Absence quite literally refers to being absent from work. But managing absence in payroll isn’t always as simple as deducting a full day’s payment.
There are different types of absences. And depending on which company, industry, and country we’re talking about, each type of absence may need to be handled differently.
The different types of absences can include:
- Maternity or paternity leave
- Personal or family leave
- Vacation or annual leave
- Sick leave
- Bereavement leave
For example, in Sweden, it’s customary for both parents to receive a combined 28O days of parental leave. The first 90 days must be used by the mother, but the rest may be used as the parents see fit up until the child turns 12.
Processing absence in payroll
The most basic form of absence tends to be calculated as you might expect: deducting one day’s worth of salary. Of course, this changes for the more complicated forms of absence, including paid sick leave.
Depending on the resources available to them, companies may calculate absences in different ways, including:
- Manual calculations
- Automated software
- Attendance tracking systems
Processing absence in global payroll
Processing absence within a global workforce is much more complicated compared than doing so for a local office.
As a global payroll administrator with a global workforce on your back, you’re dealing with a variety of complications, including navigating currency fluctuations and diving into minute differences in each country’s policies and compliance requirements.
In this case, the right global payroll solution can be your best friend. Relevant to absence processing is the fact that it can offer payroll localization services, which provide payroll services tailored to each country the company operates in.
Additionally, the platform can help by offering things like:
- Multicurrency support
- Reporting and analytics
- Automated absence management
- Compliance support


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