HR Management & Compliance

‘I Didn’t Know You Wanted Me Here Every Day!’


Yesterday’s issue emphasized the necessity of sharing your attendance expectations with employees. Here are the key points that BLR’s popular 10-Minute HR Trainer suggests you stress in employee training on attendance.


1. Employer Expectations Regarding Attendance
Regular attendance is a requirement of every employee’s job. It is important because:


  • High absenteeism rates reduce productivity.

  • Absenteeism puts undue burdens on other employees.


2. Employer Policies Related to Attendance and Leave
Know how many days off you’re entitled to, with or without pay, for:


  • Vacations (and any limits on choosing vacation times)

  • Personal days (and how your organization defines them)

  • Illness, hospitalization, pregnancy, and other health issues.

  • Holidays

  • Jury duty

  • Death in the family

  • Family and Medical Leave Act leave

  • Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation (e.g., time off for medical treatments)

  • Any other leave, either state-mandated or employer-provided



Yes, you do have time to train managers and supervisors with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. Try it at no cost or risk. Read more.



3. Employer Procedures Governing Attendance and Leave
Know the procedures you need to follow related to time away from work.


For planned absences (vacation, personal days, FMLA leave, etc.), you need to know:



  • Requirements for advance notice for various types of leave

  • Forms and certifications required

  • Limitations on when leave may be taken


For unplanned absences, you need to know:


  • How to report unplanned absences (if, for example, employees must call their supervisors immediately to report illness or other unplanned absence)

  • That you need to speak with a supervisor (or whomever you designate) whenever possible (For example, phone messages left at 3 a.m. are not sufficient.)

  • Why it’s important to inform others of unplanned absences promptly (Other employees need to know about absences in order to plan and complete their own work. Supervisors need to record absences properly to ensure employees are paid when appropriate.)


You can train …


Success in conquering attendance problems starts with training supervisors, who can then effectively train employees. Of course, to train them effectively, you need a program that’s easy for you to deliver and one that requires little time out of busy schedules. Also, if you’re like most organizations these days, you need a program that’s reasonable in cost.


That’s BLR’s 10-minute HR Trainer. Our customers report that when they use it, they feel they’re delivering first-class training, and their people are still getting all their work done.


In developing 10-Minute HR Trainer, we first had our lawyers identify the most critical training topics. Then our editors skillfully split those topics into manageable chunks and created a training package on each topic that you can present, complete with reproducible handouts, in as little as 10 minutes!


… In 10 Minutes


10-Minute HR Trainer offers these features:



  • Trains in 50 key HR topics, including manager and supervisor responsibilities under all major employment laws, and it explains how to legally carry out managerial actions from hiring to termination. For a complete list of topics, click here.

    Uses the same teaching sequence master teachers use. Every training unit includes an overview, bullet points on key learnings, a quiz, and a handout to reinforce the learning later.



  • Train your line managers with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. There won’t be time for classroom boredom. Try it free. Read more




  • Completely prewritten and self-contained. Each unit comes as a set of reproducibles. Just make copies or turn them into overheads, and you’re done. To see a sample lesson, click here.



  • Updated continually. As laws and practices change, your training needs do as well. 10-Minute HR Trainer provides new lessons and updated information every 90 days, along with a monthly Training Forum newsletter, for as long as you are in the program.


  • Works fast. Each session is so focused that there’s not a second wasted. Your managers are in and out almost before they can look at the clock. Yet, trainees remember small details even months later.

  • Evaluate It at No Cost for 30 Days


    We’ve arranged to make 10-Minute HR Trainer available to our readers for a 30-day, in-office, no-cost trial. Review it at your own pace and try some lessons with your colleagues. If it’s not for you, return it, at our expense. Click here and we’ll set things up.


    Download list of training topics
    Download sample lesson

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