Employers attendance policy

[Matthew Dunfee]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?Ohio

I work for a food distributer that has a "NO Excuse" attendance policy. I have had to go to work with a fever of 102 degrees. I recieved an "occurance" when I left to take my wife to the emergency room, and another for taking my step son to the emergency room. I can be fired if enough occurances build up, and they base that number from person to person. If I take 3 days off for the flu, and I had just taken one of my kids to hospital a few weeks before, then I could be suspended or even fired. Depending on what my employer feels is fitting. Should I be working around food when I am contageous, and can't I take an immediate family memeber to the hospital without worrying wether or not I will still have a job?

 

[Sockeye]

Should I be working around food when I am contageous, and can't I take an immediate family memeber to the hospital without worrying wether or not I will still have a job?

Sure, do what you need to do. But remember, they can fire you for it.

There is nothing illegal in their policy.

 

[pattytx]

Sockeye, might there not be a violation of Health Dept. regulations, if the employee is contagious and working with food? I do agree that this petty policy is not illegal according to employment laws, though.

 

[Sockeye]

Sockeye, might there not be a violation of Health Dept. regulations, if the employee is contagious and working with food? I do agree that this petty policy is not illegal according to employment laws, though.

You're probably right, and petty it is.

However there are other factors involving unscheduled absences then a bout of the flu.

 

[Beth3]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?Ohio

I work for a food distributer that has a "NO Excuse" attendance policy. I have had to go to work with a fever of 102 degrees. I recieved an "occurance" when I left to take my wife to the emergency room, and another for taking my step son to the emergency room. I can be fired if enough occurances build up, and they base that number from person to person. If I take 3 days off for the flu, and I had just taken one of my kids to hospital a few weeks before, then I could be suspended or even fired. Depending on what my employer feels is fitting. Should I be working around food when I am contageous, and can't I take an immediate family memeber to the hospital without worrying wether or not I will still have a job?

You aren't being required to go to work when you are ill. Your employer has a "no fault" attendance policy which is quite commonplace. That means that your employer isn't making decisions on what absences to "excuse" and what not to excuse. Since doctor's notes are pretty much a dime a dozen, no fault attendance policies usually make sense. That said, an employer also has the latitude to forgoe taking disciplinary action for excessive absenteeism should they feel it is unwarranted due to some unique set of circumstances.

I have no idea how much or how little latitude your employer will have. All I can tell you is that if you run into a short cycle of crises/illnesses (which happens) and otherwise have good attendance, it's less likely that your employer will discipline you than it is if you are chronically absent from work due to one illness or personal situation after another.