Attendance Guidelines

Fordham University Attendance and Punctuality Guidelines for Supervisors/Academic Leaders Supervising Administrators

Introduction: This document serves to summarize important rules governing time and attendance for Fordham Administrators. This is not intended to be an exhaustive source of information on the subjects discussed, nor does it cover every aspect of the rules. It is intended to serve as a general guide to assist in answering some of the most typical time and attendance-related questions and issues that may arise when supervising Administrators. For more detailed information or questions, supervisors should contact the Office of Human Resources at [email protected] or via phone at 718-817-4930.

General guidelines:  Reliable attendance assists the University in meeting scheduled commitments and allows us to provide educational excellence in an economical and efficient manner.  We understand that unexpected illnesses, injuries, or personal obligations may arise. We also believe strongly in demonstrating the Jesuit principle of cura personalis (care for the person as a whole) and encourage Administrators to use their benefits as needed, to ensure continued smooth departmental operations when team members are absent and ensure a fair and consistent application of these guidelines as summarized below. 

The University subscribes to the belief that the overall reliability of an employee is a composite of good attendance and arriving to work punctually.  Therefore, the cumulative attendance, tardiness and performance of an Administrator will be considered when assessing an employee's overall presence at work. Each department is free to determine what constitutes excessive absences for an Administrator and its impact on the smooth operations of their department (e.g., is the position student or employee-facing). The standard must be applied uniformly and in a non-discriminatory manner within the department.

An employee who has a medical condition or disability, or is a caretaker for a family member with a serious medical condition (pursuant to the terms of the University Family and Medical Leave Act -FMLA- policy) requiring absences on specific days of the week should seek FMLA intermittent leave protection by contacting the Office of Human Resources Management or the Benefits team at 718-817-4930 or via email at [email protected].

Additionally, pursuant to the University Safe and Sick Leave Policy, no employee shall be disciplined when they use their first fifty-six (56) hours of sick time for absences covered under the Safe and Sick Leave Policy, unless the supervisor has a reasonable founded suspicion of abuses or patterned absences.   Patterned absences include but are not limited to unscheduled absences the day before or after a scheduled holiday, vacation, or personal day; a desirable day off (e.g. during a busy time or pre-planned event), a specific day of the week, or a weekend; a day that was previously requested as a vacation or personal day and was denied; or as sick leave or other paid time off is accrued.  A supervisor, in conjunction with the Office of Human Resources Management,  has the discretion to determine what constitutes a patterned absence.

In addition, no employee shall be disciplined for using their first twenty (20) hours of prenatal leave for absences covered under the University Prenatal Leave benefit or any other legally protected absence (such as FMLA, Paid Family Leave (PFL), Disability or Workers Comp Leave.)

Procedures:

  • Scheduled and approved vacation days or personal days and any other approved leaves will not be considered as days absent for disciplinary purposes.
  • Instances of failure to report to work on a regularly scheduled workday, whether due to an absence that is not legally protected under Federal, State or Local laws or tardiness may result in disciplinary action.  
  • Administrators are required to notify their supervisor one (l) hour prior to the start of their regularly scheduled workday of an absence or lateness, or as soon as feasible.  Any employee who fails to call in an absence forfeits their right to a paid sick day and may be subject to disciplinary action.  
  • Administrators who are absent for three consecutive workdays without notifying their supervisor, and without reasonable excuse, may be terminated for job abandonment.
  • Administrators are entitled to a leave of absence in accordance with University leave policies such as FMLA, PFL, Workers Comp, Safe and Sick Leave or Enhanced Parental Leave. Employees who use these legally protected absences pursuant to Federal, State or Local laws will not be disciplined or retaliated against for receiving the benefit of those laws. Also, an employee will not be retaliated against after returning to work from a protected leave.
  • Administrators attempting to falsify either a Worker's Compensation or FMLA claim or any other approved leave under a University policy may be terminated immediately.  Likewise, for Non-Exempt Professional Administrators, an attempt to falsify a timesheet or worklog may also result in termination.

Fordham University Attendance Supervisory Guidelines:

  • Supervisors should contact the Human Resources Department in instances where an employee's action may result in disciplinary action. Supervisors are expected to monitor time-off to ensure that good attendance and punctuality is maintained.  
  • In the event that a supervisor has suspicions about the legitimacy of an absence, the supervisor should not take it upon themselves to collect relevant medical documentation.  Instead, the supervisor should consult the Office of Human Resources.
  • Supervisors should review the attendance records of their employees periodically and take the prescribed action outlined above when abuse of time is identified.  Management is responsible for monitoring time and attendance. Management is also responsible for identifying, documenting and attempting to correct problem situations before they become excessive. Failure to keep accurate records can result in the prolonging of an undesirable situation.

Fordham University retains the right to review these guidelines periodically and make changes as deemed necessary.