Does Office Attendance Really Equal Performance? Let’s be honest

Some organisations are falling back on old habits, using office attendance as a performance metric. Swipe card data, desk occupancy, even Wi-Fi logins are being used to assess productivity and, in some cases, even influence pay decisions.  

Deloitte’s US tax practice recently linked office attendance to performance reviews and bonuses, mandating in-person collaboration two to three days per week. But is this really a meaningful way to measure employee impact? If there’s one thing we know for certain, turning up is not the same as delivering results.  

The presenteeism problem 

Presenteeism, the act of being physically present at work without genuine engagement or productivity, remains a pervasive issue. Research has shown that it not only leads to lower morale and increased turnover but also stifles innovation and drags down business profitability . Simply being in the office does not equate to productivity. If anything, companies that rely on attendance as a performance measure risk encouraging compliance over contribution, which benefits no one.  

Forward-thinking leaders recognise that flexibility and autonomy are key drivers of productivity. Mark Mullen, CEO of Atom Bank, criticises the insistence on increased office attendance as “old-fashioned ‘command-and-control thinking’”. His business, which operates successfully with a largely remote workforce, illustrates that trust and flexibility can lead to positive outcomes.  

Even structured studies back this up. The Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) model,  which gives employees full autonomy over how they achieve their goals, has been linked to increased productivity, revenue growth, and better retention rates . 

HR Technology: The smarter way to track performance 

If office attendance isn’t the answer, how should businesses measure productivity? This is where your HR systems should play a bigger role!  

Instead of relying on passive surveillance, organisations should be using HR tech to track meaningful performance indicators such as:  

• Goal achievement – Are employees delivering against their objectives? Your HR platform should provide clear visibility into progress and results.  

• Collaboration & engagement – Are teams working effectively, whether remote or in-office? HRIS and workforce analytics can track engagement and contribution across projects, not just attendance records.  

• Work quality & impact – Are employees meeting performance expectations? A well-configured HR system should integrate feedback, peer reviews, and measurable outputs rather than just tracking hours worked.  

• Employee wellbeing & retention – Are employees engaged and motivated? HR technology can provide early indicators of disengagement, burnout, or attention risks – long before it affects performance.  

The real issue isn’t that companies want better visibility into employee productivity, it’s how they measure it. A well configured HRIS, workforce planning tool or performance management system can enable data-driven performance tracking that provides real-time insights into work quality, goal completion and engagement levels without resorting to outdated surveillance tactics. It can improve workforce planning which help organisations like yours to balance remote and in-office collaboration by analysing work patterns and productivity trends instead of assuming presence equals effectiveness. Using data to identify skills gaps, training opportunities and employee flight risks through the use of HR tech helps ensure teams stay engaged and motivated and can highlight how and where employees work best, which enables smarter policy decisions on hybrid working and performance management.  

Measure what matters 

Businesses that still tie performance to presence are focusing on the wrong metrics. The most successful organisations prioritise trust, flexibility and outcome-based performance tracking – not outdated attendance logs.  

If your business is still using office attendance as a performance metric, the real question isn’t whether employees need to be in the office. It’s whether you have the right technology to measure and manage performance in a way that actually drives results.  

At Team Wheel, we help organisations move beyond attendance-based tracking to build smarter performance strategies, ensuring HR systems measure what really matters. If your current system isn’t giving you the insights you need, maybe it’s time for a better approach.