Absence Management for Supervisors

An online training for all commonwealth supervisors

 

Welcome to this web-based training on Absence Administration.  This course is for commonwealth supervisors. It will offer you an overview of your role in managing your employees’ absences.

Course Sections

This course is divided into the following four sections:

·         Roles related to Absences

·         Leaves of Absence

·         Absence Management

·         FMLA Absences

Classroom Course

This is a basic course that offers an introduction to the topic of Absence Administration. After successfully completing this course, you will be enrolled in a classroom course that will explore this information in greater detail. This course will be scheduled by your Human Resources Office.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

·         Leaves of absence

·         Absence management

·         Roles related to absences

·         FMLA Absences

 

Roles Related to Absence Management

 

This section outlines roles and responsibilities in the administration of Absence Management. It covers the responsibilities of employees, supervisors, and Human Resource staff.

Employee Responsibilities

Employees have responsibility for the following components of Absence Management:

·         Maintain and manage accrued and anticipated leave.

o   Budget leave to last the entire year.

o   Be aware that when accrued leave is depleted, additional absences may not be approved.

·         Request absences in advance, when possible.

·         Attempt to schedule absences when they are least disruptive to operations.

·         Obtain/provide supporting documentation when required within requested timeframes.

·         Adhere to established call-off procedures and work rules.

Supervisor Responsibilities

Supervisors have responsibility for the following components of Absence Management:

·         Maintain efficient operations.

·         Apply the call-off policy consistently.

·         Ensure all absences are recorded.

·         Ensure eligibility for the requested absence type by checking policies and leave balance quotas.

·         Approve (or deny if appropriate) requests in a timely manner.

·         Monitor employee absences and counsel employees about leave use as needed.

·         Follow labor agreement requirements for vacation selection.

·         Approve absences consistent with operational needs on a first-come, first-serve basis, if requested outside of the vacation selection period.

·         Carefully consider emergency requests.

·         Remind employees annually of the absence management policies and their responsibility to manage/budget their absences.

 

HR Office Responsibilities

Time Advisors have responsibility for the following components of Absence Management:

·         Ensure all employees receive orientation on absence provisions.

·         Provide guidance to supervisors related to leave requests, including but not limited to:

o   Correct absence coding

o   Counseling employees about excessive leave use

·         Monitor absence and other time-related error reports.

 

SPF Coordinators have responsibility for the following components of Absence Management:

·         Provide final approval or disapproval for FMLA/SPF Absences.

·         Determine employee eligibility and entitlement for FMLA/SPF.

·         Ensure absences are coded correctly.

·         Monitor usage to ensure employees are not over-utilizing FMLA/SPF Absence.

·         Review medical documentation to ensure completeness and accuracy.

·         Provide and request follow-up documentation as necessary.

·         Assist employees and supervisors with FMLA/SPF Absence requests.

 

Labor Relations Coordinators have responsibility for the following components of Absence Management:

·         Work with supervisors when leave restriction or discipline is necessary.

·         Work closely with SPF Coordinator when issues overlap.

To Sum it Up:

Employees, Supervisors, Time Advisors, SPF Coordinators, and Labor Relations Coordinators all have roles related to managing absences.

This module covers basic information that generally applies to all absences. Module #4 will explain Sick, Parental, and Family Care (SPF) absences, which don’t always follow all basic rules.

 

Absence Management

 

Following is a review of the Absence Management. As in many situations, there are exceptions for which the basic rules do not apply. Some of these exceptions will be reviewed in Module #4.

Absence Management – The Basics

Both supervisors and employees have roles in Absence Management:

·         Supervisors should consider employee requests for absences in relation to the need to maintain efficient operations (except when the absence is required by law or union contract to be approved).

·         Employees should manage absences to not exceed accrued and/or anticipated leave balance quotas.

Components of Absence Management

Following are several ways that can help ensure effective Absence Management:

·         Develop a call-off policy.

·         Review absence and attendance policies – including the call-off policy – on an annual basis with all employees.

·         Remind employees of absence management throughout the year if: call-offs are frequent, a lot of leave is used in relation to available leave, or accrued leave is nearly depleted.

·         Counsel employees about effective use (or misuse) of leave when appropriate.

·         Evaluate operational needs when considering each absence request and approve/deny it as appropriate.

·         Apply absence policy and procedures consistently.

To Sum it Up:

·         Both supervisors and employees have roles related to absence management.

·         Supervisors should evaluate operational needs when approving/denying absence requests.

·         A well-communicated call-off policy and counseling when appropriate can help in effective absence management.

·         Employees are responsible for managing their absences to not exceed accrued and/or anticipated leave balance quotas.

 

Leaves of Absence

Leaves of Absence

In this module we will look at the basic concepts related to Leaves of Absence. A Leave of Absence is any time when an employee is absent from work, with or without compensation.

Some Basic Rules

·         All time away from work must be charged to and recorded with an appropriate leave type.

·         Absence policies and procedures should be applied consistently.

·         Absences should be requested in advance, unless circumstances do not permit.

·         Emergency requests for all types of absence should be carefully considered.

·         Any medical information provided verbally or in writing must be kept confidential.

·         Most absence requests should be considered based on operational requirements.

