Lateness, last-minute call-offs and no-shows aren't just irritating -- they're bad for business. End attendance issues and absenteeism by knowing the law and creating an iron-clad policy.
Getting stood up by a date is embarrassing. Getting stood up by your employees is infuriating. After all, when staff don't show up to their jobs, it's not just your ego that's at stake: it's the well-being, productivity and prosperity of everyone on the team and the entire business, too.
If your employees are chronically tardy, if absenteeism is on the rise, or if you're facing a spate of last-minute "sorry, I won't make it" calls, it's time to take another look at your attendance expectations and policies. By clearly defining what is and is not acceptable and by knowing the law, you can set high expectations -- and take prompt action if those expectations aren't met.
Step One: Define What You Need
Start by listing the points your attendance policy needs to cover. Consider these questions:
In the next step, we'll look at some of the key laws that apply to workplace attendance policies. These rules may affect the answers to these questions that make it into your final policy. During the first step, however, simply jot down your ideal structure, taking your workplace's culture and your employees' needs into account.
Step Two: Understanding the Law
Several state and federal laws cover employee work time and reasons an employee may be absent from work without penalty. A few of the key federal laws in play are:
State workers' compensation laws may also apply if a worker is hurt on the job and needs to take time off work. Your state may also have laws regarding family and medical leave.
In addition, clarifying which employees are salaried employees exempt from overtime rules is essential to creating a policy that performs as intended. For example, if your policy docks pay for partial days missed from an exempt employee, it may give the employee grounds to be treated as hourly, non-exempt -- which makes your business responsible for paying overtime.
You can, however, track the time employees are present and working, whether or not they are hourly employees. For instance, you can have every employee "punch in" and use the data to track absences and lateness and as evidence when enforcing policies. Merely tracking time won't affect an exempt worker's status, as long as that information is not used to affect the worker's pay for that time.
While articles like this one can provide a general guide, there is no substitute for specialized legal advice. Ask an attorney if you have specific questions about your business.
Step Three: Implement and Backstop
An employee absence policy can be used to address many different kinds of absenteeism, from not calling in and not showing up to taking sick leave for non-medical reasons and running through available leave every month. It's vital, as with every company policy, to set clear standards, specify the consequences for failing to meet them, and then follow through when an employee fails to meet those standards.
In addition, working with a staffing partner can help. Your staffing firm can help you minimize burnout to improve attendance and motivation, fill last-minute call-offs and replace problem employees with candidates who offer a better fit with your office's culture.