Timely and regular attendance is an expectation of performance for all Vanderbilt employees. This policy details how employees will be held accountable for adhering to their workplace schedule to ensure adequate staffing, positive employee morale, and to meet expected productivity standards throughout the organization.
This policy applies to all staff.
Employees are expected to adhere to their workplace schedules, set by their department/supervisor. Any employee unable to adhere to their assigned schedule must obtain approval from their supervisor in advance of any requested schedule changes. This approval includes requests to use paid leave time, as well as late arrivals to or early departures from work. Failure to obtain prior approval will result in the time missed from work being considered an occurrence (absence or tardy). Departments have discretion to evaluate extraordinary circumstances of a tardy, absence or failure to clock-in or clock-out and determine whether or not to count the infraction as an occurrence. Engagement Consultants are available to advise supervisors regarding the evaluation of extenuating circumstances.
Employees will receive an occurrence for any unapproved absence, tardy or missed clock. Absences are equal to one occurrence where a tardy or missed clock are equal to one half occurrence. Employees that receive multiple occurrences will be subject to progressive discipline.
Employees are expected to follow departmental notification procedures if there is a need to deviate from their assigned work schedule (e.g. tardy, absence, or planned time away from work). Employees must submit a request in advance to their supervisor or designee and in accordance with departmental procedure if they wish to arrive early or leave early from an assigned shift.
At the time of notification/call, the employee must notify their supervisor when an absence is due to a documented/approved leave of absence (e.g. Military Leave, FMLA) to ensure appropriate tracking of leave utilization and absenteeism.
Failure to call in and/or report to work as scheduled for three consecutively scheduled workdays will be considered job abandonment resulting in termination of employment. The supervisor must consult with their Engagement Consultant if this situation occurs.
Failure to follow the departmental notification procedure, including No-Call/No-Show, will be addressed in accordance with the Progressive Discipline policy.
Supervisors should monitor their employees' attendance on a regular basis and address unsatisfactory attendance in a timely and consistent manner. If employees have a pattern of unscheduled absences, including unapproved usage of accrued time off, they will be subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the grid below.
The following grid is designed to provide guidelines when addressing the total number of occurrences in a rolling 12-month period, provided that the reason for an occurrence is not protected under FMLA or ADAAA.
NOTE: The total number of days an employee is unavailable for work as scheduled and the total number of occurrences are considered when applying discipline. While an absence refers to a single failure to be at work, an occurrence may cover consecutive absent days when an employee is out for the same reason. For example, an employee may be at Step 1 due to have 6 absences but only have 3 occurrences due to being out 2 consecutive days each time.
When an employee has been previously counseled under the Progressive Discipline Policy and/or the Performance Accountability and Commitment Policy, the totality of the circumstances will be assessed when determining further action. For example, if an employee has received a written discipline warning for unprofessional behavior and later receives four occurrences, they would be placed on a final written warning. The supervisor must consult with their Engagement Consultant prior to implementing disciplinary action.
Employees in their new hire orientation period who receive two occurrences will be placed on a Written Warning. If the employee receives an additional occurrence after receiving the Written Warning and are still within their orientation period, employment may be terminated. If an employee’s Orientation period is extended, this rule still applies.
If an employee calls out of work the day before, the day of, or the day after a holiday, the supervisor will review the circumstances of the absence. Based on this review, the supervisor, in consultation with their Engagement Consultant, has the discretion to determine whether to count the incident as a regular occurrence or go directly to issuing a written warning for the holiday-related call out. If an employee is already on discipline, they can progress to the next level.
Departments may develop a departmental attendance/punctuality policy that meets the unique operational needs of the department. If the leadership determines that a departmental policy is needed, the department will follow its entity's approval process to establish the policy which requires final approval from the entity's Senior Executive Leadership and their Engagement Consultant.
The employee is required to share with the hiring manager, prior to the job offer, the circumstances and severity of the disciplinary action. This information may be a deciding factor in the hiring decision. Failure to disclose a disciplinary action prior to accepting an offer of transfer may also result in additional discipline, up to and including the termination of employment.
Employees on a final discipline warning are not eligible for an annual increase. Employees on a written discipline warning may not be eligible for an annual increase. At the manager’s discretion and in consultation with the Engagement Consultant, an increase for an employee who has been on a disciplinary warning may be considered provided they have significantly met and sustained performance expectations.
This policy does not apply to absences covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or leave provided as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Nothing in this policy provides any contractual rights regarding attendance and punctuality, nor should anything in this policy be read or construed as modifying or altering the employment-at-will relationship between Vanderbilt University and its employees.
Absence
An employee is deemed absent when they are unavailable for work as assigned/scheduled and such time off was not scheduled/approved in advance as required by department notification procedure.
Tardy
An employee is deemed to be tardy when they:
Missed Clock
A missed clock in/out is when an employee:
Occurrence
An occurrence is documented as an absence, tardy or missed time clock in/out. While an absence refers to a single failure to be at work, an occurrence may cover consecutive absent days when an employee is out for the same reason.
Orientation Period
New employees are subject to an orientation period. Non-exempt employees have a ninety-day orientation period, where exempt employees have a six-month orientation period following the date of hire. Internal transfers are not subject to an orientation period.
Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
These are the procedures for the Attendance and Punctuality Policy. Please review the following link for the Attendance and Punctuality Policy.
The steps below are designed to help employees correct absenteeism. All steps of the progressive discipline process should be documented in consultation with People Experience.
Step 1- Verbal Warning:
The purpose of a verbal warning is to clarify policies and expectations as they related to attendance. The supervisor should document that the conversation occurred. A follow up email to the employee after the counseling is recommended.
Step 2 - Written Warning:
If the conduct addressed by a verbal warning is repeated or additional problems occur within 12 months of a verbal warning, the supervisor should follow up with a written warning in the form of a letter. The letter should describe the unacceptable conduct, outline expectations, and state that further disciplinary action will occur if the behavior is repeated within 12 months.
Step 3 - Final Written Warning:
If the conduct addressed by the written warning is repeated or additional problems occur within a 12-month period, discipline may progress to a final written warning. The supervisor should follow up with a written final warning in the form of a letter. The letter should describe the unacceptable conduct, outline expectations and state that further disciplinary action will occur if the behavior is repeated within 12 months.
Step 4 - Termination of Employment:
If the conduct addressed by the final written warning is repeated or additional problems occur within a 12-month period, discipline may progress to termination. The supervisor should follow up with a written termination letter. The letter should describe the unacceptable conduct and notify the employee that their employment has been terminated.
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