Types of Leaves of Absence

Each type of leave has a unique absence code. There are many different types of leave, grouped into the following two categories:

 

1. Accrued or Earned Leave. Examples include:

•      Annual

•      Personal

•      Sick

2. Granted only for Qualifying Reasons. Examples include:

•      Leave Without Pay

•      Civil

•      Military

 

Did you know that most absence requests may be disapproved for operational reasons. Note: There are some exceptions, so when in doubt, ask the Time Advisor in the Human Resource Office or the
SPF Coordinator.

Approving Leaves of Absence

All leaves of absence require approval/disapproval. Regardless of the type of leave, supervisors must not approve absences when the reason for the absence is either inappropriate or inconsistent with the policy.

Resources for Information

To make sure the reason for absence is consistent with the code, consult these resources:

·         The applicable union contract

·         Materials provided by the Human Resource Office

·         Absence Types Guide Summary, found at www.SPFsupervisors.state.pa.us

·         When in doubt, ask the Human Resource Office staff

When a Supervisor Needs Guidance

Supervisors should seek guidance from the Human Resource Office when they suspect employees are misusing leave or have unique circumstances that impact their leave use.

Indicators of Employees Needing Guidance

The following triggers may indicate that supervisors should notify or seek guidance from the Human Resource Staff:

·         Employee is nearing the depletion of paid leave

·         Employee requests an uncommon leave type

·         Employee has an unscheduled absence for five or more consecutive work days

·         Employee’s sick leave use has increased over the last few weeks or months

·         A conversation is overheard or an employee tells the supervisor of a pregnancy or a serious health condition

To Sum it Up:

·         Leave must be requested for all time away from work.

·         Generally, supervisors may disapprove absences due to operational reasons.

·         Be sure to approve the correct absence code.

·         Supervisors should seek guidance from their Human Resources Office in certain situations.

 

 

FMLA Absences and Absence Management

 

In this section we will review absences that are protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

 What is FMLA Absence?

An SPF Absence is a paid or unpaid absence from work with benefits for any of the following reasons:

 

·         For the employee’s own incapacity or treatment due to a serious health condition as defined by the FMLA;

·         For a qualifying family member’s serious health condition when the employee is attending to the medical needs of the family member; or

·         For the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

·         For a qualifying military exigency when a qualifying family member is called to active military duty; or

·         For the serious illness or injury of a qualifying family member or next of kin who is a military service member.

SPF Absence Eligibility

To be eligible for an SPF Absence, an employee must have:

·         One year of service (26 pay periods of leave service credit)

·         Worked 1250 hours in the twelve months preceding the first absence.

o   Hours include: regular and overtime hours worked, and all hours of military absence

o   Hours do not include: paid absences, unpaid absences, and holidays

 

Commonwealth Provisions

The commonwealth provides these absence provisions and designates the absence as FMLA leave when employees meet eligibility.

·         SPF Absence (Sick, Parental and Family Care) for the serious health condition of the employee or family member and for birth, adoption or foster care placement

·         Military Exigency Absence for certain reasons when a family member is called to active military duty

·         Military Caregiver Absence to care for a family member who is injured or seriously ill as a military service member

How does FMLA relate to Absence Management?

·         FMLA/SPF Absence policy must be administered consistently.

·         FMLA/SPF Absences must be recorded correctly and timely.

·         Despite a supervisor’s need to maintain efficient operations, no FMLA/SPF Absence can be disapproved by the supervisor for operational reasons or for any other reason.

·         All decisions for approval and disapproval are made by the SPF Coordinator.

Additional Responsibilities related to FMLA/ SPF Absence

In addition to standard Absence Management responsibilities, you have the additional responsibilities with SPF Absences:

·         Comply with the FMLA law.

·         Advise employees of their rights to use FMLA/SPF Absence when absences are suspected to be qualifying.

·         Determine if call-offs should be designated as FMLA/SPF Absence.

·         Contact the SPF Coordinator for assistance and advice on all confirmed or possible FMLA Absences.

FMLA Absence Do’s and Don’ts

·         DO ensure that paid absences used for an FMLA qualifying reason are entered with correct absence codes.

·         DON’T ignore paid leave absences that may qualify as FMLA.
Note: It is inappropriate to allow the use of paid leave and not report it as FMLA leave if it qualifies.

·         DON’T allow unpaid FMLA leave to be used simply because paid sick leave is depleted.

Confidentiality

·         An employee should submit all medical documentation related to their serious health condition to either the Human Resource Office or their supervisor.

·         Supervisors should not review medical documentation, but should forward it directly to the Human Resource Office in an envelope marked “personal and confidential”.

·         Supervisors should maintain confidentiality of any medical documentation or information the employee shares.

 

To Sum it Up

 

Questions and More Information

Each agency has a designated SPF Coordinator within the central Human Resource Office. This person is available to assist with any questions you may have about the SPF Absence policy.

 

You can also visit the website, www.SPFsupervisors.state.pa.us, for additional information and forms for SPF Absences:

·         Frequently Asked Questions

·         Notice to Employees

·         Request for SPF Absence Form

·         Serious Health Condition Certification Form

Future Training

·         Classroom training will provide more specific information on SPF Absence and all other materials included in the presentation.

·         For questions, contact your Human Resource Office.

 

This version of the Absence Management course is intended for individuals who require an accommodation for a disability. Once you have fully reviewed the information in this training, contact your Human Resources Office to request credit for completing this course.

You will not receive credit for completing this course until you do so.