FOI reference: FOI-2026-3731
You asked
In the recent global government forum blog by Darren Tierney, he says that you have a new recording tool which calculates organisational attendance.
Could you provide information about the data collected in the tool, any other data sources you combine that with and the detailed calculations that you use to turn that data into an overall organisational attendance figure please.
A worked example using pretend data would be helpful.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The attendance measure is designed to provide an organisation-level view of office attendance. Understanding our attendance patterns helps us see how our ways of working are evolving and by regularly reviewing attendance data we can identify opportunities for further improvement.
There is no single universally accepted methodology for measuring organisational office attendance. Different organisations make different decisions about how factors such as leave, working patterns, attendance adjustments, workforce composition and availability for office attendance should be reflected within attendance measures.
Organisational attendance figures should therefore be interpreted as management information indicators, rather than an official statistic, and are designed to support understanding of attendance patterns across the organisation. They are not intended to assess individual attendance or attendance against personal expectations.
Data used
We use information collected through our in-house Time Recording Tool (TRT) and submitted through a Quarterly Data Capture (QDC) process to produce an organisational office attendance figure.
The attendance reporting uses information relevant to the calculation of office attendance and available working time during the reporting period. This includes information such as:
time in office
contracted working hours and working days
leave and other non-working time
employment dates where relevant (for example, where a colleague joins or leaves during the reporting period)
agreed attendance adjustment where a reduced attendance contribution has been agreed based on contractual, location or personal circumstances
agreed planned attendance contribution percentage recorded as part of the attendance discussion between individuals and their line manager
The calculation uses information, recorded in TRT by individuals and their line managers, and submitted through the QDC process. TRT captures attendance, working pattern and leave information, which is used to determine office attendance and available working time during the reporting period.
Additional data sources
TRT information can be combined with workforce information held in HR systems, including Oracle Fusion, to support organisational reporting and analysis.
This enables attendance information to be reported by organisational structure or location.
How attendance is calculated
The attendance measure is intended to provide an organisation-level view of office attendance.
In broad terms, the calculation is:
Numerator – the total time in office recorded by individuals during the reporting period.
Denominator – the total available worked time recorded by individuals during the reporting period, adjusted to account for agreed adjustments.
The TRT accounts for factors that impact individual office attendance as a proportion of worked time available; tis includes factors that affect the amount of working time available during the reporting period, for example, annual leave, sickness absence, part-time working.
All individuals' available worked time is included in the denominator.
Where colleagues have a recorded attendance adjustment, their actual attendance is weighted to reflect this. This is to ensure a fairer comparability between teams.
This aggregated adjustment of the available worked time is the denominator.
Caveats and limitations
As with any organisation-level measure, the output is dependent upon both the data available and the assumptions used in the model.
Factors that can influence attendance reporting include:
TRT or QDC submission response rates
accuracy and completeness of information submitted
the prevalence and profile of agreed attendance adjustments and agreed attendance arrangements
changes in workforce composition, including the proportion of colleagues with agreed attendance adjustments and arrangements
seasonal patterns in attendance and leave
The calculation includes assumptions intended to reflect attendance policy and recognised attendance arrangements. These assumptions are periodically reviewed to ensure the approach remains appropriate and fit for purpose.
Attendance figures should therefore be considered alongside wider contextual information (for example, seasonal trends or workforce composition), when interpreting attendance patterns across the organisation.
Worked example
We do not hold a worked example using illustrative or simulated data and has therefore not provided one in response to this request.