Attendance and Leave Management Policy

Sanctioning Authority 

Attendance Policy

Scope

This policy applies to all employees across all levels and all locations of the institution. All employees are required to read, understand, and comply with this policy.

Objective

To ensure statutory compliance and to serve as a guiding document governing attendance and punctuality within the organization.

General Guidelines

• All employees are expected to be present on campus during their designated working hours.
• Employees must not leave the campus during working hours without prior approval from their direct supervisor. 
• As far as possible, all employees MUST give at least 48 hours prior notice before requesting any form of leave, other than emergency leave. 
• A valid Zoho Gate Pass, approved by the competent authority, must be obtained before exiting the campus.
• Failure to follow the prescribed approval process may be treated as a breach of attendance norms.

Approval Matrix – Short Leave / Emergency Leave

Note: In the absence of the immediate supervisor, please approach only HOS or HM. 

Attendance Recording & Monitoring

• Attendance shall be recorded through the approved institutional system.
• Supervisors and HODs are responsible for regular monitoring of attendance and punctuality.
• HR will conduct periodic audits of attendance data to ensure compliance.

Non-Compliance & Disciplinary Action

Failure to adhere to attendance and campus movement protocols may result in disciplinary action as per institutional norms:

Levels of Non-Compliance

1. Minor Deviations
   • Late reporting without valid reason
   • Exiting campus without proper gate pass (first instance)
2. Repeated / Serious Deviations
   • Habitual late coming
   • Leaving campus without approval
   • Misuse of short leave or emergency leave

Disciplinary Measures

• First Instance: Verbal counseling / written advisory
• Second Instance: Written warning and entry into personnel file with loss of pay
• Third Instance: Salary deduction / loss of pay / performance impact
• Repeated or Gross Misconduct: Disciplinary committee review, which may lead to suspension or termination of services

All disciplinary actions will follow the principles of natural justice and due process.

Attendance & Punctuality Policy – Approval Matrix And Disciplinary Framework

Time Record for Academic & Administrative Staff

Time Record for Co-Curricular Staff

Biometric Attendance

All employees shall check in and check out through the biometric attendance machines installed near their workplace. Each employee is permitted to access only two designated biometric machines closest to their workspace.

Example: If you are an HSS teacher, your punch-in and punch-out can be done only from the machine installed in the HSS block or from one of the Dining Halls. However, if you are an admin staff, your punch-in and punch-out can be done only from the machine installed in the admin main office. 

A printed sheet listing the access points for all staff will be placed in the staff rooms and at the Reception. Please refer to this sheet for clarification, if required.

Check-in and Check-out Process

1. All employees shall check in and check out through the biometric attendance machines installed near their respective departments. 

a. Early exit and late arrival, with prior written permission, are permitted only up to 30 minutes twice a month or 2 hours once a month. 

b. All administrative employees are required to punch in by 8:45 a.m. and be at their desks by 9:00 a.m. to commence work. If an employee punches in after 9:00 a.m. more than three times in a month, the third instance will be considered as half-day loss of pay. 

c. All employees reporting 30 minutes late beyond their reporting time on any given day will be considered as half-day loss of pay.

Transportation, if not provided by the School, is the employee’s personal responsibility. It is the duty of the staff to report to the School on time, irrespective of the mode of transport used.

Employees must ensure that their attendance is correctly marked or that official tour/duty or leave is approved against each working day. Any discrepancy must be reported to the HR Office immediately. Salary is calculated based on attendance that is complete in all respects.

Time Record – Work Breaks

Employees are expected to be prompt in reporting back to work after meals and breaks during working hours.

Employees are expected to remain on duty until the end of the workday unless excused in writing by the HOD/Coordinator. 

Attendance records for all employees are maintained and updated for every pay cycle by the HR Office. Attendance sheets are prepared and submitted to Accounts for processing salaries for the previous month.

