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HUMAN RESOURCES SERIES
HR 16


EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE
PROCEDURES

These procedures are applicable to: all DECD employees.
Further information DECD Human Resources and Workforce Development



DOCUMENT CONTROL
Managed by: Human Resources and
Workforce
Development
Responsible Director,
position: Workforce
Management
Version: V1.3
Contact person: David Wasley Approved by: Executi ve Director
Human Resources
File number: DECS 2006/5454
Contact position: Senior Policy
Officer
Date approved: 26 October 2011 Status: Approved
Contact number: 08 8226 1858 Next review date: 26 October 2012 Security
classification: Unclassified
REVISION RECORD
Date Version Revision description
1 April 2010 V1.1 Procedures updated to incorporate updated Monthl y Leave Return system and
procedures
26 October
2011
V1.2 Departmental name and logo change
1 Feb 2012 V1.3 Consistent use of the term procedures


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EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE AND TIME WORKED RECORDS
PROCEDURES

All record forms referred to in this document can be downloaded at:
www.DECD.sa.gov.au (Information for Staff / Human Resources / Attendances).

1. ATTENDANCE RECORDS

1.1 Coverage: All DECD Employees
Commissioners Standard #2 Quality Staffing and the Fair Work Act 1994
require that each government agency must ensure appropriate attendance
records are maintained for all employees.
The DECD employee attendance procedure requires that Principals, Pre-
school Directors and managers at non school sites are able to verify
employees attendance and location either on or off site, and appropriate
attendance records are available for all employees.
This procedure formalises existing practices in most DECD work locations. It
endorses common sense practices to ensure the work safety of our
employees, correct payment, and managers responsibility to authorise and
record appropriate leave entitlements.

1.2 Definitions
School/Preschool - Any school or preschool including Childrens
Centres, college, or other education institution where student learning
occurs.
Non School Site State and District Offices and other sites where
DECD employees are engaged in administration and support activities
outside of a school or preschool setting.
Authorised Manager The DECD employee with management
responsibility for attendance and timekeeping at a school/preschool or
non school site. The authorised manager must be a person with line
management responsibility for employees. For schools and preschools
the authorised manager will be the Principal, School Administration
Officer and Preschool Director. For non school sites the authorised
manager will be the manager with delegated responsibility for
employee leave and timekeeping.
Attendance Record A record of an employee being on duty at a
designated place of work.
Time Worked A record of the hours worked on a given day by an
employee, used for the purposes of managing flexible work hours as
prescribed in a relevant award or industrial agreement.





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1.3 Attendance Records Procedures
The attendance procedures at each school, preschool and non-school site
need to be documented, and employees made aware of the requirement to
record attendance and leave taken. These procedures and attendance
records must be made available for auditing, if required.
At a minimum a system for recording attendance must have:
A record (manual or electronic) that can be relied on to verify that an
employee was in attendance on a given day.
Procedures that are documented and are consistently applied in
practice.
Existing arrangements that meet the minimum requirements for attendance
records are:
Systems for recording staff absences commonly found in schools
Time clocks and timesheet recording systems commonly found in State
and District Offices
Diary records (electronic or manual) commonly used by senior staff
and Seconded Teachers that are maintained on a daily basis and that
can be relied on to verify attendance.
Where such systems are in place and are consistently and regularly
maintained no further action is required.
If attendance recording procedures for employees are currently not in place
an appropriate system must be implemented.
Where an employee works off site, or where there are no other practical
options for implementation of a system for recording attendance that meets
the minimum standards an individual employee attendance record can be
used. A sample attendance sheet for an individual employee is:
(VL063 Attendance Sheet)
When an attendance sheet has been completed by the individual employee it
should be endorsed by the authorised manager.

1.4 Approval and Recording of Leave
Employees are responsible for completing any relevant leave application
forms and submitting those forms to the authorised manager for approval
The authorised manager is to forward approved leave application forms to
Shared Services SA Payroll before leave is taken, or as soon as possible after
leave is taken.
The site manager is required, each month, to check attendance/absentee
records and leave forms for all employees against the online Monthly Leave
Return for schools and corporate sites, or the manual VL034 Monthly Leave
Return for preschools. The manager for schools and corporate then checks
and certifies the online Monthly Leave. The preschool manager is to submit
the manual VL034 Monthly Leave Return to Employee Services for

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reconciliation with individual leave applications received and recorded in the
payroll system.
(Online Monthly Leave Return; which is accessible online via the Eduportal
from this link www.eduportal.sa.edu.au and selecting HR Management
Information (HRS).
Or
Manual VL034 Monthly Leave Return)

1.5 Bona Fide Certificate
The Bona Fide Certificate (BFC) is a control for ensuring the efficient
monitoring of the employment of personnel within work sites and for checking
the accuracy of the pay and personnel information of employees attached to
respective work sites within DECD.
Authorised Managers of schools and corporate sites are required to fulfil their
responsibilities in relation to checking their BFC and reporting any
discrepancies to the responsible unit using the Online Bona Fide Certificates,
which accessed online via Eduportal and the HR Management Information
system (HRS). Eduportal is accessible from this link www.eduportal.sa.edu.au

