UTMB HANDBOOK OF OPERATING PROCEDURES

Section 3 Human Resources Policies Subject 3.7 Employee Relations Policy 3.7.1 Attendance

02/15/95 -Originated 07/14/06 -Reviewed w changes -Reviewed w/o changes Human Resources -Author

Attendance

Policy

UTMB expects all employees to maintain attendance at a level to accomplish all job performance expectations. Supervisors are responsible for maintaining attendance records for their assigned areas. The consistent application of attendance standards is essential to promoting fair employment practices. Absences qualifying under the Family & Medical Leave Act are excluded from this policy.

Definitions

• Absence - time off from work that may be recorded as Scheduled or Unscheduled. • Scheduled - supervisor notified of absence 16 hours prior to time scheduled to return to work. • Unscheduled notification of an absence anytime less than 16 hours prior to time scheduled to return to work. Excessive unscheduled absences may result in disciplinary action including termination. Scheduled leave or non-illness related situations or elective medical procedures must be submitted for approval in advance and may be disapproved based on staffing needs, operational needs, or frequency of absences. Failure to report to work on a day for which approval of leave has been denied may result in disciplinary action. • Job Abandonment – when an employee does not report to work and does not contact his/her supervisor for three consecutive work days. Job Abandonment also includes leaving the designated worksite without prior supervisory approval. Occurrences of job abandonment may result in disciplinary action which may include termination. • Tardies/Partial Unscheduled Absence – when employee(s) report to work after the scheduled starting time or leave the work area prior to the end of the scheduled shift without giving 16 hours notice. Each department determines the acceptable standard for tardies and partial unscheduled absences. Tardies and partial absences will be tracked. • Separately from unscheduled leave occurrences and an excessive number of tardies or partial absences may result in disciplinary action based on published departmental policy. It is up to department policy as to whether tardies or partial absences may be made up later in the

Definitions, continued

work week. Unscheduled Leave Occurrence – unscheduled absence of one or more consecutive workdays. Absences of consecutive work days for the same reason are recorded as one occurrence.

Determining Rate of Excessive Unscheduled Absences

The Unscheduled Absence Rate is calculated by dividing “Unscheduled Leave Occurrences” by the “Number of Months.” (See Unscheduled Absence Rate Schedule) Unscheduled Absences are excessive when the Unscheduled Absence rate is greater than 50%.

Responsibilities

Responsibility	Action
Employee	• Demonstrates regular punctual attendance. • Works all scheduled hours and required overtime. • Attends to personal obligations outside of working hours. • Complies with departmental attendance reporting procedures. • Requests supervisory approval for time off via the Leave Request Form and obtains written approval before taking scheduled leave. • Notifies supervisor per departmental guidelines when tardy, ill, or absent for any other reason(s).
Supervisor	• Communicates the departmental expectation to all assigned employees. • Ensures the Attendance Policy is administered in a consistent and fair manner. • Considers requests from employees for time off. Approves or rejects on Leave Request Form requests for time off based on staffing and operational needs, or frequency of absences. • Maintains current and accurate attendance records for all assigned employees. • Monitors time and attendance of employees on an ongoing basis.

Supervisor, continued		• Coaches employees, when necessary, about their attendance patterns • Communicates to employees availability of medical leave options (FMLA, Sick Leave Pool, Leave of Absence)
Non-Compliance	• Employees not achieving UTMB attendance standards are subject to disciplinary action which may include termination. • Employees reporting to work after the established starting time are subject to having his/her pay docked and disciplinary action which may include termination. • Employees failing to obtain supervisory approval for absences are subject to having his/her pay docked and disciplinary action which may include termination. • Employees failing to follow the established departmental procedures are subject to disciplinary action which may include termination. (See Policy 3.10.1, Discipline and Dismissal ) • Non compliance with attendance policies may negatively affect performance evaluation and or eligibility for merit increases. Note: Exempt employees are not subject to the same docking rules as non-exempt employees. Manager should contact Employee Relations or Compensation prior to docking an exempt employee. Failure to provide a physician return to work release required for unscheduled absences may result in docking and/or disciplinary action which may include termination.

References

3.5.1 Sick Leave Pool 3.9.7 Parental Leave 3.9.6 Leave without Pay 3.9.8, Sick Leave Policy 3.9.10, Family & Medical Leave

CHART FOR CALCULATING

UNSCHEDULED LEAVE OCCURENCES

• Unscheduled Leave Occurrences

0-50% - Satisfactory