HANDBOOK HELPER EPISODE 30 TARDINESS POLICY « Law Offices of Timothy Bowles | Top Employment Law Firm in Los Angeles

HANDBOOK HELPER EPISODE 30
TARDINESS POLICY

Tardiness is any time an employee arrives late to work or is not ready to work at the start of a scheduled shift.

Unexcused or excessive tardiness can often lead to disciplinary action. However, employers must administer tardiness standards in a uniform, nondiscriminatory manner.  No-fault attendance policies, such as automatic discipline for five or more lateness in a three-month period should never include legally protected reasons, e.g., reasonable disability accommodations, mandatory paid sick leave, pregnancy disability leave, jury duty, or Labor Code 1139 “emergency conditions.”

Policy Drafting Tips:

  • Define tardiness;
  • Include disciplinary repercussions for ongoing tardiness;
  • Carve out protected reasons for arriving late to one’s shift; and
  • Instruct employees to notify the company if they need to take or did take legally protected time off.

Take-Away:

Implement and regularly review your handbook to include a tardiness policy.

We publish this series to educate employers on best practices for a well-written handbook that assists applicants, employees, and management alike. To purchase our 2023 template handbook – which contains the above policy and much more – and accompanying forms or for more information, please contact Office Manager Aimee Rosales at 626.583.6600 or email her at officemgr@tbowleslaw.com.

See also:

Cindy Bamforth
June 29, 2023

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