Or

Authorised Managers of preschools are required to fulfil their responsibilities
in relation to checking their BFC and reporting any discrepancies to the
responsible unit using the Manual Bona Fide Certificates. BFCs are produced
and forwarded to worksites on a fortnightly basis. The BFC Procedures can
be accessed from HR18 Bona Fide Certificate Policy and Worksite
Procedures


2. TIME WORKED RECORDS
2.1 Coverage: Nominated DECD Employees
Some DECD employees are covered by industrial awards that prescribe
either their minimum or maximum ordinary hours of work and the span of
hours in which those hours are to be worked. To ensure that those hours are
worked and paid for, the authorised manager is responsible for maintaining
actual time worked records. Employees in this category are shown below.
CATEGORY A EMPLOYEES:
(those who must record times for the purpose
of flexible working time arrangements)
PS Act employees (excluding Executives &
Directors)
SSOs (School and non-School)
ECWs
AEWs (School and non-School)
Weekly Paid Employees eg. grounds persons
Other categories of employees are either covered by industrial awards that do
not prescribe hours of work (eg. Teachers) or are non-award (eg. Executives).

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These employees are deemed to work no fixed hours and therefore a
specific time record is not required. Employees in this category are shown
below.
CATEGORY B EMPLOYEES:
(those not required to record times)
Executives & Directors
Section 101B appointments (other than ancillary
staff)
Teachers (including Seconded Teachers,
Coordinators, Principals, Preschool Directors,
District Directors)
School Bus Drivers (paid per kilometre)
Claim Paid Employees (Hourly Paid Instructors,
Temporary Relieving Teachers, Swimming &
Aquatic Instructors, Early Childhood Relief
Workers)
However, it is expected that all business units will have documented records
that evidence the absences of their employees in accordance with the State
Records Act 1997.
Managers are to immediately notify Shared Services SA Payroll of any
employees who have not completed their allocated working hours using the
Debit Time Bank Hours form. (VL514 - Debit Time Bank Hours)

2.2 Flexible Working Time Arrangements for employees who record daily
hours worked (Category A employees)
The implementation of DECD flexible working time arrangements is a locally
managed process.
If employees are on flexible working time arrangements (time-bank, TOIL or
flexitime) then managers must ensure that all working times are recorded. In
most instances this is already being done in DECD via flexi recording
equipment or timesheets.
If employees are not on flexible working time arrangements (i.e. they work
fixed hours or fixed days) they need to provide attendance records (see 1.3).
Procedures
Time-bank/TOIL in schools and pre-schools
A sample timesheet for an individual employee is:
(VL096 Time Sheet)
Time Sheets are to be used to record employee attendance and absence
details. Appropriate leave application forms must be forwarded to Shared
Services SA Payroll.
When a timesheet has been completed by the individual employee it should
be endorsed by the authorised manager, and retained in the record system of
the work unit. Individual timesheets should not be sent to the Employee
Services Unit.

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Flexitime for PS Act employees
For employees on flexitime provisions, attendance and hours worked must be
recorded on a flexi-time record sheet. A sample flexi-time record sheet is:
(VL064 Flexi-Time Adjustment Sheet)
Adjustments to attendance and hours worked are to be recorded on the flexi-
time adjustment sheets via adjustment slips, together with accompanying
leave application forms, where appropriate. Adjustment Slips are to be
attached to the sites flexitime adjustment sheet, and duly completed leave
application forms forwarded to Shared Services SA Payroll. A sample
flexitime adjustment slip is:
(VL695 Flexitime Adjustment Slip)
Authorised Managers must certify their sites flexitime adjustment sheet and
retain in the record system of the work unit. The original sheet with attached
flexitime adjustment slips is to be retained at the work site for at least 7 years.
Authorised managers must check their staffs leave against the online Monthly
Leave Returns for leave reconciliation.
Note: Managers are to immediately notify Shared Services SA Payroll of any
employees who have not completed their allocated working hours using the
Debit Time Bank Hours form.
(VL514 - Debit Time Bank Hours)

2.3 Category B Employees are not required to record times worked
Each local manager must ensure that the attendance procedures for their site
are documented and employees made aware of these procedures and of the
requirement to record leave taken (refer to 1.3).
Note: Managers are to immediately notify Shared Services SA Payroll of any
employees who have not completed their allocated working hours using the
Debit Time Bank Hours form.
(VL514 - Debit Time Bank Hours)


3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Authorised Managers
Establish and maintain appropriate systems and processes for
recording attendance as required by these procedures
Approve and forward leave application forms to Shared Services SA
Payroll as soon as possible to ensure accurate processing
Check and certify the online monthly leave or forward a VL034 to
Employee Services for leave reconciliation.
Ensure leave forms are submitted where omissions are identified.
Complete the bona fide certificate online or manually and promptly
notify any discrepancies to the responsible unit/s.

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Maintain local records consistent with statutory requirements for
management and retention of records.
Employees
To apply and gain approval for leave in advance wherever practicable.
To notify the authorised manager of any absence from the workplace at
the earliest time practicable or no later than the commencement of
normal business hours on the day of the absence. Where the nature or
sudden onset of sickness makes it impracticable to give the notice
before the period begins, the notice may be provided no later than
24 hours after the period begins.
To fill out leave forms and provide appropriate sickness certificates
within 2 days of return to work.


4. IMPLEMENTATION
These procedures took effect from 1 April 2010.