Staff Attendance Policy

Objective

The purpose of this policy is to set forth Tree of Life Open Bible Church's policy and procedures for handling employee absences and tardiness to promote the efficient operation of the company and minimize unscheduled absences.

Policy

Punctuality and regular attendance is very important to the operation of Tree of Life Open Bible Church's business, and is the responsibility of each employee. Tardiness and absences cause a slow-down in operations and creates an added burden for fellow employees. Good attendance is something that is expected from all employees. As such, employees are expected to report to work at their scheduled start time and be prepared to begin their workday. Employees are also expected to remain at work for their entire workday. Late arrivals, early departures or other absences from scheduled hours are disruptive and should be avoided as much as possible.

This policy does not apply to absences covered by statutory leaves. These exceptions are described in separate policies.

Posted Schedule

When a schedule is already posted, it is the expectation that the staff member requesting off will make a sincere attempt to reach out to other staff to find a replacement anytime there is a request off for any reason.

Absence

“Absence” is defined as when an employee is unavailable for work as assigned/scheduled and such time off was not scheduled/approved in advance as required by the Company’s notification procedure. There are typically three types of absences:

Excused absence.

Occurs when an employee provides management with sufficient notice in advance of the absence; the absence request has been approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor; and the employee has sufficient accrued paid time off/sick pay (PTO) to cover the absence. Sufficient notice is at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the absence taking place. Excused absences also include pre-approved vacation, personal holidays, bereavement leave and jury duty.

Unplanned absence.

Occurs when an employee has properly notified his/her supervisor that he/she will be absent from work due to an illness or an emergency. Employees must notify his/her supervisor no later than one (1) hour prior to the employee’s scheduled start time on the same day the absence is occurring. Each employee is responsible for contacting his/her supervisor if he/she is going to be absent from work. There is an expectation that an employee will attempt to find a replacement for their shift.

Unexcused absence.

Occurs when an employee fails to report to work or properly notify his/her supervisor of the absence (“No call, no show”) or when an employee has exhausted all of his/her sick leave. Absences that occur frequently or demonstrate a pattern of absenteeism may be deemed unexcused and subject to corrective action. An unexcused absence counts as one (1) occurrence for the purposes of discipline under this policy. No more than three (3) unexcused absences will be allowed in a twelve (12) month period.

Consecutive absences.

Employees with three (3) or more consecutive days of excused absence due to illness or injury may be asked to provide a doctor’s note prior to returning to work, unless this violates state, or local law. Furthermore, employees who have exhausted his/her sick leave may be asked to provide a doctor’s note for the day(s) he/she was absent. Providing Tree of Life Open Bible Church with a doctor’s note does not automatically deem an absence excused. Management will review overall patterns of attendance and make determinations accordingly.

Employees must use earned PTO for every absence unless otherwise allowed by company policy (e.g., leave of absence, bereavement, jury duty).

Absences and tardiness reported by text message and email are not acceptable.

Work from Home in lieu of absenteeism

Under certain circumstances employees may request the ability to Work from Home to maintain hours and complete tasks. There are specific policies that need to be followed for this privilege. It is impossible to exchange direct care hour for work from home hours.

Tardiness

An employee is deemed to be tardy when he/she:

• Fails to report for work at the assigned/scheduled work time.
• Arrives to work past his/her scheduled start time.
• Leaves work prior to the end of assigned/scheduled work time without prior supervisory approval.
• Takes an extended meal or break period without approval.

If an employee cannot report to work as scheduled, he/she must notify his/her supervisor no later than his/her regular starting time. This notification does not excuse the tardiness but simply notifies the supervisor that a schedule change may be necessary.

Employees who must leave work before the end of their scheduled shift must also notify his/her supervisor immediately.

We realize traffic or weather conditions may cause an employee to be late once in a while. However, employees are expected to plan for traffic and weather problems and to allow for extra time to commute to work. If he/she will be late, he/she must let his/her supervisor know of his/her late arrival as soon as practical. Notification does not change the fact that this will still be considered an unexcused tardy. Excessive absences, tardiness, or early departures will lead to discipline, up to and including discharge. Absences or tardiness are excessive if they occur frequently or if they demonstrate a pattern.

Other Details for Salaried Employees

Salaried employees are required to complete request offs for any time they are unable to complete a shift posted on the schedule regardless of total hours worked for the week. Employees that able to exceed their minimum work hours are not required to utilize Paid Sick Leave. They must still submit a request for unpaid sick leave.

Holidays

If an employee calls out of work the day before, the day of, or the day after a holiday, his/her supervisor will review the circumstances of the absence and based on the review, the supervisor will determine whether to count the incident as an excused or unexcused absence.

Corrective Action

Excessive absenteeism is defined as two (2) or more occurrences of unplanned absences or late arrivals in a sixty (60) day period and may result in corrective action. Three (3) occurrences of unexcused absences in a twelve (12) month period are considered grounds for reduction of hours and/or termination.

Job Abandonment

Any employee who fails to report to work for a period of three (3) days (no call/no show) or more without properly notifying his/her supervisor will be considered to have abandoned his/her job and voluntarily terminated his/her employment with Tree of Life Open Bible Church.

Reporting Illness

Illnesses among staff are required to be documented for review by accrediting agencies. Employee illnesses need to be documented in the log in the Employee Information Binder.

Health Policy Related Absences

If you are already at work, and you begin showing signs of illness similar to those that would exclude a student from the Center according to the Staff Health Policy, you may be asked by the Director or Administration to leave before the end of your shift. If your symptoms are not severe enough to warrant leaving, you will still be asked to refrain from food service responsibilities per ServSafe regulations. You may also be asked to leave if you have any non-contagious illnesses/injuries that hinder your ability to complete your required duties. Depending on the severity, type, and length of symptoms, you may also be asked for a note from a medical professional before returning to work.