If your workforce includes non-exempt hourly employees, it is strongly recommended to implement an attendance policy in order for your business to run smoothly and to set clear expectations across the organization. Continue reading below for a few key things to consider including in your company policy.
Tardiness
Define what is considered “tardy” within your organization. For example, if you allow a five-minute grace period for clocking in from the start of an employee’s shift then someone will be tardy if they clock in six minutes from the start of their shift.
Determine what disciplinary action will be taken for initial and repeat offenses. For example, a policy might outline that if someone is tardy for two instances in a given workweek, the company will issue a verbal warning and if repeated offenses occur, a written warning may be called for.
Clearly outline that it is against company policy to submit false time cards or to clock in or out for other employees.
Callouts
Generally, a “callout” occurs when an employee does not have pre-planned approved time off and notifies their manager on the date of their shift that they will not be able to report to work as scheduled.
As with your tardiness guidelines, identify and outline disciplinary action that your company will take for initial and repeated offenses of no shows/no calls.
No-shows/No-calls
Generally, a “no-show” occurs when an employee is scheduled to work but did not report to work and a “no-call” means that an employee did not communicate with their supervisor that they would not report to work.
Define what is considered a “no-show/no-call” by your organization. For example, a company might consider a no-show/no call to occur when an employee does not report to work within one hour of their shift start time without notice to their manager
As with your tardiness and callout guidelines, identify and outline disciplinary action that your company will take for initial and repeated offenses of no shows/no calls
Repeated no-shows/no-calls may lead to job abandonment
Job Abandonment
Generally, job abandonment occurs if an employee fails to show up for work or fails to call in with an acceptable reason for the absence for a certain period of time. For example, a company policy might outline that an employee will be considered to have abandoned their job and voluntarily resigned from from their position if they no-show/no-call for three consecutive days, or other amount of time.
One note of caution, however, is that emergency situations may arise with employees that we may not be aware of. So instead of waiting for the defined period to pass and then assume job abandonment, we recommend contacting the employee’s emergency contact on file 24 hours from the start of the employee's first missed shift. If you are unable to connect with their emergency contact, you may want to consider contacting local authorities to conduct a wellness check.