Gone Too Much

Do you have problems with people are absent more days than your policy allows? Is it having a negative impact on their productivity, department, or the overall company? You can make attendance a valid requirement for the job and dismiss people if they are absent too often. Make sure your attendance policy is very clear, and applies to everyone in that job category. Describe what entails violation of that policy. Attendance is a requirement for the job, and failure to meet that requirement becomes a grounds for dismissal, according to a recent US Sixth Court of Appeals ruling (No. 02-3633) decision. The court decided that not coming to work cannot be a valid A.D.A. accommodation, because you have to be at work to receive the accommodation ( I am not giving legal advise, just citing a case). Finally some common sense from the courts!

Never Quit The Quest

Even if your company has a hiring freeze it is still the right time to look for ways to upgrade the talent you currently have. Now might be the perfect opportunity to turnover the deadwood you should not have hired a few years ago.

You need to be looking for passive candidates, who may not be job hunting, but may be enticed to make a change for the right situation. This is the time to collect a database of potential talent, and to build relationships. One way to do this is on your company website. Allow them to register, fill out a questionnaire, and receive periodic information about your organization through items such as a company newsletter. Another way is to send periodic e-mails updating them on openings and other newsworthy items. Even if you are a very small firm, with no website, you can still find people through advertising, and stay in touch with them by e-mail and snail mail. The more aggressive you are in searching for top level talent, the more you can grow the firm in the ways you need. Never quit the quest for continuous improvement.