Question

E. Discipline of Employees

Scenario:

1. As the HR Manager of XYZ Corporation, you received a report from a supervisor regarding an employee who has been consistently late for work for the past month. According to the company's policy, tardiness is considered a violation of the attendance rules and subject to disciplinary action. You conducted an investigation and verified that the employee indeed has a pattern of tardiness. You scheduled a meeting with the employee to discuss the issue and provide an opportunity for the employee to explain the reasons for the consistent lateness.
2. During the meeting, the employee explained that the consistent lateness was due to the heavy traffic congestion in the area. The employee provided a logbook showing the time and date of arrival at work each day.
3. You reviewed the logbook and noticed that the employee was indeed arriving late, but the time of arrival varied each day. Some days, the employee arrived just a few minutes late, while on other days, the employee arrived more than 30 minutes late.
4. Based on your findings, discuss the following:
• 1. Can the company impose disciplinary action on the employee for the consistent tardiness?
• 2. What factors should be considered in determining the appropriate disciplinary action?
• 3. Can the employee's reasons for tardiness be considered a valid defense? Explain.