We all want to build a positive hybrid work culture where collaboration and connection thrive. But getting the right people in the office at the same time is a real challenge. In response, a worrying trend has emerged: office attendance is becoming a performance metric. This sends a message of distrust, implying work only counts if it's supervised. But does simply showing up mean someone is a high performer? We don't think so. Effective attendance management in a hybrid work model isn't about surveillance; it's about creating a space people want to be in.
At Officely, we’re passionate about giving everyone the flexibility and autonomy to work wherever they work best. But it’s also important to recognize that sometimes an office is the best place to collaborate – and that in-office work can have a lot of benefits for some types of work, especially when creativity and innovation are required.
Obviously, proximity bias can be a problem in a flexible work environment. But we also know it’s nice to come in and see the people you work with.
So, what can you do when your office attendance isn’t where you want it to be? How do you motivate hybrid workers to come to the office without strict return-to-office mandates?
In this article, you’ll find our top tips on how to build sensible attendance policies and monitor employee attendance – and what benefits you can expect to see.
Is Office Attendance the New Performance Metric?
If you’re convinced that hybrid work is the future, you’re probably wondering whether tracking employee attendance is a good idea – after all, you want to give employees the freedom to decide for themselves where to work from and when to come to the office. At the same time, knowing who’s in the office (and when) is helpful for managing office utilization, planning in-person collaboration, and spotting attendance trends that could affect team productivity in a hybrid work environment.
So, should you monitor attendance?
The short answer is: yes, but tread with caution.
Attendance tracking can provide valuable insights without crossing into micromanagement territory. Instead of using it as a tool to enforce rigid office policies, think of it as a way to understand how your team works best. For example, attendance data can help you:
- Identify patterns, like which days are most popular for in-office work
- Plan events, meetings, or collaboration sessions for times when more people are likely to be present
- Measure how effectively your office space is being used, so you can adjust seating arrangements or resources as needed
- Build alternative hybrid work schedules adapted to teams’ needs
However, monitoring hybrid employees’ attendance works best when it’s part of a hybrid work culture that is based on trust, flexibility, and choice. By using attendance tracking to inform decisions not dictate them we’re convinced you can find the right balance between creating an office that your team likes coming to, while respecting your people’s autonomy and treating them like adults in a flexible work environment.
Tip: Don’t use attendance as a performance metric; it’s not. Instead, use it as one piece of the puzzle to support collaboration and create a hybrid work environment where everyone thrives.
The Problem with Using Attendance as a Performance Metric
While tracking attendance can give you useful data for office management, it’s a terrible way to measure employee performance. When you start tying someone’s value to their physical presence, you’re sending a clear message: “I don’t trust you to do your job unless I can see you.” This approach is not only outdated but also creates a host of problems that can undermine the very productivity you’re trying to encourage. It shifts the focus from results and impact to simply showing up, which is a recipe for a disengaged and resentful team. Let's break down exactly why this metric misses the mark.
It Erodes Trust and Encourages "Coffee Badging"
Using office attendance, like tracking badge swipes, as a way to measure how well someone is doing at their job shows that employers don't trust their employees. This lack of trust is the fastest way to kill morale. When people feel they’re being monitored rather than supported, they’ll do the bare minimum to meet the requirement. This leads to behaviors like “coffee badging,” where employees show up, swipe their badge, grab a coffee to be seen, and then contribute very little for the rest of the day. They’re checking a box, not engaging in meaningful work. True performance comes from autonomy and trust, not from surveillance.
It Misunderstands Modern Knowledge Work
Monitoring office attendance like it's a classroom shows a big misunderstanding of how 'knowledge work' actually gets done. Creative problem-solving, deep strategic thinking, and focused coding don’t always happen on a fixed schedule within office walls. Some people do their best work in a quiet home office, while others thrive on the collaborative energy of being with colleagues. A one-size-fits-all attendance policy ignores this reality. Instead of forcing presence, companies should use tools that support how their teams actually work, whether that’s through a hybrid work software that makes collaboration intentional or by simply trusting people to manage their own time and energy.
