Muster Roll
A muster roll is the statutory register of who attended work on each day, maintained by the employer and produced during a labour inspection.
Also known as: attendance register, muster roll format
It predates any software and is still the artefact an inspector asks for. What has changed is that maintaining it by hand is no longer sensible when the same data already exists in an attendance system.
The compliance risk is not usually fabrication, it is gaps — days where nobody recorded anything, or corrections made without a trail. A register that has been edited with no record of who changed what is weaker evidence than one with visible, approved corrections.
Because the format and retention period are set by state rules and by the legislation applicable to the establishment, a single national template is rarely correct for a multi-state employer.
Statutory note
Muster roll formats, retention periods and inspection obligations are set by state labour rules and by the legislation applicable to your establishment type. Confirm the requirements for each state you operate in.
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Time & Attendance
Web, mobile, and kiosk attendance with geofencing, shift scheduling, and timesheet approvals built for hybrid teams.
See time & attendanceRelated terms
Biometric Attendance
Biometric attendance records a punch against a physical characteristic — a fingerprint, face or iris — rather than a card or PIN that can be shared.
Attendance Regularisation
Attendance regularisation is the process of correcting an attendance record after the fact — a missed punch, a forgotten check-out, or time worked away from the usual place — through a request the manager approves.
Shift
A shift is a defined block of working hours assigned to an employee — its start and end times, breaks and grace period — against which their attendance is measured.
Multi-Location HR
Multi-location HR is running one workforce across several offices, sites or states, where holiday calendars, attendance rules and statutory obligations differ by where each employee works.