Attendance, shift and leave process for Landscape designers: studio days and site days
Landscape staff do not sit in one place. Some days are at the desk, some at a nursery or a muddy plot, and the rush months bring long hours. A clear day-type record keeps this fair.
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Share your requirementsWhy attendance, shift and leave process matters in landscape designers
In a landscape firm attendance is not just present or absent. A designer may be at the site until noon, at a nursery in the afternoon and finish drawings from home at night. Without a clear record, the person who travelled most looks the least present, and the person at the desk looks the most committed.
The rule can be simple. Each day gets a type: studio, site, home or leave. Site days include travel. Hybrid days are agreed in advance by the studio lead. Leave is planned around the planting and handover months, so the rush is covered and people still get rest afterwards.
How to set it up
1. Define the day types
Studio, site, nursery visit, home and leave. Write one line each on what it means and who approves it.
2. Record site days with a short note
A line on where, how long and who went. This settles travel claims and shows which projects pull people away from the desk.
3. Fix the hybrid days
Agree which days juniors must be in the studio for reviews and mentoring, and which days anyone may work from home.
4. Plan leave around the seasons
Mark the rush months on the calendar early. Ask for leave requests before them, and keep two people trained on each project so cover is real.
5. Give time back after a peak
After a hard handover, allow a quiet week or a late start. A rule written in advance is more trusted than a favour given case by case.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Look at last month and count how many site days each designer logged.
- Check whether anyone can see who is on leave during the next planting rush.
- Ask juniors how many days a week they have a senior in the studio.
- See if travel time to site is treated the same way for everyone.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach attendance, shift and leave process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Count it as part of the site day and record where it was. Agree a rule for early starts and late returns, so no one has to ask each time. Confirm any legal points with a qualified professional.
Within limits. Core hours for team meetings and client calls should be fixed. Beyond that, flexible start times can suit drawing work, if deadlines are met.
Publish the project calendar, ask for leave early and name a backup for each project. Where a clash cannot be avoided, talk to the person before the dates are fixed.