Overtime and Compensatory Off

1. No overtime charges are provided to any employee. No compensatory offs shall be granted for postponing regular work to holidays or weekends.
2. No employee is eligible to work on an exeat day and claim a compensatory off unless instructed in writing by their supervisor.
3. If a supervisor requires an employee to work on an exeat day and take a compensatory off, such compensatory off must be availed within one week of the concerned exeat day.
4. It is the responsibility of the employee to submit the written directive from the supervisor to the HR Department.
5. Only one compensatory off may be claimed at a time. Compensatory offs cannot be clubbed with weekends or exeat days or vacation days to extend leave.

The Workweek

All staff are required to work six days a week with one exeat day per week.

• For academic staff, the exeat day is Sunday.
• Librarians work in shifts of 9 hours per day (inclusive of breaks) with one exeat day per week. Library timings are 8:00 a.m. to 5:30pm
• Administrative staff work six days a week, with the exeat day determined by the supervisor.

**Admissions, Medical, F&B, and Boarding House teams work on a monthly roster. Their exeat days will vary based on the published schedule, availability, and workload.**

Types of Leave Granted at GSIS

Vacation Leave (VL)

Notes:

• Eligibility requires completion of one full academic term of service.
• Employees joining mid-term are not eligible for paid vacation leave.
• Administrative staff and general workers must obtain prior approval at least one month in advance, and the leave must be recorded in Zoho.
• Vacation leave cannot be combined with any other leave and cannot be carried forward beyond reporting day for all staff.
• Extension of vacation leave will be treated as Leave Without Pay (LWOP) unless approved by Management.
• Vacation pay will be released upon reporting to school at the beginning of the next academic term/year.
• Employees who resign, are terminated, or do not return after vacation are not eligible for vacation pay.
• There are certain blackout periods in a school term as decided by the SLT – during these days no staff is permitted to be on leave. These are usually major school events, reopening and closing week, exam weeks and so on. These will be notified by the HOS or HM to all staff. 
• Leaves during blackout periods will be treated as LOP.

Casual Leave and Sick Leave (CL & SL)

Per Term Entitlement 

PLEASE NOTE:

• An employee is permitted to take only one Casual Leave (CL) per month; CLs cannot be clubbed together.
• Casual Leaves must be approved at least one week in advance by the Supervisor.
• An employee is permitted to take only one Sick Leave (SL) in a month.
• Additional leave days will be treated as Leave Without Pay (LOP), even if the employee has an available CL balance.
• In case of an emergency where an employee needs to avail more than one CL in a month, prior written approval must be obtained from the Head of HR.
• There is no carry-forward of CL or SL from one term to the next.
• An employee serving their notice period is not eligible to avail CL or SL during this period.
• CLs and SL cannot be combined with an exeat; in such cases, all days involved will be treated as LOP.

Casual Leave Encashment and Incentive Policy

This policy revision aims to encourage thoughtful utilization of Casual Leaves while recognizing and rewarding employees who do not avail them.

Bereavement Leave

Employees are eligible for 7 days of bereavement leave per year, applicable only in the event of the death of a parent, spouse, or own child.

Marriage Leave

As GSIS is a residential school, employees are required to plan their wedding during winter or summer vacations. Marriage leave during the academic term is not permitted. Early departure at the end of the term may be considered on a case-by-case basis and will be treated as LOP.

Maternity Leave

Maternity Leave – Payment Schedule

Long-term Sick Leave

Any sick leave exceeding three continuous working days is considered long-term sick leave and requires approval from the School RMO, supported by medical documentation.

Upon completion of maternity, long-term sick, or bereavement leave, the employee is eligible for reinstatement to the same or an equivalent position.

Absenteeism

Continuous absence for more than three days without valid reason may result in disciplinary action, including termination.

Confidentiality

• This policy is a confidential document of GSIS.
• No part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronically or mechanically, without prior written permission from School Management.
• Unauthorized reproduction or transmission may lead to civil or criminal liability.

Amendments

The School reserves the right to modify, amend, or alter this policy, wholly or partially, at any time as deemed appropriate.