What qualifies as an unexcused absence/excessive absenteeism?
Only scheduled and pre-approved PTO hours/days and absences that qualify as a leave of absence (LOA) or as a paid sick or safe leave will be regarded as excused. Brands/business units may define what qualifies as excessive absenteeism differently. If you are unsure of what constitutes unexcused absence/excessive absenteeism for your location, contact your field manager for further guidance.
Each scheduled day that the employee is absent due to their own illness will count as an unexcused absence, unless the employee provides a doctor’s note to tie the absences together into one absence (doctors note does not make the absence excused, just reduces the absence to one day) (exceptions may apply). Absences of or more days may qualify as an excused LOA (see Leaves of Absence in this Guide for absences that may qualify for a LOA).
How should I address unexcused absences/excessive absenteeism at my store?
Managers should keep track of employee absences on an Attendance Record Form, and alert employees who are approaching excessive absenteeism. Unexcused absences must be deducted from an employee’s remaining PTO balance. Notify the employee that the absence will be tracked on his/her Attendance Record, and that a pattern of excessive absenteeism will be addressed.
If you are considering issuing a CAR or termination, you are required to submit information via Employee Relations e-Service. Please refer here to determine if Employee Relations support is required before proceeding. In locations where paid sick leave is applicable, absences counted toward sick pay should be excluded from performance management and corrective actions.
Click here to see questions to consider before submitting an e-Service request.
If you are a manager submitting a Corrective Action for unsatisfactory attendance, follow the steps below:
- Go to Employee Relations e-Service
- Select All Store Employees
- Select For Store and Field Managers Only
- Scroll down slightly and select U.S. Manager Request for Corrective Action or Canada Request for Corrective Counseling
- Follow the process and enter the required information
- Select Unsatisfactory Attendance as the topic of the Corrective Action
- Finish filling out the Corrective Action Request and submit for approval