Wolfpack Advocacy Hour

September 15, 2015

Grade 10

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below

Attendance and punctuality are not only important for school, but for success
in lifes many different situations and scenarios.

According to CareerBuilder.com:One-in-Five

Workers Admit to Making Up Fake

Excuses for Arriving Late to Work.
You are going to read the survey results

presented in the article from

CareerBuilder.com with the class.
When you are done reading the survey
results, you will get into small groups and
answer some questions.

Dont be late!
A survey by CareerBuilder.com found some

workers are suffering from a lack of punctuality.

One-in-ten workers 13 % - say they arrive late to

work at least once a week.

24 % say they arrive late at least once a month.
One-in-five admit to making up fake excuses to
explain their tardiness.

The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Late to Work, was conducted

from February 21 to March 6 of more than 2,500 workers,
including 1,000 hiring managers.

"While the majority of hiring managers tend to be lenient

if employees occasionally run late, others are much

stricter in their policies, said Rosemary Haefner, Vice
President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com.
30% of hiring managers say they dont care if their

employees come in late as long as their work is completed

on time with good quality.
One-in-ten hiring managers say they would consider
terminating an employee if he/she arrives late once or twice
in a given year.
One-in-five say a pink slip may be in order if an employee is
late three times in a year.

Whats your excuse?

When asked to identify the primary cause for

coming in late:
27% of workers cited traffic.
10% pointed to getting their kids ready for school or

day care.
11% said falling back asleep was the main culprit.
Other popular reasons included:

forgetting something at home

feeling sick
the inability to find house or car keys.

What else?
Not surprising, Monday is the most popular day

for late arrivals, according to 64% of hiring

managers.
While the majority of hiring managers dont

typically question the validity of the reasons

provided, 35% say most of the time they dont
believe the excuses.

What Does Poor Attendance Say

About Your Character?
Employees who show up for work on time more often than not and give

proper notice of absences or tardiness are practicing good attendance.

Attendance as a work ethic includes sticking to work schedules, being

ready to start work on time, remaining on the job during the workday to
complete duties and limited use of leave.
When employers check references, they may ask about attendance.

The most qualified job applicant can lose out because of attendance
problems.
Poor attendance says a candidate is insensitive to co-workers,

unaccountable for his responsibilities and uninterested in

company success.

Importance of Attendance in
Work Ethics
Attendance is among the 10 employee work ethics most valued

by employers, according to Tennessee Technology Center at

Hartsville.
Although employers are willing to help employees develop skills,

most expect workers to already possess work ethics.

Employee work ethics -- such as teamwork, respect, appearance,

productivity, attitude and attendance -- are behaviors and

attitudes people bring to the workplace.
Attendance, like all work ethics, affects every aspect of the

workplace and the business.

Effect on Other Work

Ethics
A worker who fails to understand the effect of poor attendance on

his workplace also may lack other work ethics.

Work ethics interconnect to create the ebb and flow necessary for

a well-functioning workplace.
Character requires dependability, reliability, responsibility and

discipline.
The chronically absent or tardy cannot practice good teamwork,

which requires coordination to achieve common goals.

Poor attendance appears to others as a lack of cooperation

and respect.

Hiring managers provided the following top ten examples of

the most unusual excuses employees offered for arriving late
to work:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

I dreamed that I was fired, so I didnt bother to get out of bed.

I had to take my cat to the dentist.
I went all the way to the office and realized I was still in my pajamas
and had to go home to change.
I saw that you werent in the office, so I went out looking for you.
I couldnt find the right tie, so I had to wait for the stores to open so I
could buy one.
My son tried to flush our ferret down the toilet and I needed to tend to
the ferret.
I ran over a goat.

I stopped for a bagel sandwich, the store was robbed and the police
required everyone to stay for questioning.
9. A bee flew in my car and attacked me and I had to pull over.
10. I wet my pants and went home to change.
8.

Discussion

1. Do you have a job? Play a sport? Attend community or club meetings? What

are the consequences if you are late or absent?

2. Do you agree or disagree with the way attendance reflects on your character?
3. If you were an employer, what would your policy be for employees arriving late

or with excessive absences?

4. How does it make you feel when a friend, teacher, family member, etc. is late

to meet you for whatever reason? Such as:

1. picking you up for a school event (dance, football game, etc)
2. Meeting you to retake a quiz
3. Picking you up from practice or school

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below