Occurrences
My work has a policy that if you are unable to show up to work, you get an occurrence. If you are tardy, it is 1/2 of an occurrence. You get 5 totally free occurrences each year and they roll off each year. At 6, you are on corrective action. only at 10, does one get to termination potential.Â
I am struggling to understand the anger of my younger co-workers at this policy. I looked at the policies of other companies and they are far more stringent, two occurrences and you are fired; you can have an occurrence until you run out of PTO, then you are fired; one occurrence and you are fired.Â
I always saw occurrences as something that should only happen due to acts of God, so to speak. I was once snowed in, in a different state by a freak unpredictable storm. I got an occurrence and moved on, it has long since been rolled off my file. I left so many fun events early due to weather so that I could at work the next day, that I find people’s “gasp” at getting in trouble for not being at work a bit annoying.Â
I don’t have children, so it is slightly unfair, if we dare to use that word, as I don’t have to deal with those seemingly endless children sicknesses. On the other hand, Children are also a choice. My good friend raised a child on her own without family nearby and she managed to not get in trouble with occurrences. All of my coworkers currently have children with a partner which opens up another potential, make sure to have a partner with a job that can handle flexibility. We do have drop in sick child day care centers as well as other options for school cancellations such as SAC. Â
The angry youth don’t have children, so the issue is murkier. From conversations, they are split between “ I am perfect and shouldn’t have anything on my PERFECT record and The system that gives occurrences is flawed” As for the first, there is nothing I can really do about that as it is personal growth opportunity. As for the later, let us inspect the flawed system.Â
The system has changed over the years and I think the leniency has really made it seem unfair. It used to be, no matter what, you got an occurrence. In our attempts to be more human, the system has become more grey. You get in an accident driving to work, no occurrence. You get in an accident the day before work, occurrence. you get in an accident the day before work and have a doctor’s note...grey.Â
The other aspect to this is the people who have to do the work for the people who are not there. Interestingly enough, the people who are being vocal about the occurrence policy are always the first to come tattle on anyone being late; so it is OK for THEM to not show up to work, but not anyone else. In many ways the occurrence policy is there to enforce some equality between the childless and the parents as it is a complaint that “just because I don’t have kids, I am supposed to stay late and finish things, so that my counterpart can go pick them up, how is that fair?!?”Â
I don’t have an answer, It will be interesting to see the proposal on occurrences is presented by the youth. but I have a feeling that my own personal thoughts will be, “ can you just show up to work and do your job? if you care about fairness that much, go get a law degree. You have a college degree, work out plans and backup plans for situations.“
Some things are just inherently lose/loseÂ













