Unexpected Absences and Late Arrival
Illnesses, emergencies, transportation problems, and other unexpected events happen.
When an employee cannot work as scheduled, the immediate ISS expectation is communication, not advance approval of something that could not have been planned.
Unexpected Absence
If an employee will be unable to work because of an unexpected illness or emergency, notify the manager and team as soon as practical, preferably before the scheduled workday begins.
Employees are not expected to disclose unnecessary personal or medical details.
Provide enough information for the manager to understand:
- That the employee will be absent.
- Whether the employee expects to be out for the full day or only part of it.
- Whether an estimated return is known and if so, when.
- Whether urgent work requires reassignment.
When appropriate, the manager can help communicate with the rest of the team.
Late Arrival
If an employee expects to arrive after the scheduled start time:
- Notify the manager and team as soon as practical, preferably before the scheduled start time.
- Provide a reasonable estimated arrival time.
- Update the team if that estimate changes materially.
A simple message such as “I am delayed and expect to arrive around 9:00” provides the information the team needs.
Leaving Early
Unexpected circumstances may also require an employee to leave before the scheduled end of the workday.
Notify the manager and team before leaving whenever circumstances permit and discuss how the missed work time should be handled. Provide extra details to the manager as needed.
Notification Is Not the Same as Leave Approval
Unexpected absence notification tells the manager and the team that the employee cannot work as scheduled.
The appropriate leave category and any required documentation are handled according to College procedure.
For extended sick absences, College procedure establishes additional Human Resources and documentation requirements. The supervisor should notify Human Resources when an employee has been absent for three consecutive days. For a continuous absence of more than five working days, the employee must provide the medical documentation required by the Sick Leave Procedure.
Work Handoffs
Health and safety come first.
An employee who is seriously ill or dealing with an emergency is not expected to spend significant time managing work.
When reasonably possible, however, tell the manager about anything that requires immediate attention, such as:
- An outage
- Scheduled maintenance
- An important customer commitment
- A project milestone
- A meeting only the employee can address
- Another time-sensitive responsibility
The manager can determine how to reassign the work.
Update Calendars When Practical
For absences that extend beyond a brief delay, update the Outlook calendar and appropriate team calendar as soon as you can.
If the employee cannot do so, the manager or another team member may assist.
Connection to Our Values
People Matter because unexpected life events happen and should be handled with humanity.
Communication Matters because timely notice allows the team to respond.
Integrity Matters because employees accurately communicate availability and follow the appropriate leave process.