New Employee Issue

LindaS

We have a new employee that is still within his 45 working day probationary period. He was hired into a position that traditionally has been very difficult to fill and he came into the position with alot of education as well as practical knowledge. He has been doing his job very well.

Prior to his being hired he explained that he had some days that he wanted to be off work, one of which being tomorrow to attend a local car show. Because he is a union employee we were unable to grant him any paid vacation but did grant him the day off, excused but unpaid. We also granted him the ability to "flex" his schedule today to allow him to get done early so he could leave to attend the car show.

This AM he left a voice mail message stating, "some things came up" and that he wouldn't be in today. The car show starts today. The supervisor tried calling him back but there wasn't any answer.

The question I have been asked is what to do with him if he did, in fact, decide to take the day off to go to the car show early. We do have an attendance policy but the supervisor and plant manager feel this is more of a trust/loyalty issue rather than simply attendance.

While I agree with them I also know how good he is at his job and do not want to see him terminated as his position is one that is difficult to fill.

Any suggestions?

ray a

First, I wouldn't do anything until after having a chance to talk to the employee. We too grant unpaid excused time off to probationary ee's for engagements they scheduled prior to being hired. This does not sound like a fireable offence.

jstallard

Linda:

If he had any other attendance, tardy, work ethic issues I would say term immediately. On the other hand if he is in a hard to fill position and is doing well, obviously he is getting lots of positive strokes and it just may be going to his head.

I agree absolutely about the trust issue and if he does this in his first 45 days is he going to be like this the rest of the time?...is he always going to be one of those employees that always has 'something come up'? One would think that in the first 45 days people are on their best behavior and we assume they are showing their true character.

In our organization we have a 90 day probationary period. Hard to fill or not, we would terminate due to the fact that everyone and his brother knew beforehand about the car show. In our view we feel we could never trust him again because now he believes it's ok to lie and that all of us are idiots.

Just my opinion...
Jane in Lex

Toto

Jane had a good point that this ee may be pushing the envelope after less then 2 months on the job. Hopefully, the supervisor should have a gut feeling by now of this ee's ethics and the trust/loyalty issue is important & may signal future problems or expectations. You already granted a day off & "flex". Have supervisor meet with ee (Monday?) when he comes back but have 2 or 3 courses of action ready depending on the info they get.

You mentioned union employee. Are you required to have a rep in a possible disciplinary meeting even if the ee is probationary? Even if not required, would it be beneficial to visit with (shop steward?) for their input? Sometimes that can be a can of worms due to unrelated issues.

To avoid setting precedent or creating morale problems with other ees by not addressing this issue, a couple actions short of termination (depending on union contract): Extend probation period because of this unapproved leave. Place a letter in personnel file to be used if ee has future indiscretions or just note a counseling session on “use of leave”. Hope any of this helps.

PS: This is my first reply on the forum, so hope I hit the right posting buttons.

Paul in Cannon Beach

Toto, welcome to the forum. You hit all the right buttons and made some great points.

This kind of situation is the type that gives me a headache. My thinking is you should talk with the employee and let him know that your concerned about the absence.

I wouldn't terminate him though. He might be a diamond in the rough that just needs a little coaching. If he isn't trustworthy or dependable, you will probably find out soon enough regardless.

Good luck!

njjel

I would probably let him slide this time, but i would of course speak to him about it. However, I would not let a second issue of this nature pass without some disciplinary action. Possibly the reason he took this hard to fill position is because he was unable to get other work else where! good luck

joycel

Toto does raise some good points.

I would not terminate at this point but would definitely meet with this employee when he gets back. Find out why he wasn't in on Thursday. If it turns out to be what you suspect (going to the car show) explain why that was not an OK thing to do. Perhaps the company rules weren't clearly explained when he was hired or perhaps another coworker led him to believe the policies weren't enforced (that it's OK to skip out like that). Then follow up with a note to him, with a copy in his file (following whatever union rules you may have -- we don't have a union so I have no experience there). The discussion and note should clearly state the consequences if something like that happens again.

Paul in Cannon Beach

One frustration for me is that often in situations like this one, the employee will lie to cover their tail. For me, the lie is worse than the attendance infraction.

The employee/employer relationship is built on trust and lies erode that trust.

I would prefer if the employee says "You know what, I went to the car show. I know it was wrong. I am sorry. I won't do it again."

I can deal with a minor act of insubordination more easily than I can deal with a loss of trust.

joycel

I'm with you there, Paul!

lorrie

If you have an established attendance policy, you should follow it.

In our company we would show 2 days absent: depending on the reason he gives (or proves) the first day would be excused with 1 pt or unexcused with 3 pts; the second day was preapproved so he would get 1/2 pt.

If it was someone I really wanted to keep, and they are termed if they get >3pts in the first 3 mos, then I would count the preapproved day as a pre-hire agreement and assign no points. This means the employee would be at the max and they would sign a form stating they understand that one more absence for any reason would result in termination.

It is ok to let them know that you like the job they are doing and that you are willing to be a little more lenient this one time, but they must understand that the next one will get them booted.

WT

Paul,

Just a note about the lying. I had an employee in who had lied in the past. I told him that if he told the truth he would save his job (about some behavior he had engaged in) but if he lied I would fire him that day. He lied and I had absolute proof that he did engage in that behavior so I fired him.

Some people lie as a way of life. They get by with it a good many times and decide to live on the percentages. They will not stop nor am I entirely sure they can stop. Just be grateful that our Congress has not passed some other ridiculous law saying lying is some sort of protected disability that must be accommodated.

Brother Bluto

WT, good one about the lying as an ADA candidate! I think all the previous input is useful. I've worked in a couple union plants as an hourly production employee. The stories I've heard about union shops - employees get away with a lot. Also, given your company's policy on attendance, there's not much you could do to the guy. I had the fear put into me once. I had a legitimate absence, followed call-in procedure, provided documentation, etc. The second time I was five minutes late. My supervisor told me if I'm a minute late for the rest of the summer (three month job), don't bother clocking in! After that, I was not late or absent and ended up getting a letter of recommendation from the same supervisor.
Let the employee know how their actions are viewed by the company up front - this is our company's culture which may be different from what you're used to, but it's not acceptable here. If it continues, probationary period or not, the employment relationship will end. Do not allow the employee to hold the company at ransom because the position is hard to fill. You may need to retool the position making it more attractive so you don't have to be a victim of circumstances.

LindaS

Thanks for all the replies and I wanted to provide an update.

We spoke with the EE on Monday who stated that his water went out in his house the day before (he lives in the country, no city water) and he needed to get it fixed. We were able to substantiate his claim so we talked to him about the need for him to provide more information regarding his absences during his probationary period. No discipline was assigned.