Guidance on absence management

NeIC absence management - guide

Introduction

NeIC operations, i.e., running e-Infrastructure related projects and activities, require a team of people working together, often according to a fairly tight schedule. To be successful, a team needs to synchronize their actions and support each other in case of unforeseen absences.

Practical considerations and implementation

• Foreseen absences, e.g., holidays, maternity and paternity leaves, are informed via the agreed channels in a considerate manner.
• Unforeseen absences, e.g., urgencies like getting sick or family member getting sick, are informed in a considerate manner, i.e., unless agreed otherwise as soon as practical, through one of these channels (agreed beforehand):
  • SMS to the peer(s) (peer(s) are to be agreed for every NeIC employee), who then pass the information further
  • Direct email to colleague(s) or mailing list
  • Chat message to colleague(s) or channel
  • Any other method that has been agreed to or in regular use.
• For both foreseen and unforeseen absences, all colleagues and partners that the absence affects should be informed, either directly or through agreed channels.
• No reason for absence needs to be provided.
• One informs about being late for the appointments as soon as practical.

Handling absences

Best way to handle an unexplained absence is to remind the absent colleague in a friendly manner. If absences are a persistent or continuing problem, then it may be necessary to follow a more formal approach such as the escalation procedure described in the NeIC HR policy.