Privacy | Clock in photos are deleted after 90 days. |
| Review date | Reviewed each year in March. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Marlow Street Bistro.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Replace the example wording with how your business records time.
- If you use location or photo checks, say so plainly, including what is kept and for how long.
- Check the policy against the award or agreement and against your privacy obligations.
- Share it before anybody is asked to clock in under it.
Common mistakes
- Location or photo checks switched on without telling staff what is collected
- An expectation that early starts go unpaid
- Corrections allowed with no reason recorded
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Roster Flow records clock ins, breaks and corrections with their reasons, and lets the business choose whether to check location and take photos.
Questions
What is on the time and attendance policy template?
13 sections down the side, running from purpose to review date. The example beside them is filled in for Marlow Street Bistro: clocking, breaks, missed clock outs, corrections and approvals.
Does the time and attendance policy template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 13 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the time and attendance policy template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open time-and-attendance-policy.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with time-and-attendance-policy.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the time and attendance policy template ready to use as it is?
The time and attendance policy template is a starting point for Marlow Street Bistro or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 18 September 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.