Dell's new attendance system - red vs. blue indicators explained

Dell has introduced a new policy to keep track of how often their employees who work both in the office and from home actually come into the office. This policy, starting on May 13, involves using electronic badge scans, VPN log-ins, and a colour-coded system to monitor employee presence in the office.

Under the new policy, employees will be graded based on how often they show up to the office; they need to be there for at least 39 days per quarter, which averages to about three days per week. Dell's human resources software will feature a colour-coded system that will provide weekly updates on employees' office presence, using different colours to indicate their attendance. Blue means they are consistently present, green is for regular presence, yellow means they are there sometimes, and red indicates limited presence.

A Dell spokesperson explained that they believe in-person connections are important for innovation, hence the new policy. Many employees see it differently. They feel like they are being treated like schoolchildren and worry that this emphasis on office attendance will lead to unfair consequences.

Some employees think this colour-coded attendance system is a way for Dell to get rid of people, especially women who prefer to work from home. They are concerned because Dell has already laid off thousands of employees since 2023, and they fear more job losses.

About half of Dell's U.S. employees and two-thirds of its international workers work remotely. Dell is now closely monitoring badge scans and VPN tracking to ensure employees are actually in the office when they say they are. This is a big change from before the pandemic, when Dell was more flexible about remote work.