Punctual and regular attendance are essential responsibilities of each employee at Sprout. Employees are expected to report on time and work their entire scheduled shift. Any late arrivals, early departures or absences from scheduled hours are disruptive and must be avoided.
The employee attendance policy applies to all hourly employees regardless of position or status of employment. At Sprout all positions and departments require collaboration and teamwork. Consequently, when someone is not present, that can significantly impact the work of others. When you take time off, it is important to plan with your supervisor to make sure your responsibilities are adequately covered. The growth and success of our company depends on our commitment to each other as a team. We want your work experience to be enjoyable, and want to allow you time off to enjoy life. This policy is intended to allow for time off in a way that is fair to all team members while still being able to address business needs.
Sprout uses an attendance point system to track attendance performance. Attendance points will stay on the employee's record for 12 months. Employees can view attendance status by navigating to the Attendance Dashboard within the ERP.
This policy does not apply to absences covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or leave provided as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These exceptions are described in separate policies.
For an absence to be APPROVED, the following criteria must be met:
Time Off Request Submitted
All employees must submit a time off request using the Time Off Form.
Sufficient Notice Given
7 days in advance for leaves lasting longer than 5 work days
48 hours in advance for all other leaves
Approval of Time Off Request
Employee has received approval notification within ERP attendance dashboard
Sufficient time off balance remaining
Please see the Time Off Policy for further information.
The following will be approved absences with the correct documentation and communication. Please coordinate time off in the following instances with the HR manager.
Bereavement Leave - (Please see Bereavement Policy)
Jury Duty or Subpoena requested court appearance
Short term or long term disability
Firefighter leave
Time off covered under FMLA (Please see FMLA Policy)
Lack of work and approved by facility manager
Maternity / Paternity Leave
Other mandated leave by state or local authorities and government
*In the case of an absence, supervisors/managers will need to designate a qualified backup, inform the backup of their responsibility, then present the action plan to the plant manager.
Any of the following circumstances will result in an unapproved absence and accrue one (1) attendance point for each absence:
Employee fails to submit time off request or give sufficient notice
Employee receives denial notice for time off request, takes time off regardless
Employee has exhausted yearly balance, takes time off regardless
Sprout will NOT approve the following reasons for tardiness or absenteeism:
Waking up late
Medical incidents without proof if requested
Family Emergency without proof if requested
Personal daily tasks
Regular weather conditions
Non-approved holidays
Any time an employee clocks in between 1-15 minutes after the start of their scheduled shift.
The absence of an employee from work for one (1) consecutive business day without informing the supervisor/manager shall be considered ‘No Call No Show’ (NCNS). If supporting documentation is given after NCNS the attendance points may be reduced. In the event of a NCNS Sprout may carry out wellness checks.
Employees must inform BOTH HR and supervisor/manager, via Text or Phone Call, of the extenuating circumstance. This should be done ahead of shift start time or as soon as reasonably possible in the event of an emergency.
Doctors Note - Employees are allowed to use up to:
Full Time: 40 hours of their allotted time off towards sick days (accrued floating paid hours (FPH) may be applied if chosen), a doctor’s note that covers the absences is required for the absence to be fully approved and result in zero points. After 40 hours a doctor’s note that covers the absences is required for the absence to be fully approved and result in ½ point.
Part Time: 20 Hours of their accrued time off towards sick days a doctor’s note that covers the absences is required for the absence to be fully approved and result in zero points. After 20 hours a doctor’s note that covers the absences is required for the absence to be fully approved and result in ½ point.
In most cases, the supervisor/manager will only approve one employee off per cell at a time.
New Hire - Employees in their first 4 months of employment that accrue three (3) or more attendance points will be subject to termination.
Severe Weather and Circumstances - Given that there is severe weather the facility manager will have the discretion to waive tardies or adjust shift schedules.
Mandatory Overtime - If an employee has been scheduled to work mandatory overtime that will be treated as a normal shift and standard attendance policy rules will apply.
Abandonment of Employment - Three (3) consecutive absences without notification to the supervisor/manager will be considered job abandonment.
Other Leaves and Time Off - Short term disability, long term disability, leave of absence, etc. These types of leaves will need to be approved by HR and management.
Return to work - If an employee has been out for a prolonged amount of time due to medical reasons, a return to work note may be required from a qualified physician.
Pattern of Abuse - If an employee continues to abuse anything else covered under the attendance policy, Sprout may continue with corrective action up to termination of employment.
A maximum of one (1) consecutive week time off will be given at one time. *special approval to be discussed with HR and management
A maximum of 16 hours (2 working days) are allowed within the first 60 days of employment. *special approval (preferably granted at time of hiring)
Attendance Point Reduction - If an employee shows perfect attendance for three (3) consecutive months, their attendance points will be reduced by a half point (½).
Attendance points will stay on the employee's record for 12 months. If an employee accrues the following attendance points in a rolling twelve (12) month period then the following corrective actions will be taken:
6 points - Documented Verbal Warning
8 points - Documented Written Warning
9 points - Documented Final Warning
10 points - Subject to Termination
In the event an employee needs to adjust a shift start or end time, or change a shift time entirely, the following procedure should take place. Submitting a shift change request does not guarantee its approval:
Submit a shift change request in the ERP
Provide necessary information
Reason for shift change
Current Shift
Desired Shift and start date
A minimum of two weeks notice is required to evaluate and implement a shift change. A minimum of four months commitment is required to the requested shift. The following criteria will be considered when reviewing shift change requests, it is important to note that we will do our best to accommodate to all shift change requests within the policy but it is not guaranteed that any shift change request will be approved:
Amount of hours being requested, Full time or Part Time
Shift Requested
Hours request outside of regular shifts
Whether or not the employee is currently active under Sprouts insurance options
Employment History
Other information