Attendance and Punctuality

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES AND

PROCEDURES
SUBJECT: ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2015
UPDATED: June 1, 2023

POLICY STATEMENT/ REASON FOR POLICY

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

This policy applies to all staff.

POLICY

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. HR
Consultants are available to advise supervisors regarding the evaluation
of extenuating circumstances.

Occurrences

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.

Departmental Notification Procedure

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 HR 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.

Progressive Discipline

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 HR Consultant prior to
implementing disciplinary action.

New Hire Orientation

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.

Holidays

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
HR 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.

Departmental Policies

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 HR Consultant.

Impact of Written or Final Progressive Discipline Warning

Internal Transfers

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.

Annual Increase

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 HR 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.

DEFINITIONS

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:

 Arrive to work past their scheduled start time.

 Fail to report for work at the assigned/scheduled work time.
 Leave work prior to the end of assigned/scheduled work time
without prior supervisory approval.
 Take an extended meal or break period without approval.

Missed Clock
A missed clock in/out is when an employee:

 Fails to clock in/out on their designated time clock at the beginning

and/or end of their assigned shift.
 Fails to clock in/out on their designated time clock for the meal
break.
  Fails to accurately and timely report time worked.
 Clocks in/out early (or late) of assigned shift without prior approval.

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.

CONSEQUENCES OF NON-COMPLIANCE

Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and

including termination of employment.

PROCEDURES

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 Human Resources.
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.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS

Contact/
Subject Office Phone
Position

Human
Resourc (615) 343-4788
Questio HR
es, HR https://hr.vanderbilt.edu/hrconsulting
ns Consultant
Consulti /index.php
ng

RELATED POLICIES/DOCUMENTS

Progressive Discipline Policy

HISTORY

Issued:

Reviewed:
Comment
Amended:
Comment

Disclaimer: The policies and procedures that guide employment

practices are intended to assist in consistent administration and
compliance. Vanderbilt reserves the right to modify its policies and
practices, in whole or in part, at any time. Revisions to existing policies
and procedures, and the development of new policies and procedures,
will be made from time to time at the discretion of the University. When
new policies are implemented or existing policies are revised, the
University will notify members of the University community as soon as
practicable. However, where differences occur, the most recent policy
as reviewed and approved by the University will take precedence.
Policies are not intended to apply to statements or actions protected
under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. (NLRA) The
policies and procedures do not create a contract, implied or expressed,
with at-will employees at Vanderbilt.