Overview

The Company expects every employee to be regular and punctual in attendance. Regular attendance means being ready to work at your assigned workstation, at the designated starting time each day. Absenteeism and tardiness disrupt operations, negatively impacting colleagues and company’s ability to meet is goals and serve its customers. When employees are absent or tardy, it can result in decreased production quantity, reduced product quality, and increased risk of injury. Employees must make every effort to strictly adhere to attendance and punctuality expectations.

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear expectations, responsibilities, and consequences related to attendance and punctuality, preventing misunderstandings and ensuring consistent policy application across the company.

This policy applies to all employees, detailing roles of employees, managers, and People Business Partners (PBPs).

Definitions and Expectations

Managers are responsible for accurately monitoring and recording attendance and punctuality within their departments.

Occurrence: Any failure to start, end, or complete a scheduled shift as expected, including tardiness, early departure, or full-day absences.
Absence: Failure to report for work for any scheduled shift, overtime, meeting, or traded day.
Excused Absence: An absence is considered excused if it is prescheduled, requested and approved in The Joint, and sufficient PTO hours are available, or if it involves a legally protected leave or workers' compensation medical absence.
Unexcused Absence: Any absence not meeting the criteria for excused absences. Each unexcused absence counts as one occurrence. If an unexcused absence extends over two or more consecutive days, it can be considered as a single occurrence provided the employee submits a medical note upon their return. Without proper documentation, each day of an extended absence will count as a separate occurrence.
Excused Same-Day Call Out: For a same-day call out to be excused, employees must notify their manager within the designated timeframe (typically at least one hour before their shift start time, e.g., by 6 AM for a 7 AM shift) and must have adequate PTO accrued to cover the entire scheduled shift.
Tardiness: Employees arriving late to their shift without prior approval. Less than 60 minutes late is half an occurrence; 60 minutes or more counts as a full occurrence.
Early Clock-in: Employees may clock in up to 7 minutes early without approval; earlier clock-ins require prior written authorization.
Early Departure: An excused early departure occurs when it is prescheduled, requested and approved in The Joint, and sufficient PTO hours are available to cover the remainder of the shift. Unexcused early departure counts as an occurrence (less than 60 minutes early = half occurrence; more than 60 minutes = full occurrence).
- IMPORTANT: If you become ill at work or must leave for some other reason before the end of the workday, you must inform your manager of the situation and request authorization to leave. If an employee leaves their workstation without proper authorization from their manager, it can be considered Shift Abandonment which may lead to discipline up to termination.
Meal Breaks: Employees must not clock in early from meal breaks; violations may result in disciplinary action.

Reporting Procedures

Subject to applicable law, employees unable to work due to an illness or an accident must personally notify their direct manager at least one hour prior to the start of their shift each day they will be absent, unless an extended period of absence has already been requested and approved. This will allow the Company to arrange for temporary coverage of an employee’s duties and helps other employees to effectively work. This policy may differ at your particular work location: Please check with your manager for additional details.

Notifications must be made via phone call, email, or text. Reporting an absence to any other individual other than the employee’s direct manager or voice mailbox number will not be accepted unless the employee’s manager has given specific instructions to do so in their absence. The Company may inquire about the general reason for absence, tardiness, or early departure. If an employee is physically unable
to notify due to a documented emergency, a designated representative may contact the direct manager on the employee's behalf.

Employees failing to notify their manager of their absence or tardiness within one hour of the shift start will accrue four occurrences for a No Call/No Show. Two consecutive No Call/No Shows are treated as Job Abandonment, constituting voluntary resignation.

Medical Documentation

Employees with two or more absences that are unexcused and do not qualify as protected leave, whether paid or unpaid, may have these absences consolidated into a single occurrence by presenting appropriate medical documentation. Please discuss with a manager for additional information.

Acceptable documentation of a medical note is a note signed by a legally qualified healthcare provider indicating that the employee (or covered family member if applicable under local law), was under their care during the entire period of absence and that the employee was unable to perform their regular job during the period of absence. The note must not contain a diagnosis or indicate the specifics of the employee’s illness. Employees must send all medical notes to their manager directly.

People Business Partners may be asked to verify documentation. False reporting or falsifying documents will result in disciplinary action, including termination. Federal and State laws that conflict with portions of this policy will supersede those provisions as applicable.

Disciplinary Action (Rolling 12-month period)

Employees with multiple absences and/or tardiness will be subject to the disciplinary action outlined below, up to and including termination of employment. Managers are responsible for requesting the appropriate level of disciplinary action in a timely manner.

Up to Four Occurrences: Monitoring and informal feedback.
Fifth Occurrence: Documented Counseling.
Sixth Occurrence: Written Warning.
Seventh Occurrence: Final Written Warning.
Eighth Occurrence: Termination of Employment.

Each situation of absenteeism, tardiness or early departure will be evaluated on a case- by-case basis. Even one unexcused absence or tardiness may be considered excessive, depending upon the circumstances. For example, the Company retains discretion if there are multiple occurrences in close proximity, including consecutive absences, to raise the level of discipline imposed without following the guidelines listed above. Employees not charged with (8) occurrences but displaying a poor attendance record of multiple occurrences over time are subject to termination at the Company’s discretion. However, the Company will not subject employees to disciplinary action or retaliation for an absence, tardiness or early departure for which discipline may not be imposed under applicable law. If the employee believes that an absence, tardiness, or early departure is (or should be) excused pursuant to applicable law, the employee should notify their manager of this fact as soon as possible, but no later than at the time of the absence, tardiness or early departure.

Exempt Employees

The Company expects that every employee will be regular and punctual in attendance. This means being in the office, or facility, ready to work at their starting time each day. Absenteeism and tardiness place a burden on other employees and on the company.

Subject to applicable law, when you are unable to work, please promptly notify your manager. In the event your manager is unavailable, you must notify the People Team. Leaving a voicemail message or sending an email or text is considered sufficient notification.

If you become ill at work or must leave the office for some other reason before the
end of the workday, you must inform your manager of the situation.