Starting September, Target is rolling out a new Attendance Tracking Points System (ATS) for its store and warehouse workers. The retailer is keen to move to a point-based attendance model in a quest to formalize how workplace tardiness and unexcused absences are monitored and managed.
According to Target’s new ATS, employees arriving more than eight minutes late will receive 0.25 attendance points. Sounds confusing?
Target’s all new attendance point system is a lot closer to Walmart’s late ins and early outs means half a point. But it comes with quite a few changes.
What you need to know about Target’s new attendance point system (ATS)…
Target has been plagued with absenteeism, last-minute call-offs, and staffing shortages. For a chain as massive as Target, consistent attendance directly affects customer service, inventory management and overall store operations.
According to Target’s new ATS, employees arriving more than eight minutes late will receive 0.25 attendance points. Accumulate 12 points…and you’re terminated.
The new attendance point system at Target is part of a broader strategy to create predictability in frontline work.
How Target’s new attendance point system (ATS) works
Under the new ATS at Target, unapproved absences will carry heavier consequences. Missing a shift without supervisor approval will earn one point. Failing to show up and not notifying the supervisor will result in three points.
Disciplinary action as points accumulate:
- 3 points: Manager check-in
- 5 points: Formal counseling
- 9 points: Final warning
- 12 points: Termination
The accumulated points remain on record for one year.
Target has reemphasized that protected leave and legally accommodated absences will still be honored under the new ATS point system.
The retailer is also standardizing its scheduling technology. It has rolled out a brand-new, unified scheduling app for employees and managers across locations. In addition, this app will allow managers to spot attendance patterns and staffing gaps more efficiently.
With scheduling and attendance management becoming data-driven, the company will be able to improve its staffing decisions.
While attendance is considered a simple metric, it’s the new strategic business indicator. Retailers now view reliable staffing as essential to operational efficiency and improved customer experience.
What about workplace surveillance?
The new ATS point system at Target has raised several concerns. Supporters of point-based systems argue that it will create fairness and reduce managerial subjectivity. Critics, however, believe that the attendance tracking system can make Target workers feel monitored and leave little room for life’s everyday disruptions.
For companies like Walmart and Target that adopt more technology-driven solutions to workforce problems, the balance between operational efficiency and employee trust is more delicate than ever.
Target’s new policy may focus on tardiness and workplace absences, but it also offers a rase glimpse into the future of work. One where employees will be increasingly measured, analyzed and measured solely through data.
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