Attendance & Punctuality Workplace Readiness Skills Patriot FACS Department

Basic Definitions I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!

Kids Speaking About Attendance: Your future depends on what you do today! Come to class and fill your brain! – Watch the following video FROM KIDS TO KIDS… song-to-promote-attendance-in-video song-to-promote-attendance-in-video

Student Expectations A student is expected to attend class every day and to be on time for each class he or she attends. – A student’s success is directly related to his or her attendance and punctuality. A student who is not in class cannot learn. This institution is training future employees; therefore, our standards are much the same as employers you may find yourself working for in the future.

Employment Expectations An employer expects his or her employee to be at work and on time every day. – Your absence costs the company money! Employees who are at work oftentimes must do their job and that of the absent employee. The increased workload enhances the possibility of job- related accidents and deteriorates employee moral. Additional workload and paperwork is required by personnel departments to maintain sick leave hours, hours without pay, payroll deductions for the tardiness, and so on.

Link between School and Work As a student, you have obligations to your instructor much like you will have to your employer someday. LOOK WHAT’S AT THE TOP OF THE LIST… SCHOOL – Come to class on time and prepared – Participate – Complete assignments – Work with peers – Take assessments – Try to do your best! WORK – Come to work on time and prepared – Be productive – Do your job – Be a team player – Accept supervisor feedback and constructive criticism – Have a high work ethic!

Link between School and Work In instances where you are going to be late or must be absent from class, you are obligated to inform your instructor of the situation – just as you would an employer. – Most EMPLOYERS do not tolerate employees who simply do not show up for work and fail to call in prior to start of the workday. – Many employees have been FIRED for just such behavior. Each course at school requires a student to participate in classroom or laboratory assignments for a specific period of time, based on the credit hours earned. – This is why multiple absences can result in COURSE FAILURE!

Steps for Maintaining Good Attendance STEP 1 – Make school/work attendance your highest priority. Make up your mind not to let anything other than a personal health problem or family emergency prevent you from going to school/work.

Steps for Maintaining Good Attendance STEP 2 – Know your schedule. Be sure that you are aware of exactly when you are expected to be at class/work. Never use the excuse, "I didn't know I was supposed to work." Take responsibility for knowing and for fulfilling your obligations/commitments.

Steps for Maintaining Good Attendance STEP 3 – Make daily use of an alarm clock. Do not depend on your own ability to wake up to arrive at school/work on time. Take necessary measures to get yourself awake and ready to perform.

Steps for Maintaining Good Attendance STEP 4 – Get enough sleep. Obtain the necessary rest to do your job well. Do not stay up late the night before you must work. Reserve this for nights that precede days off.

Steps for Maintaining Good Attendance STEP 5 – Arrange your transportation ahead of time and have a contingency plan. Know how you plan to get to school/work the day or night before. Have a plan for an alternate ride, in case your car fails or your ride falls through. Saying, "I have no way to get there" is an unsuitable excuse for an employed adult to use.

Steps for Maintaining Good Attendance STEP 6 – Inform your supervisor directly in plenty of time if you are unable to perform duties. In the case of illness, always telephone your instructor/supervisor yourself (unless you are too ill) and explain the situation. Never pass on a message to someone else.

Reasons for Absences/Tardies There are a whole lot more bad reasons than good ones! Regardless of the situation, you should always let your immediate supervisor or instructor know any dates in advance that you will be absent or tardy. If an emergency arises, call! GOOD – I am truly sick/contagious (bad cold, virus, flu, diarrhea, etc.). – My child is ill and I have to stay home. – There's been a death in my family. – Our house was broken into last night. – I had a car accident on the way to work. – This is a religious holiday for me (if legitimate). BAD – I don't feel like coming to school/work. – My car isn't working and I don't have a ride to work. – I have an appointment. – I had to babysit. – I had a fight with my boyfriend/girlfriend and I am too upset to work. – I need to visit a sick friend in the hospital. – I need to get a new pair of glasses today. – It was a long weekend and I have a hangover. – I sprained my ankle and need to keep it elevated. – My alarm clock didn’t go off or I overslept.

Notifying Your Instructor/Supervisor When you notify your instructor/supervisor that you can't be at work, follow these steps: – Identify yourself and state that you can't come to work. – Explain the reason you can't be at work. DON'T LIE. You should always tell the truth when you report to your instructor/supervisor. It is the right thing to do. A lie may be discovered and cause you embarrassment. It will take a long time to regain your instructor/supervisor's trust in you when you are discovered in a lie concerning your absence. – If you expect to be gone for more than one day, tell your instructor/supervisor how long you expect to be away from the class/job. – Express your willingness to make up for the absence when you return by making up the work/hours you missed.

Your Role in the Bigger Picture You are part of a class which is part of a school system, just as and employee’s job is part of a larger company. – This means that the actions of each person affect others in the system, creating a chain reaction of events. If you’re late to class, you interrupt instruction which affects all students. If you’re absent to class, you are not the only one responsible for catching up. Your instructor also gets more workload to make sure you have met the learning standards and you have completed your assignments. In a company, you are part of a team that is interconnected, with everyone relying on each other to get the overall job done.

Your Role in the Bigger Picture Maintaining good attendance is crucial to every student’s education and every employee's career. – It communicates a sense of respect for learning and making a living. – This important skill should become second nature to every student and to everyone who has a job.

We’re All in this Together! Watch the following motivational clip: –