Absence

An employee is deemed absent when they are not available for scheduled or assigned work and time off has not been scheduled/approved in advance according to department notification procedures.

Absence occurs when a person fails to appear for work when they are scheduled to do so. Absences can be of either type:

• Excused absence occurs when all the following conditions are met:
  • The employee gives the supervisor adequate notice at least 48 hours in advance of the absence.
  • The absence request is approved by the employee's supervisor in advance.
• Unexcused absence occurs when any of the above conditions are not met. Employees who need to take a sick day or have an emergency must notify their supervisor within two hours prior to their shift, if applicable, otherwise as soon as possible. If the employee can't make the call, the employee must have someone make the call on their behalf.

Employees with three or more consecutive days of stay due to illness or injury must show proof of a physician's care and a fitness-for-duty release before returning to work.

Tardiness and Early Departures

Employees should report to the workplace and return from scheduled breaks in a timely manner. In the event an employee cannot report to work on time, the employee must notify their supervisor not later than their usual starting time. Although this notification does not excuse the tardiness, it simply informs the supervisor that a schedule change may be necessary.

Employees are considered tardy when they:

• Fails to report for work at the assigned/scheduled work time. In these instances, managers may replace the tardy employee for the full shift.
• Leaves work prior to the end of assigned/scheduled work time without prior supervisory approval.
• Takes an extended meal or break period without approval.
• Arrives to work past his/her scheduled start time may be replaced for the full shift at the discretion of his/her supervisor.

Employees must notify their supervisor immediately if they have to leave work before the scheduled end time.

Time Clocks and Failure to Clock in and out

Employees must record their actual hours worked according to established guidelines. 

A missed clock-in/clock-out is a violation of the policy and includes the following:

• Fail to clock in or out on the time clock before or after their assigned shifts;
• Failure to clock in/out on their designated time clock for the meal break.
• Failure to accurately and timely report time worked.
• Clocking in and out without prior approval during the assigned shift.

Employees who fail to punch in or out from a shift must complete a missed punch form and submit it to the General Manager.  

missed_punch_form.docx (1).pdf

Job Abandonment

Employees who fail to report to work for three days or more without notifying their supervisors are considered to have abandoned their jobs and are voluntarily terminating their employment.

Disciplinary Action

Disciplinary action will be taken for excessive absenteeism when more than two unexcused absences occur within a 30-day period. Employees who have accumulated eight unexcused absences in a 12-month period can be subject to termination.