--- title: "Managing Employee Time and Attendance Exceptions" slug: "manage-employee-time-and-attendance-exceptions" description: "Manage employee exceptions like late arrivals, early departures, and missing punches to ensure compliance with time and attendance policies effectively." updated: 2026-10-20T12:56:51Z published: 2026-10-20T12:56:51Z canonical: "help.workeasysoftware.com/manage-employee-time-and-attendance-exceptions" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.workeasysoftware.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Managing Employee Time and Attendance Exceptions **Exceptions** occur when an employee's actions deviate from the standard work schedule or policies, such as arriving late, leaving early, missing punches, or taking irregular breaks. Exceptions flag punches and breaks that differ from schedules or time and attendance rules, so managers can review them. **Common Types of Exceptions** - **Late arrivals:** Arriving after the scheduled start time. - **Early departures:** Leaving before the scheduled end time. - **No show:** Failing to attend a scheduled shift without prior notice or explanation. - **Missing clock-ins or clock-outs:** Forgetting to clock in or out. - **Break-related issues:** Taking longer or shorter breaks than allowed. Reviewing exceptions regularly helps you apply work schedules and company policies consistently and supports accurate payroll and benefits calculations. Your organization is responsible for how exceptions are reviewed and resolved under applicable labor laws. ### Managing Exceptions Exceptions allow tracking within different time frames: - **Today**: Exceptions for the current day. - **Pay Period**: Exceptions for a date range within a past, present, or future pay period. - **Custom Dates**: Exceptions for a specific date range. Exceptions can be viewed either through the Left Nav, ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Jan-10-2025-07-44-28-6328-PM.png) or by selecting the **Exceptions** widget from the **Widget Gallery, which will then display them on the Dashboard.** ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-13-2025-03-28-11-1123-PM.png) ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-13-2025-03-45-46-5655-PM.png) #### Filtering Exceptions![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Jan-14-2025-07-20-51-1543-PM.png) Managers can filter exceptions using various parameters: - Type of exception - Employee ID or name - Employee status - Employment type (full-time or part-time) - Groups or positions - Custom fields #### Detailed Breakdown of Exceptions Types ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-13-2025-04-11-49-5268-PM.png) - **Arrived Early:** The employee arrived earlier than their scheduled shift start time. - **Arrived Late**: The employee arrived after their scheduled shift start time. - **Left Early**: The employee left before their scheduled shift end time. - **Left Late:** The employee left after their scheduled shift end time. - **No-Show:** The employee had a scheduled shift and did not clock in for it. - **Missing Punch**: The employee clocked in or out, but their subsequent punch is missing. This only applies to ended shifts and not to shifts that are being worked on. It works for employees with or without shifts. - **No Break**: The employee did not take the assigned break. - **Short Break**: The employee's break was shorter than the preset duration. - **Break Waiver**: A break was waived during the selected timeframe. - **Break Attestation**: Any attestation related to breaks that were waived during the selected timeframe. - **Break Penalties**: Any penalty incurred due to breaks during the selected timeframe. - **Long Break**: The employee's break exceeded the break duration and the allowed extended break. If the extended break is not configured, the break will not be recognized as a long break. For more details on this configuration, see [**Time of Day Rule**](/docs/set-up-and-manage-breaks-waivers-and-attestations#time-of-day-rule). - **Frozen Punches**: When entries on a timesheet are rejected due to various issues, such as permission issues, time restrictions, missing information, or conflicts with the employee's status or system settings. ### Use Cases **Arrived Early:** Clicking on an employee's name in the system redirects to their timesheet, where managers can make necessary changes.![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-04-2025-08-02-53-2427-PM.png) **Arrived Late:** Managers can track and address tardiness patterns by reviewing employees' clock-in records. ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-04-2025-08-07-46-6078-PM.png) **Left Early:** Early departures can be monitored to ensure employees adhere to their scheduled hours. ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-04-2025-08-11-40-1938-PM.png) **Left Late:** Tracking late departures helps you monitor overtime against your policies. ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-04-2025-08-13-12-2631-PM.png) **No Show:** Default hours for unreported absences: - 3 hours before the shift - 6 hours after the shift ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-04-2025-08-17-08-9017-PM.png) **Missing Punch:** Managers can correct or investigate missing clock-ins or clock-outs to maintain accurate records. ![](https://7523197.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7523197/image-png-Feb-04-2025-08-20-49-0876-PM.png) --- ### FAQ #### How can exceptions be tracked? Exceptions can be tracked for today, within a pay period, or for custom date ranges. #### How can I correct a missing punch? Navigate to the employee’s timesheet, locate the missing punch, and manually enter the correct clock-in or clock-out time. #### **Can exceptions be automated for better tracking?** Yes, our system allows for automatic exception tracking based on predefined rules. #### Can managers filter exceptions? Yes, managers can filter exceptions by type, employee ID or name, employee status, employment type, groups or positions, and custom fields. #### **How do I enable exception tracking on the dashboard?** Click the gear icon, select the exceptions checkbox, apply the changes, and save the settings. #### **Are break penalties automatically applied?** It depends on company policy and system settings; some organizations apply penalties automatically, while others require manager approval. ## Related - [Configure Reporting Hours for Web, Mobile, Time Clocks, and Kiosks](/configure-reporting-hours-for-web-and-mobile-clocking.md) - [Configure Reporting Hours for Kiosk Clocking](/configure-reporting-hours-for-kiosk-clocking-1.md)