Outline:
Supervisor’s
Role
Critical
information
Pitfalls
What
do you think? Case studies
What
should you do? Scenarios
Further
study
Supervisor’s
Role
The
supervisor is responsible for ensuring that work activities are completed and
that the work unit/work area has adequate coverage.
It
is essential that the supervisor monitor employee leave balances, manage
employee time off, and see that employees work their required hours, use their
leave appropriately, and record leave accurately.
Leave
can be a major work/family benefit and an excellent employee retention tool.
But
administering leave fairly can be tricky: the supervisor may feel that he or
she is walking a tightrope between the needs of the work unit and the needs of
the individual employees.
(Graphic:
man walking tightrope.) Consider the example of the hospital shift supervisor
facing an oncoming snowstorm. He MUST have unit coverage to ensure good patient
care, but his employees, afraid of being stranded at the hospital, want to get
home to tend to their own families.
Leave
abuse has serious consequences for a work unit. It can:
·
Affect
morale, as staff feel they're being asked to take on more than their fair share
·
Hurt
productivity, as the absent employee's work is not being done. Or: when the
employee returns to work much time is spent 'catching up'.
·
Cost
the organization money due to salary overpayments caused by negative leave
balances, or when an employee leaves employment owing the agency money, or when
overtime/premium pay is miscalculated.
Screen:
WARNING
(graphic: alarm)
While
employee leave can be a tricky issue, with no black-and-white dividers, there
are some warning signs:
·
Patterns:
employee always calls in sick on Monday, Friday, the day before or after a
holiday, or is frequently absent only during hunting season.
·
Employee
habitually calls in sick after requests for vacation leave have been denied.
·
Employee
frequently uses 1 or 2 days for miscellaneous small physical complaints.
·
Employee
regularly takes leave as soon as it’s earned
·
Negative
or zero leave balances
·
Employee
is chronically tardy
·
Chronic
instances of extended breaks and lunch periods
·
Time
sheet errors are frequent
Screen:
Leave
abuse can also adversely affect the individual: excessive absenteeism hurts his
or her job performance, leaves critical work undone, can leave the work unit
understaffed, and affects relationships with coworkers.
A
negative leave balance can jeopardize the employee’s health insurance benefits,
affect calculation of time for creditable service, and create a great deal of
work for the agency human resources/payroll office.
Supervisor
secret
Leave abuse/tardiness/absenteeism is often the first
sign of an employee headed for trouble. An absent employee cannot do her work,
so productivity falls, leading to other performance problems. Or an employee’s
willingness to miss so much work may indicate a lack of interest in the job, poor
motivation or burnout. Behaviors in
addition to the time problem might point to a substance abuse or other personal
problem.
Give
special attention to probationary or new employees who miss work. Express
management’s concern over the seriousness of missing work at such an early
stage in the employment relationship.
Supervisor
secret
Dealing with an employee leave problem is often
‘slippery’. The employee exhibits
difficulty, the supervisor coaches for improvement, the employee corrects it
for months at a time, then the problem creeps up again. The supervisor in such
a case may find herself providing repeated counseling and coaching sessions
over a long period of time.
Supervisor
secret
Leave
abuse problems are often ‘contagious’.
Often once one employee starts taking long lunches, or coming in 10 or
15 minutes late each morning, or
slipping out early each day, then others may follow suit. It is important that
you act on leave problems when they surface.
WHEN
TO ACT
Graphic:
photo of Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith show.
Audio
clip says, “Nip it in the bud!”
In
approaching an employee leave abuse problem the supervisor must deal with each
case individually, with particular facts and circumstances carefully considered
and evaluated.
Screen:
The supervisor needs to use discretion, judgment, and common sense
Consider:
·
The
effect of the problem on the individual performer
·
The
effect on the work unit: disruptions in work schedules, overtime costs,
incomplete projects, missed deadlines
·
Frequency
of/reasons for absences (casual, intermittent absences are not the same as
chronic long-term illnesses or disabilities)
·
ALWAYS
ask; don’t assume!
