301: Attendance and Punctuality

Statement

Georgetown University requires employees to be punctual and maintain satisfactory attendance.  Employees must notify immediate supervisors in advance, and obtain approval for anticipated absences.  Frequent or unscheduled absences and repeated lateness may result in disciplinary action.

Philosophy

To accomplish its business objectives, the University depends on employees to report to work regularly and on time.  Time recording procedures are in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. 

Procedures

Absence Notification 
Employees are required to notify immediate supervisors of absences: 

  • Scheduled Absences – An employee must notify the immediate supervisor to request approval in advance when an absence is expected for a full day or part of a day.  This includes all planned absences including scheduled health maintenance or medical procedures and vacations. Departmental notification procedures should be followed.
  • Unscheduled Absences – When advance notice is not possible (because of sudden illness or emergency), the employee must call the immediate supervisor on the first day of absence.  The employee should provide the reason for the absence, the expected return date, and respond to any reasonable questions asked by the supervisor.  Departmental call-in procedures should be followed. 

If the employee is physically unable to contact the supervisor, because of illness or other unforeseen circumstances, the employee must have someone else call the supervisor and provide the information outlined above. 

  • Subsequent Notification – An employee who is absent (without prior approval) for more than one day must contact the immediate supervisor daily to report the status of the absence.  The supervisor may waive this requirement or designate another contact person for absence reporting.

Absence Without Notification 
Employees who do not notify their supervisors of unscheduled absences may be disciplined.  More than three consecutive work days’ absence without notice is considered job abandonment.  The department may terminate the employee at the close of business on the third day.  Job abandonment is a voluntary termination. 

Lateness Notification 
Employees must follow department call-in procedures to notify the department of the reason for lateness and expected arrival time.  Employees who are late may be disciplined. 

Recording Absences for Non-exempt Employees 
All absences must be recorded daily on the University Employee Time and Attendance Sheet: 

  • Scheduled paid leave will be used for all approved and planned paid leave (vacations, scheduled medical procedures, health maintenance, etc.).
  • Unscheduled paid leave will be used when prior notification of an approved paid leave is not possible.  Scheduled leave may be used after the unscheduled event, if it is related.
  • Leave Without Pay will be used when an employee has no paid leave available to cover an absence or when an employee’s request for unscheduled paid leave is not approved.

Recording Lateness for Non-exempt Employees 
Departments may allow non-exempt employees to make up time, permit the employee to use available paid leave, or deduct pay for time missed due to lateness.  The Employee Time and Attendance Sheet will be completed as follows: 

  • Employees who are allowed to make the time up will record actual hours worked.
  • Employees who are allowed to use available paid leave will charge the time as unscheduled leave for the time that the employee is late or unavailable for work.

Recording Absences and Lateness for Exempt Employees 
Leave for exempt employees should not be charged in increments of less than one full day, except in the case of FMLA intermittent or reducted leave schedule – see Policy 603.  Exempt employees should follow the above procedures regarding notification and approval of absence or lateness. 

Responsibility

All University departments follow the guidelines outlined above.  Departments may establish specific procedures concerning absences and lateness to meet operational needs. 

Resources

Contact the appropriate Human Resources department if you have questions or if you would like more information about this policy.