Strict Rules Can Drive Away Top Talent
If you want to keep your best people, you have to give them flexibility. A study by Gartner found that 'high-performers, women, and millennials' are the most likely to leave their jobs when companies make strict rules about coming to the office. These groups especially value flexibility and are often the first to walk away when it’s taken from them. In a competitive job market, your top performers have options. Forcing them into a rigid schedule for the sake of attendance sends them straight to competitors who offer the autonomy and trust they’re looking for. Your attendance policy could be costing you your most valuable employees.
Inconsistent Enforcement Creates Inequality
Even the strictest office mandates often have loopholes. You’ll find that strict office rules often get bent for employees who are very good at their jobs or are senior leaders, because they are hard to replace. This creates a culture of double standards where some people have to follow the rules while others don’t. This inconsistency breeds resentment and a sense of unfairness across the team, damaging morale and collaboration. A fair system is one that’s applied equally, but a better system is one that doesn’t need to be policed in the first place because it’s built on principles of flexibility and choice for everyone.
Why Aren't People Coming Into the Office?
To address low attendance, you need to first understand some of the many reasons your employees may prefer to work from home.
Recognizing Different Work Styles and Needs
While a sales rep may need or want to be in the office more often, your graphic designers or content writers are much less likely to need to be physically present at your workplace to work at their peak.
In fact, some roles and individuals work better alone, so take this into consideration. Flexible work arrangements based on the actual needs of each department might be a good idea – but make sure to do this in a way that doesn’t leave some employees feeling privileged or others feeling undervalued or treated unfairly.
When Life Happens Outside of Work
Before jumping to conclusions, consider whether there’s a bigger issue outside of your control.
If an employee’s attendance suddenly drops, there’s a high chance something is happening at home which has impacted their ability to come in as often.
For example, some might prefer to work remotely for a while while caring for sick children or an aging parent; others may ask for changes in their work schedule to accommodate a new hobby.
There’s nothing wrong with either of those scenarios, and your employees might not necessarily want to explain the reasons behind a change in their attendance patterns. If their productivity hasn’t changed, you don’t necessarily have to do anything about it. (We truly believe that a flexible hybrid work schedule should be exactly that: flexible.)
Is Your Office a Place People *Want* to Be?
Do you think your office is conducive to focused work? Does it provide enough opportunities for collaboration? If you want your people to thrive in a hybrid work environment, you need to ensure you’ve created a comfortable, safe workspace with a variety of desks, meeting rooms, and areas for informal meet-ups.
If you’re wondering what your employees’ ideal workspace looks like, it could be worth sending out a return-to-office survey.
Tackling Low Morale and Motivation
You might not willingly consider that your employee attendance has dropped due to a lack of motivation, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, both for individual employees and your team as a whole.
This requires taking a hard look at what working at your company actually feels like, whether your people are aligned with their roles and tasks, and whether they feel valued and appreciated. When it comes to hybrid working, low attendance might not always be a matter of personal preferences but be a symptom of bigger issues, so you should consider that possibility, too.
Effective Attendance Management in a Hybrid Model
So, how do you actually manage attendance in a hybrid setting? Here are our best tips on how to give your employees structure and also to ensure they enjoy coming to the office to meet up with others.
Set Clear and Fair Attendance Policies
We love flexibility, but it’s still important to create clear policies on office attendance and absence and actually define what your hybrid work model looks like.
Maybe employees can choose whether to come in on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, but you’d like them to come in on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Or maybe you’d like teams to come to the office on the same days, so that they actually have the opportunity to work together on common tasks. Or perhaps you’d like to set a number of in-office days but let your people decide which ones work best for them each week.
The most important thing is to be clear on your policies. That way, if you have to have a conversation about attendance you can help ensure miscommunication won’t be a part of it.
Distinguish Between Performance and Productivity
It’s easy to fall into the trap of equating physical presence with productivity. But tracking badge swipes as a measure of job performance is an outdated approach that can erode trust. As leadership expert Debbie Lovich points out, this method shows a fundamental distrust in employees to manage their own time effectively. True performance isn't about "input" (hours spent at a desk) but about "output"—the results, impact, and quality of the work produced. Your most innovative ideas might come during a walk, and your most focused work might happen at a home office free from distractions. Focus on setting clear goals and measuring outcomes, not on who is sitting where. This shift in mindset is crucial for building a successful and trusting hybrid work culture.
