Attendance, shift and leave process for FMCG Distributors: Field Days, Godown Shifts and Delivery Rosters
Salesmen are on the road, godown staff on shifts and vans on runs. One attendance process has to cover all three without treating field staff like desk workers.
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Share your requirementsWhy attendance, shift and leave process matters in FMCG distributors
A distributor has three kinds of working day. The salesman starts at a first shop, not the office. The godown team starts at a set hour when the van is loaded. The delivery crew starts when the run sheet is ready and ends when the last drop is done. A single office-style register fits none of them and invites disputes about hours and absence.
The process should record field days by visits and reports, godown shifts by clock, and delivery crews by run. It should also say what happens to a beat when its salesman is absent, because shops left unvisited for a week quickly slip to a competing distributor.
How to set it up
1. Define the working day for each group
Write how a day starts and ends for salesmen, godown staff, drivers and helpers. Note the report each gives. Keep it short and share with each group.
2. Record field days by visits
Use a daily report with shops visited and orders, plus a quick phone or app check-in at start and end of the beat. Choose the simplest tool your salesmen will actually use.
3. Roster the godown and delivery runs a week ahead
Publish shifts and run sheets with a set loading time. Include weekly offs and leave, and name a standby driver and helper for each run.
4. Plan beat cover for leave
Name a cover salesman for each beat, with the shop list and last order details. A short briefing note stops cover from being a blind visit.
5. Review absences and late runs weekly
Look at the pattern by person, beat and day. Talk to repeat cases and fix causes such as loading delays. Use recruitment for gaps you cannot cover.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Ask a salesman what his reports show for the last week and see if they match shop visits.
- Check that each beat has a named cover with a shop list.
- Compare scheduled loading time with the actual time on the last ten days.
- Count leave days taken by drivers around month end.
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
Use light daily reports and occasional checks against retailer feedback. Explain that the aim is to cover every beat and pay fairly. Heavy tracking without explanation breeds resentment and gaming.
A named cover salesman or supervisor, with a short note on shops and recent orders. A missed visit for a week may lose a shop, so cover is worth planning.
Record actual hours per run, set how extra hours are paid or compensated and confirm the rules with a qualified professional. Then fix the causes of late loading, which create most overtime.