Businesses are increasingly adopting remote control or hybrid work models to address contemporary health, safety and lifestyle priorities. Fewer and fewer managers relate the performance of their employees exclusively to their physical presence and presence at the desk.

They have a point – there is compelling evidence that giving employees flexibility can increase productivity compared to rigid 9-to-5 schedules. But what does this mean for managers? Can they just let their teams run wild without any supervision? If attendance is an outdated measure of productivity, should managers ignore it altogether?

Let's look at possible alternatives to the “bums in seats” mentality that would give managers a sense of control without sacrificing employee autonomy.

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The hidden costs of fixing attendance

At my company, as a developer of a time tracking and productivity app, we analyze the work habits of employees. Our studies have shown that procrastination and wasting time can occur even when employees are physically present in the office.

While there is definitely a correlation between participation and productivity in some cases, this black and white picture is overly simplistic. It does not take into account the nuances of individual work styles, the nature of different roles, and the impact of factors beyond an employee's control. In addition, flexible working is essential for supportive parents AND women in the workplace.

An overemphasis on participation can have several detrimental consequences for both employees and organizations.

• Demotivated workforce: When employees feel constantly monitored and judged for their participation, it can lead to decreased job satisfaction and engagement. This can manifest in reduced productivity, increased turnover and presenteeism, where employees come to work despite being unwell, hindering their performance and potentially spreading disease.
• The culture of micromanaging: A focus on participation can foster a culture where managers feel the need to closely track and control their employees' every move. This can stifle innovation, creativity and autonomy, ultimately hindering employee productivity and growth.
• Looking at the actual performance: When attendance becomes the primary metric for success, it can overshadow the quality and impact of an employee's work. An employee who is consistently present but underperforming may not contribute significantly to the organization's goals. On the other hand, another employee's valuable contribution may go unnoticed.

Additionally, by focusing only on attendance, you may neglect to address the underlying reasons for absenteeism. Stress, burnout, work-life balance issues, or even a toxic work environment can all be the real reasons behind it and should be addressed proactively.

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Shifting focus from participation to accountability

It's understandable that managers want to stay in control of their teams, as they are the ones responsible for results. Therefore, the obvious first step is division of responsibility among all team membersnot just managers. Empower your team by delegation of duties and providing them with the necessary information. By holding everyone accountable for their contributions, participation becomes less important as the focus shifts to achieving team goals.

secondly, evaluate employees based on their actual output, quality of workand contributions to team goals rather than just their participation record. Managers can set goals or milestones with team members and create a system for checking or reporting on that progress. This approach will at least lay the foundations for evaluating the work done, which is already a significant step.

Third, managers must work for it instill a sense of ownership in their employees. The more people feel as an integral part of the process or a company, the higher their motivation to bring good results. Trust and autonomy accompany a sense of ownership, empowering your employees and giving them purpose.

Finally, implement flexible working hours. This may seem counterintuitive at first, but that's the whole point. Attendance and time spent on the computer don't matter as long as you get the results you need. Giving your employees the mandate of trust and responsibility to work their own hours – at the time they prefer – is also an indirect way of saying that results matter.

I would go even further and encourage you to try shorter work weeks. In my company, we did 35-hour weeks for more than a year, and the results are very satisfactory. Our employees are free to distribute those hours as they wish as long as they have accumulated 35 hours during the week. We observed that despite the reduction in working hours, the quality and quantity of work either remained constant or improved, potentially due to increased motivation and a more relaxed work environment.

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Getting rid of the presentist mind

If you Google “alternatives to track employee attendance,” you'll find mostly articles trying to convince you to do just that—track attendance. This is surprising, given the growing popularity of trust-based workplaces, flexible arrangements and results-focused management.

While the evidence strongly supports abandoning the presentational mindset, many organizations still cling to this outdated approach. So why do we cling to this metric?

Because it gives us a sense of control. But it's clear that managers need to take the band-aid off. The notion of attendance should be separated from productivity. Attendance-based systems should be replaced with task-based achievement and outcome assessment rather than computer time. It is high time that managers find other systems to support the success of their employees and keep track of their achievements.