Create a Clear Framework for Absences
While flexibility is key, a clear framework for absences prevents confusion and ensures fairness. Your policy should outline expectations for both planned time off and unexpected situations like sick days. Define the process for requesting leave, who needs to be notified, and how the team stays informed. This isn't about micromanaging; it's about clear communication so that collaboration doesn't suffer. Using a hybrid work software that integrates with Slack or Teams can make this seamless. When an employee marks themselves as out of office, the whole team has visibility, making it easy to reschedule meetings and adjust workloads without a chain of emails. This creates a reliable system that supports both the employee taking time off and the team members who are still working.
Foster Open and Honest Communication
Speaking of miscommunication, your staff should feel supported to discuss what works for them – and also why remote work might be sometimes the better option for them for a specific period of time.
Whether they’ve been struggling with workloads or dealing with family issues, it’s important to create an environment and culture where they can be open with their managers. And for this, managers need to ensure they’re approachable and understanding.
By prioritizing open communication and flexibility, your leadership team will help create a positive work environment where everyone feels supported to do their best work.
Prioritize Your Team's Well-Being
It is essential to invest in employee well-being to ensure that attendance is consistent and productive.
What this looks like will be different from workplace to workplace.
One way could be by providing access to healthcare resources. This can include offering health insurance, providing on-site medical services, or connecting employees with medical professionals.
Additionally, promoting mental health awareness and support is crucial in creating a healthy work environment. You can offer resources such as mental health counseling or employee assistance programs to support your employees' mental health needs.
Or you could include wellness programs within your employee benefits, such as gym memberships or mental health days.
Find the Right Tools for Hybrid Attendance Tracking
Let’s be clear: attendance sheets are a thing of the past. One of the best ways to understand how and why your employees aren’t coming into the office, is to use a modern attendance data platform.
A tool like Officely collects and analyzes data on desk bookings to give you full visibility into office attendance. Employees also get to see when their favorite coworkers are coming to the office – and you get to see all the stats on attendance and resource utilization in a private admin dashboard.
There, you can find the following info:
- The most popular office days
- Office attendance trends over a custom period of time
- The average amount of days in the office
- Individual attendance data
Eliminate the guesswork to your employee attendance and find out what brings the most value to your team and what makes them eager to come to work, from workshops to time with specific coworkers to socials and events.
Here’s how this looks in Officely:
Using Tools for Coordination, Not Surveillance
Let's be honest, the word "tracking" can sound a bit like "big brother," and that’s a valid concern. The key to using attendance tools effectively is being completely transparent with your team about why you're using them. Make it clear that the goal isn't surveillance—it's coordination. The data isn't there to police anyone's schedule but to make office days more intentional and valuable for everyone. It helps employees answer the simple but important question, "Is it worth my commute today?" By giving everyone visibility into who’s planning to be in the office, you empower them to plan collaborative sessions and social catch-ups, turning attendance data into a tool for connection, not control.
This approach is all about using insights to inform decisions, not dictate them. When you understand your team's natural rhythm—like which days are most popular for in-office work—you can better support them. Maybe you schedule catered lunches on those days or ensure key resources and meeting rooms are available when they're needed most. This shows you're adapting to how your team works best, not forcing them into a rigid structure. Ultimately, it helps you build a hybrid culture based on trust and autonomy, where the office is a resource people choose to use because it adds value to their day.
How to Address Attendance Problems Proactively
The best way to manage any attendance challenges is to address them early.
This involves setting clear expectations for attendance, potential consequences (if any), and providing extra support to employees who might need it.
It's important to communicate any expectations clearly and consistently to all employees, but also to address attendance issues promptly when they arise.
One of the additional benefits of using an attendance tool is that you’ll be aware of any cases where employees’ attendance is dropping due to personal reasons or even burnout. This gives you time to decide on a plan to tackle the issue.
By taking a proactive approach to managing attendance, you can help ensure that your hybrid office runs smoothly and that you’re doing what you can to encourage your employees to come in.
