Tardiness and Long Term Employee

Nat

In Setpember 2001 our company implemented a new attendance policy that tracks tardies and unscheduled absences. It is a no-fault, point system however, employees can earn points if they meet certain criteria. My problem is that we have a non-exempt employee with 19 years of service on the brink of termination due to tardies . She has been suspended which is the step before termination. She actually earns points each cycle because she doesn't have unscheduled absences but lose more points than she earns due to excessvie tardiness (sometimes tardy 6 times in a two-week period). We allow employees two (2) free tardies each 4-week cycle, meaning that they don't receive negative points until the third tardy. We have tried to be creative in helping this employee with such suggestions as get up 15 minutes early, come another way to work, etc. We have even changed her start time TWICE, thinking it would help but she is still late. The excuses given are not medical in nature. It is excuses such as stuck in traffic, child will not get up etc. Any creative ideas to help this person keep their job? One part of me says this person did this to herself and do nothing, but I keep seeing that 19 years of service and a good employee. My suggestion to the employee when she was suspended yesterday, was to take the time and develop a plan to get to work on time so that she won't lose her job. We try to use the attendance policy as a management tool and do try to help employees while still following the policy. Any suggestions are appreciated.

System

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 04-26-02 AT 11:02AM (CST)[/font][p]I say you should stick to your guns and enforce your policy. But, to keep a good employee, you could refer her to your EAP if you have one, or suggest that she ask her doctor if he/she can figure something out. A pattern like this could be ADD, depression, a sleep disorder, drug addiction, alcoholism, or who knows what. Just don't try to diagnose her or treat her as if she's disabled or you could have ADA trouble.

I'm glad you put the burden on her to solve the problem. If she doesn't take drastic steps, it'll show that the job isn't very important to her.

James Sokolowski
Senior Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers

Down_the_Middle

Assuming you have more than this 1 employee, while I admire your compassion for her "excuses", I think it's a huge mistake to help her figure out how to get to work on time. Promptness is as fundamental to employment as anything and this lady is not having an acute problem. She has a chronic problem that is probably being driven by--------"they won't do anything to me for this type of thing". Failure to handle this according to your policy will bring you a myriad of other problems and you'll be cooked for deviating with this lady. She's about to terminate herself. She has full control of her situation and my advice would be to stand back and let her make the decision........

Carol CA

I agree. You are on the right track. The ball is in her court and it is up to her whether or not she changes her morning routine in order to get to work on time. It sounds like you have bent over backwards in trying to help her, including changing her start time twice. Just make sure you have everything documented.

And quite honestly, if she is tardy 6 times within two weeks, how "good" an employee can she be? If I were her co-worker, I'd say it's about time someone made her come to work on time!

Don D

Anytime a rule or policy is formulated and put in place, we have a simple question to ask ourselves: Do we intend to enforce this policy or do we not intend to enforce this policy? Whether we're setting behavioral rules for children or establishing an attendance policy for adults. Looks like to me you have gone way more than the extra mile in suggesting and recommending ways to improve and emphasizing the seriousness by suspension. Now's the time to ask yourself that question again. If you do not enforce it, you've set the precedent for others to follow. You won't be able to defend any other terminations for violation of the point system rules. Excuses like 'my child wouldn't get up' are immature and ring hollow. HR people can't let their emotions determine their courses of action. We are often rule and policy driven with little or no wiggle room, as is true in your case with this one. You cannot 'counsel' or 'drag' an employee into compliance when they simply will not comply with your policies. Termination is called for. It's actually 'self termination' and you are merely performing the clerical function of terminating (unless your policy says something like "will be considered for termination"). Tell the employee you will consider her for rehire in 6 months with no consideration given to reinstatement of vacation or tenure.