PURPOSE

This policy provides general guidelines for attendance and provisions for addressing excessive absenteeism or lateness.

APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all Professional Staff Members.

IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation of this policy is the responsibility of the individual supervisor with guidance from the HR Partner.

ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT

The President of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is the official responsible for the administration of this policy.

POLICY

Regular attendance is essential to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s efficient operation and is a necessary condition of employment. Professional Staff Members are expected to report to work as scheduled and on time.

DEFINITIONS

Absence is defined as time away from work within the duration of the scheduled workday or shift.

Business Unit refers to a Division or Department within the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Excessive Absenteeism is defined as six unscheduled occurrences of absence in a "rolling" three-month period.

Excessive Lateness is defined as six occurrences of lateness in a "rolling" three-month period that subjects a Professional Staff Member to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process.

Lateness is defined as the failure to report to and be ready for work at the start of the shift.

Occurrence is defined as (1) a period of absence, which may consist of one day or a series of consecutive days, for the same reason; or (2) an incident of lateness. Occurrence is also defined as an unscheduled absence that will result in time lost from work that was not requested and approved in advance in accordance with applicable procedures. This includes leaving the job prior to the end of the scheduled workday without prior approval.

Professional Staff Member is defined as an individual employed in any non-faculty category by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, including an individual who is deemed to be either exempt or non-exempt under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and/or applicable state law.

Rolling Period is defined as the time period from the previous three months that will be examined for the purpose of calculating an occurrence.

PROCEDURES

1. Business Unit Standards and Expectations
   1. Management is responsible for developing and communicating the respective attendance standards for the Business Unit, including work schedules, time reporting, leave requests, call out requirements, on call expectations, etc.
   2. Management of each Business Unit is responsible for monitoring attendance and leave records on a regular basis and for ensuring consistent application within the Business Unit.
2. Attendance
   1. Professional Staff Members are expected to report to work as scheduled by their immediate supervisor and to maintain a satisfactory record of attendance.
   2. Professional Staff Members are expected to report to work at their scheduled starting time and to remain at work until their scheduled end time.
   3. Professional Staff Members are expected to obtain necessary approval from their immediate supervisor when they are going to be away from the work area.
   4. Professional Staff Members who are unable to report to work are required to notify their immediate supervisor or designee at the earliest opportunity, and at least one hour prior to the scheduled starting time, or as required by the applicable Business Unit’s procedures.
   5. If the absence will continue beyond the first day, the Professional Staff Member must notify their immediate supervisor on a daily basis unless, due to exigent circumstances, such daily notification is not possible. In such instances, the Professional Staff Member must personally contact their supervisor as soon as possible.
   6. A Professional Staff Member who is absent without proper notification and authorization may be subject to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process upon the first occurrence.
   7. Unscheduled absences that are similar or repetitive in nature (e.g., before or after days off, weekends, holidays, vacation days or pay days) may be construed to reflect a pattern of absenteeism that improperly utilizes the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s leave policies, and such absences may subject the Professional Staff Member to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process.
   8. A Professional Staff Member who is absent after a request for time off has been denied by their supervisor may be subject to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process.
   9. Failure to adhere to the above expectations will subject a Professional Staff Member to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process.
   10. In order to ensure that Professional Staff Members receive proper notification of their rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and that the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University complies with its obligations under federal law and regulations, the supervisor must inform their employee about the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s FMLA and Domestic Violence or Sexual Assault Leave policies. In the event that that an absence of more than three consecutive workdays (including consecutive workdays with an intervening weekend) is the result of an illness or injury. 
   11. Absences occurring as a result of approved Family and Medical Leave, Domestic Violence or Sexual Assault Leave, Personal Leave of Absence, leave due to work-related injuries or Court Duty, Bereavement Leave, and Military Leave will not be included when considering a Professional Staff Member's attendance record and such absences will not be considered an occurrence of absenteeism or lateness.  However, such absences should be documented. 
   12. Supervisors should consult with their respective HR Partner regarding compensation for and treatment of unscheduled or unauthorized absences.
3. Recording Time Worked
   1. All Professional Staff Members, exempt and non-exempt, are required to provide accurate information concerning hours worked and to notify the immediate supervisor of any deviation from scheduled hours.
   2. Non-exempt Professional Staff Members are required under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to record their hours per day.  Non-exempt Professional Staff Members who are required to use a time clock to record hours worked must punch in prior to reporting to the work station and punch out prior to leaving at the end of the work day.  Professional Staff Members are not permitted to sign or punch in other Professional Staff Members’ time cards; doing so subjects a Professional Staff Member to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process, up to and including termination of employment.
   3. Non-exempt Professional Staff Members should not sign or punch in more than five minutes before that Professional Staff Member’s scheduled starting time and should not sign or punch out later than five minutes after the scheduled quitting time, unless the Professional Staff Member has received prior authorization from their immediate supervisor.
   4. Non-exempt Professional Staff Members who report to work more than five minutes late will not be paid for the amount of time that the Professional Staff Member is late.  For performance improvement purposes, there is no five-minute grace period.
   5. Falsification of attendance records will subject the Professional Staff Member engaging in such falsification to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process, up to and including termination.
4. Performance Improvement Process
   1. Supervisors must identify absence and lateness problems, review any such issues with the Professional Staff Member in question and advise the Professional Staff Member of the consequences of continued non-compliance.  Please refer to the Performance Improvement Process guidelines.
   2. If absence or lateness problems persist, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to take appropriate steps and documentation requirements which includes initiating the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Performance Improvement Process in consultation with Human Resources.
   3. The Performance Improvement Process should be applied progressively for the same or similar work-related problems.
5. Position Abandonment
   1. A Professional Staff Member whose absence is unscheduled and who has not communicated with their immediate supervisor for three consecutive workdays will be considered to have abandoned their position.
   2. In the event that the Professional Staff Member has not contacted their immediate supervisor for three consecutive work-days, the supervisor should attempt to contact the Professional Staff Member by letter sent with request for confirmation of receipt (e.g., certified mail, return receipt requested or by a commercial delivery service such as UPS). This letter will be sent to the address of record and should state that the Professional Staff Member’s failure to return or notify the supervisor of their intentions will result in termination of employment due to job abandonment. The Professional Staff Member should be allowed one business day after the mailing to contact and respond to the supervisor. The HR Partner must be consulted prior to termination.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT NOT AFFECTED

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary stated in this policy, nothing herein is intended to alter the at-will status of any Professional Staff Member. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University at all times retains the right to terminate any Professional Staff Member at any time for any lawful reason, or for no reason at all.