A Note on Temporary and Contract Roles
When you're setting attendance policies, don't forget about your temporary staff and contractors. The same principles of trust and flexibility should apply to them. Forcing a freelance designer or a contract developer to come into the office for a set number of days is rarely a good use of their time or your budget. Their value is tied to specific deliverables and project deadlines, not their physical presence. Instead of mandating office days, focus your energy on making your hybrid work software and processes effective for everyone, regardless of their employment status. Clear communication about project goals and deadlines will always be more impactful than tracking their attendance.
How to Measure Performance (Without Tracking Attendance)
So, if you’re not tying performance reviews to office attendance, what should you be measuring? The key is to shift your focus from inputs to outputs. Measuring presence, like badge swipes or hours logged at a desk, is all about input—the time and effort spent. But true performance is about output—the actual results and impact of that work. It’s a subtle but important distinction. As one expert puts it, performance is about how well work is done and its overall effect, while productivity is about how efficiently it gets done. In a hybrid model, you can’t see everyone working, so you have to get comfortable measuring what they accomplish instead.
This means moving away from traditional metrics that rely on visibility and embracing a results-oriented approach. It requires trust, clear communication, and a well-defined framework for what success looks like in each role. When you stop worrying about who is at their desk, you can start focusing on the quality of their work, their contribution to team goals, and their overall impact on the business. This not only leads to a more accurate assessment of performance but also fosters a culture of autonomy and accountability where employees are empowered to do their best work, wherever they are.
Focus on Results and Outcomes
Instead of using attendance as a performance metric, think of it as a tool to understand how your team works best. The data can show you which days are best for collaboration or when the office is most vibrant, but it shouldn't be part of an employee's performance review. The most successful and sustainable hybrid policies are those that treat employees as responsible adults. When you give people flexibility and trust them to manage their own time, they are more likely to be engaged and productive. Your performance framework should reflect this by focusing entirely on results and outcomes.
This involves setting clear, measurable goals for each employee and team. Whether you use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) or another goal-setting framework, everyone should know what they are responsible for delivering. Performance conversations should then center on progress against these goals, the quality of the work produced, and the impact it had. This approach ensures that everyone is judged on their contribution, not their location, creating a fairer and more effective hybrid work environment.
Examples of Role-Specific Metrics
To make this concrete, here are a few examples of output-focused metrics you can use for different roles, none of which depend on where the work is done:
- Sales Team: Instead of tracking hours in the office, measure metrics like new leads generated, conversion rates, sales cycle length, and total revenue closed.
- Software Engineers: Focus on code quality, the number of features shipped on schedule, bug resolution times, and system uptime, rather than time spent at a specific workstation.
- Marketing Team: Evaluate performance based on campaign ROI, lead quality, website conversion rates, and growth in qualified traffic or social media engagement.
- Customer Support: Measure success through customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), average ticket resolution time, and first-contact resolution rates.
How Do You Measure Hybrid Work Attendance?
Measuring hybrid work attendance without clear metrics is a bit like navigating without a map – it’s impossible to know where you are or where you’re headed to, let alone how to make meaningful improvements.
To gain real insights into how your team is using the office, you’ll need to decide on what metrics make the most sense to you and use these to track attendance trends and patterns. For example:
- Overall office attendance rates: Track how many employees are coming into the office on any given day to see how your hybrid model is working.
- Popular office days: Knowing when employees prefer to come in can help you plan meetings, team-building activities, or collaborative projects.
- Department- or team-specific attendance: This can help you assess whether your policies work well for everyone or whether they need to be fine-tuned to different teams’ needs.
- Individual attendance trends: You don’t need to micromanage employees, but individual trends are still important and can help you flag potential issues early on, like employees who may need extra support or flexibility with work hours.
- Average in-office days per employee: Tracking this over time can help you see whether attendance is increasing, decreasing, or staying consistent.
- Resource utilization: Understand how desks, meeting rooms, and other office spaces are being used to make sure you’re able to make the most of your office space.
Using a platform like Officely can make tracking these metrics very simple for your admin team. With data from desk bookings, you can visualize attendance trends, see when employees prefer to come in, and adjust your hybrid model based on real insights, rather than guesswork.
