Commonwealth Cookies

Commonwealth Cookies Attendance Policy

  • Punctual and regular attendance is an essential responsibility of each Commonwealth Cookies employee. Employees are expected to report to work as scheduled, on time, and prepared to start working. Employees also are expected to remain at work for their entire work schedule. Late arrival, early departure, or other deviations from scheduled hours are disruptive and must be avoided.


Absence
  • "Absence" is defined as the failure of an employee to report for work as scheduled. The two types of non-illness absences are defined below.
  • “No Call No Show” occurs when an employee fails to report for a scheduled shift and does not provide advance notice to their supervisor. No Call No Show counts as three (3) points for the purposes of discipline under this policy.
  • “Absent with Call” occurs when an employee informs their supervisor before the start of a scheduled shift that they will not report to work that day. Absent with Call counts as two (2) points for the purpose of discipline under this policy.
  • If it is necessary for an employee to be absent or late for work because of an illness or an emergency, the employee must notify his or her supervisor no later than the employee's scheduled starting time on that same day. If the employee is unable to contact the supervisor through approved methods, he or she must have someone call the supervisor. Proof of illness and fitness for duty release, for example a physician’s note, may be required for call outs due to illness. Employees with three or more consecutive days of excused absences because of illness or injury must provide proof of physician's care and a fitness for duty release prior to returning to work.


Tardiness and Early Departures
  • Employees are expected to report to work and return from scheduled breaks on time. If employees cannot report to work as scheduled, they must notify their supervisor no later than their regular starting time. This notification does not excuse the tardiness but simply notifies the supervisor that a schedule change may be necessary. “Tardiness” occurs when an employee is not in the store, ready to work, at the beginning of their shift or end of break or meal period. Employees are given a five (5) minute grace period at the start and end of each scheduled shift and for breaks and meals.
  • Employees who must leave work before the end of their scheduled shift must notify a supervisor immediately. “Unexcused Departure” occurs when an employee leaves work before the end of their scheduled shift without supervisor authorization. Authorization may be withheld at the sole discretion of management.
  • Tardiness and Unexcused Departures each count as one (1) point for the purpose of discipline under this policy.


Notification of Tardiness or Absence and Missed Punches
  • Employees who will be late for the start of their shift or who will be unable to work due to illness or other issue must immediately notify store leadership. This notification must be made by sending a Slack message to the leader responsible for the relevant shift as well as to the General Manager.
  • If an employee fails to properly clock in or clock out in the Company’s timekeeping system, they must send a Slack message to their store’s attendance channel with the time they arrived or left. The General Manager will review the requested change to the employee’s punch and adjust as appropriate.


Recording Hours Worked
  • Employees must clock in and clock out for each shift using the Company’s approved system. If there is any problem recording arrival or departure time for a shift, employees should inform a manager immediately. Employees who consistently fail to clock in or clock out may receive disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
  • Altering, falsifying, or tampering with time records is prohibited and subjects the employee to discipline, up to and including discharge. Employees may not record arrival or departure times for anyone other than themselves.


Disciplinary Action
  • “Excessive Absenteeism” is defined as accrual of five points under this policy and may result in disciplinary action including termination.
  • Points for attendance infractions are removed from an employee’s record six (6) months after the occurrence.
  • Abuse of sick leave, frequent requests for schedule changes, failure to keep employee availability current, excessive tardiness grace period utilization, or other unquantified attendance issues may result in disciplinary action, including termination.