Reducing
absenteeism
Why
are they absent?
Family/personal demands? Work with employees
to help them get the time they need to deal with personal issues without
adversely affecting the work unit.
Unhappiness
with supervisor or conflicts with coworkers?
Work
to develop stronger relationships with your staff and better interpersonal
relationships among coworkers.
Uncomfortable
or unsafe working conditions?
Monitor
the worksite and seek to improve conditions where possible.
Motivation?
Educate
employees as to the effect on the work and other people when someone is absent
Help
individual employees see that they are important and valuable to the bigger
organization
Allow
employees to participate in decision making whenever possible
Take
care in hiring to assure a good match of employee to job; placing employees in
jobs for which they are ill-suited leads to dissatisfaction and frustration
Case
studies
What do you think?
Marilyn has over 20 years of State service. She's never been out for any extended period of time, such as surgery, maternity leave or caring for a parent. Yet she is continually in the hole on her sick leave balance. She frequently calls in sick, has many unplanned absences, and gives vague reasons for being out.
Marilyn's absences are increasingly causing problems. With staff cutbacks and hiring freezes the work is already understaffed and other employees are complaining about overwork and burnout.
Marilyn's supervisor, Karen, has had many conversations with Marilyn. She has explained the importance of Marilyn's role and the burden it places on other staff when Marilyn is not at work.
Their last meeting was a documented counseling session. Karen told
Marilyn that the situation must improve, that Marilyn can no longer
take unauthorized, unplanned leave, and that from now on Marilyn must
bring in doctor's notes to account for any sick time taken.
Marilyn goes to Karen's boss and the agency Employee Relations officer claiming that Karen is discriminating against her because she is of a different race.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Result: Marilyn
Karen's diligence in record keeping really paid off. She was able to provide thorough documentation of Marilyn's absences and the problems they caused as well as detailed notes of their many meetings. Karen additionally showed that in the past she handled a similar problem with another employee in exactly the same way.
Marilyn dropped her discrimination charge. While her attendance record was never exemplary, she did bring her unplanned absences up to an acceptable level and did not fall below a zero sick leave balance again.
What
should you do? 1
Jessica is late, late, late. She has been counseled
repeatedly for her unplanned absences and tardiness. Three weeks ago she was asked to sign and date a document
outlining her work schedule; she agreed to adhere to this schedule and to
always call in as soon as she knew she would be late for work.
This
morning she showed up for work 2 hours late. When you asked her about her
tardiness she said she had a flat tire and tried to call but could not get
through. The receptionist reports that she has been at her desk all morning and
there has been no problem with the main phone line. There is no message from
Jessica on your office voice mail.
What
should you do?
Answer: The problem is not improving. Jessica has
been given more than ample opportunity to correct the situation. It may be time
to start formal action. Talk with your manager and your HR office about next
steps, and be sure to continue documenting facts about the issue.
Your
job requires that you make frequent site and office visits outside of your own
work area. You cannot be there to supervise your staff every moment.
You
have been getting more and more reports that one of your employees, Rodney, is
developing some poor work habits in terms of his schedule. It seems that Rodney
is habitually taking long lunches, frequently leaves to 'run an errand', often
comes in a few minutes late or leaves early, and is occasionally missing from
his worksite without explanation. This is never noted on his timesheet.
What
should you do?
Answer:
The employee, intentionally or not, is falsifying his time sheet. Explain to
Rodney that he agreed to work a certain schedule and is obligated to stick to
that. Explain the effect his absence
has on the work unit or his
productivity. Clarify with the employee
how to document leave use appropriately on the time sheet. You may need to find a way to monitor the
employee more closely or have the employee report in more frequently.
Further
study
State
agencies differ in specifics of policies and practices. Be sure to check with
your manager or Human Resources office for additional leave information specific
to your work unit.
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