PURPOSE

The Company’s absenteeism policy is designed to ensure that each employee is are aware of his or her obligations to arrive at, and attend, work on the days and times required by his or her employment contract.

The policy also sets out how the Company will manage situations where an employee is absent from the workplace during required times, without authority, and for reasons within his or her control.

APPLICATION

The Absenteeism Policy applies to all of the following persons:

• permanent employees (including full time and part time): and
• fixed term employees: and
• casual employees: and
• temporary agency staff and independent contractors.

ABSENTEEISM

An employee must attend work during required hours unless:

• he or she is affected by a medical or other serious emergency beyond his or her control; or
• a member of his or her immediate family or household is affected by a life threatening medical or other serious emergency beyond his or her control; or
• he or she has approval from the Company to be absent from work.

Failure to comply with this requirement is considered unauthorised absenteeism and may result in disciplinary action being taken against the employee. The disciplinary action may include written warnings or termination of employment or both.

NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCE

In all instances where an employee is absent from work due to illness, injury, or carer's responsibilities, the employee must contact his or her supervisor directly by telephone and inform the supervisor of his or her absence.

SMS messages are not acceptable as a means of contact in this instance.

When contacting the supervisor by telephone, the employee must advise:

• the reason for his or her absenteeism; and
• when he or she expects to return to work.

This requirement applies to all absences from work during required hours without approval, including absences due to:

• personal illness or injury.
• carer's responsibilities; or
• transport or traffic problems.

The discussion between the employee and supervisor should take place prior to, or as soon as practical after, the scheduled commencement time.

If contact cannot be made directly with an employee’s immediate supervisor, or if the immediate supervisor is not available, the employee is required to make contact with the manager the employees supervisor is responsible to.

If an employee is unable to return to work on the day he or she originally notified the supervisor, then he or she is again required to notify the supervisor using the same process above.

Please refer to the Personal Leave Policy for more information.

MEDICAL CERTIFICATES

The Personal Leave Policy (policy number CPS2021/2.29) indicates when employees are required to provide medical certificates or other reasonable evidence, such as statutory declarations, for personal/carer's leave.

Failure to provide a medical certificate (or other acceptable evidence) as required by Personal Leave Policy (policy number CPS2021/2.29) will result in the employee's absence for the relevant period being unauthorised, and therefore the absence will be a breach of this policy.

The Company may, as a result, withhold payment for the duration of the unauthorised leave and take disciplinary action. Disciplinary action may include the provision of warnings or termination of employment or both.

Please refer to the Personal Leave Policy for more information.

ABANDONMENT OF EMPLOYMENT

An employee who is absent from work for 2 or more consecutive working days without notifying his or her supervisor will be deemed by the Company to have abandoned his or her employment. This means the employee is deemed to have no intention to return to his or her employment.

However, the Company will not consider an employee to have abandoned his or her employment until the Company has taken, what it considers to be, reasonable steps to contact the employee to establish whether he or she intends to return to work.

A BREACH OF THIS ABSENTEEISM POLICY

Any breach of this policy may result in the Company counselling, or taking disciplinary action against, an employee. This may include provision of warnings or termination of employment or both.

FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information, please speak with your supervisor.

AUTHORISATION
This policy and procedures were approved by the Board on the date shown.