Absence Reporting Procedures

Every company should have a well defined absence policy. It should be in it's own section of the handbook and each employee should sign off on the policy.
The policy should outline the following:

• Who must they call to report expected absences.
• Who to talk to if someone is out/unavailable.
• Requirement of employee to call within a specified period of time
• Prohibited use of voicemail, email or text (whichever you prefer) to report absences

As an employer, you have a right to request that an employee provide a Doctor's note when they are missing work due to a "serious health condition".
A doctor's note provides certification from a health care provider attesting either that:

• Employee is needed to care for an immediate family member OR
• Employee has a serious health condition preventing them from having the ability to perform essential functions of their position

Make sure your policy is well defined and make updates annually. Make sure to follow the policy consistently applying the same rules and procedures to all employees without making any exceptions.