Absenses - When Should a Supervisor Draw a Line
Everybody knows Jerry. He works in every office, factory, store or restaurant. This week he's been late because of fall allergies. Car problem the week before. Took an extra day over the holiday weekend. Today he had to leave early because of a court date.
And when Jerry is gone, the rest of us have to fill in and pick up the slack. That means more work, more phone calls, extra time on the production line and staying late for the third time this week ... all because Jerry can't seem to get to work every day, on time.
When I complain, the supervisor says "Just do you job, don't worry about Jerry." But what about the rest of us? We get to work on time, do our job and stay till the work is done. I don't care, I'm calling is sick tomorrow; taking a mental health day. That'll show them!
Absences, lateness, poor attendance; dealing with these issues is one of the biggest challenges faced by a supervisor. Generally, an absence, when considered individually, is not a major issue.
Most supervisor try to be reasonable and considerate, recognizing that an occasional absence will occur. Working mothers deal with this dilemma daily; when a child is sick, the child's well being takes first priority. Cars do stall, tires occasionally become flat, traffic accidents cause unexpected delays, and the flu-bug has been going around. But, for some employees, like Jerry, getting to work every day on time just does not seem to be a high priority in life.
The challenge to the supervisor is to find a reasonable balance between accommodating occasional absences and knowing when to draw the line for the repeat offender. Every organization has its own culture and practices for dealing with employee absences.
More importantly, the skill and confidence of the supervisor in recognizing and managing these situations can keep a mole-hill from becoming a mountain. Left unattended, the attendance situation festers as one employee abuses co-workers by taking excessive days off. Others soon become demoralized; and their attendance or work levels start to decline.
Smaller organizations generally try to manage attendance issues informally. Larger organizations are more likely to define some guidelines to control attendance abuses. Certain attendance accommodations may be required by law for absences related to family, health, religious, or civic responsibilities.
Typical attendance control measures may include guidelines on reporting absence, time reporting procedures, defined limits to number of allowable absences or tardiness, and specifying corrective measures to be taken when absenteeism becomes excessive.
Seasoned supervisors recognize the need to "draw a line" when dealing with repeat offenders. Generally, a fair but firm approach will control attendance abuses. Discussions, warnings, or critical performance ratings document the problem and help to get the message across. Stronger action for continued repeat offenders may include a short term suspension without pay or delay or denial of a pay increase. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to draw the line with a final warning and discharge when a repeat absenteeism offender fails to mend his ways.
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William S. Hubbartt is president of Hubbartt & Associates, a St. Charles, IL consulting firm specializing in employee compensation, employee handbooks, personnel policies and supervisory training. (www.Hubbartt.com) Mr. Hubbartt is author of The Medical Privacy Rule - A Guide for Employers and Health Care Providers.