The Legal and Payroll Imperative for Tracking
Beyond fostering collaboration, there’s a practical, less glamorous reason for tracking attendance: legal and payroll compliance. At its core, attendance management is simply the process of keeping a record of when employees start and finish their work, including breaks and time off. This isn't about micromanagement; it's about ensuring everyone gets paid correctly. For team members who are paid by the hour or are eligible for overtime, accurate time and attendance records are non-negotiable. Getting this wrong can lead to payroll errors and legal headaches. So, while the focus in a hybrid model is often on flexibility and trust, having a reliable system to track attendance is a foundational part of running a responsible and fair business.
Types of Attendance Tracking Systems
There are many ways to track attendance, ranging from traditional methods to more modern, tech-driven solutions. Some companies use biometric systems or install software on computers that tracks login times and application usage. While effective, these methods can feel invasive in a hybrid culture built on trust and autonomy. A better approach for flexible workplaces is to use tools that integrate smoothly into the daily routine. For instance, a hybrid work software that includes desk booking can provide attendance data as a natural byproduct of an employee planning their day. When someone books a desk, you know they plan to be in the office, which offers visibility without feeling like surveillance. This method respects employee privacy while still giving you the insights you need to manage the office effectively.
The Importance of Transparency with Your Team
No matter which system you choose, the key to making it work is transparency. If your team doesn't understand why you're tracking attendance, they might assume it's a way to monitor their every move. It's crucial to have open conversations about what you're tracking and why. Explain that the data helps with everything from ensuring accurate payroll to planning for office resources and making it easier for teams to collaborate in person. Your staff should feel comfortable discussing what work arrangements are best for them. By prioritizing open communication and being clear about the purpose of your attendance policies, you build a foundation of trust and create a supportive environment where everyone can do their best work, whether they're in the office or at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why shouldn't I tie performance reviews to how often my team comes to the office? Connecting performance to physical presence sends a message of distrust and shifts the focus from what truly matters: the quality and impact of someone's work. It encourages "coffee badging"—where people show up just to be seen—rather than meaningful engagement. This approach can also drive away your top performers, who value autonomy and are judged by their results, not their location.
My office feels empty some days. How can I encourage people to come in without a strict mandate? Instead of forcing attendance, focus on making the office a destination. First, understand why people aren't coming in by looking at work styles, office design, and even team morale. Then, create a space people want to use by making it a hub for collaboration and connection. Use a tool like Officely to help teams coordinate their in-office days so they can be sure they’ll see the colleagues they need to work with, making the commute worthwhile.
Is it okay to track who is in the office, or does that signal a lack of trust? It's perfectly fine to track attendance, as long as your intention is clear. The goal shouldn't be surveillance, but coordination. Be transparent with your team that you're using the data to understand office usage, plan resources, and make it easier for everyone to connect. When used this way, attendance data becomes a tool that helps people plan their week intentionally, rather than a system for policing them.
What's the best way to handle a situation where a reliable employee stops coming in? Approach the situation with curiosity and support, not suspicion. A sudden drop in attendance is often tied to personal circumstances, not a lack of commitment. Open a private, honest conversation with them. The goal is to understand if they need more flexibility or support, not to enforce a rule. A culture where people feel safe to discuss their needs is far more effective than one built on rigid attendance policies.
If I'm not looking at attendance, what are some concrete ways to measure performance? Shift your focus from input (hours at a desk) to output (results). Define clear, role-specific goals and measure progress against them. For a salesperson, this could be their conversion rate. For an engineer, it might be the number of features shipped on schedule. For a marketer, it could be campaign ROI. When you measure what people accomplish, you get a far more accurate picture of their performance and empower them to do their best work, wherever they are.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on outcomes, not office time: Base performance reviews on tangible results and impact, not on how many days an employee is physically present. This approach builds a culture of trust and holds everyone accountable for what they accomplish, regardless of location.
- Make your office a destination, not a requirement: Instead of enforcing strict mandates, figure out what makes in-person collaboration valuable for your team. Use that insight to create a workspace and schedule that people genuinely want to be a part of.
- Use attendance insights to coordinate, not to police: Be transparent about using attendance data to understand office usage and help teams plan collaborative days. The goal is to make time in the office more intentional and valuable, not to monitor individual behavior.
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