Presence and Promptness

Good morning.

Today, I’ll continue a topic that I’ve discussed in previous VC Notes – the importance of professionalism in the workplace. Specifically, this column will be about attendance and punctuality, which are fundamental to professionalism. For managers, being at work consistently and on time sets the tone for the unit.

For our faculty and staff, in addition to fulfilling your work hours requirement, you want to show your colleagues that you value their work as much as your own. Full staffing promotes safe patient care and positive outcomes, compliance and progress in research, quality teaching and engagement with students, and service units that fully support activities within all our mission areas.

Simply put, we are a stronger, better organization when we prioritize coming to work reliably and leaving at the assigned times.

To promote teamwork, smooth operations and service excellence – equally across all Medical Center units –  the Attendance and Tardiness Policy has been updated. The changes are based on national best practices and industry standards and were considered and ratified by an advisory committee of your peers. The updated policy, which goes into effect Feb. 1, is clear, fair and consistent and supports retention and work-life balance.

I’ve received several questions and comments on the revised policy since it was announced. To help clear up confusion, I’ll respond to a few today.

Q: I’ve heard the new policy will have a 12-month lookback. Will the new attendance and tardy policy apply to my call-ins and tardies that happened before we had this policy?

A: Everyone will start with a clean slate on Feb. 1 for previous call-ins and late arrivals. The start date and early notification of the changes were intended to give managers and staff time to make any necessary adjustments, understand expectations and ask questions.

On that day, managers will track attendance and tardiness in accordance with the policy, which uses an occurrence aggregate process to determine corrective action steps. However, any written or final warnings or performance improvement plans already issued during this fiscal year will remain.

Q: This policy mostly impacts hourly employees. Do people who don’t have to clock in and out must follow these rules. And what about HMP and other non-UMMC employees?

A: This policy covers everyone whose regular job is in a UMMC facility, whether they are exempt (salaried), non-exempt (hourly) or a contract worker. Everyone who works at UMMC is expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, including when it is related to attendance. Exempt employees are expected to be at work consistently and on time. All managers are receiving training and are expected to manage their staff according to this policy, regardless of the type of employee. And in our contracts with vendors, there is language that says their employees must adhere to UMMC policies. If that isn’t happening, that vendor will be held accountable and is expected to act.

Q: Not in the new policy, but I still don’t understand why we have to take personal leave when we are sick. Isn’t that what our medical leave is for?

A: Per state law, you must take your first eight hours of leave as personal before you can use your medical leave. UMMC has no say in this. So, when you miss work because you are sick, the first eight hours of leave entered must be logged as personal. If you need to miss more than that, you may use medical leave in accordance with our leave policy.

Related to the revised attendance policy, if you call in that you can’t come to work without adequate, advance notice to your supervisor, that counts as an occurrence. But if you must miss any subsequent days for the same reason, those don’t count as additional occurrences. It’s only counted as one.

When paired with our institution’s generous and better-than-industry-standard leave time and other benefits, this policy fits nicely with our efforts to make this a great and rewarding place to work. This policy was revised to support retention and work-life balance of all employees, without anyone feeling like they need to come to work while sick. The expectations are clear, enforceable and will protect teams from uneven workloads. The policy also promotes professionalism and collegiality. Consistency and punctuality aren’t just workplace habits – they’re commitments to excellence that move us closer to A Healthier Mississippi.