Publix Attendance Policy – A Complete Breakdown

The intended purpose of the attendance policy is to promote regularity, consistency, and punctuality in employee absences. The goal is to ensure that all employees adhere to the same requirements when notifying their supervisors about their absence. It is essential to know what that policy looks like before you decide to call the giant marketplace your new employer.

The new and revised policy for 2022 is that the employee cannot have more than two absences in six months and no more than two tardies in one month. If any of those two happen, disciplinary action follows, leading to suspension or complete employment termination. 

But if a simple answer will not suffice and you want to learn more details about their policy, such as what employees think and some other specific information relating to it, then read on!

What is considered within Publix’s attendance policy

Publix will count both tardiness and absences within its policy. Their policy changed as recently as January 2022, so pay attention. For an employee to have a late occurrence, he has to have clocked in four or more minutes late after the start of the shift.

On the other hand, an absence requires an occurrence where the employee misses one or more consecutive shifts that cannot be explained as a “covered” situation. We’ll get into that a bit later.

This is the type of employment where punctuality and showing up is critical to the success of the marketplace running smoothly. So if this seems rather strict, best to save your application. A position at Publix does require strict adherence to their attendance policy since colleagues and customers truly depend on you.

What is the timeframe for logging attendance?

Publix follows a January through December calendar year. Employees work within a six-month period to track and attribute lateness or tardiness. Meaning that the first period runs from January through June, and the second period runs from July through December.

Situations during a previous tracking period don’t get erased from the file. Yet, if those occurrences didn’t lead to a suspension or a severe action like that, then they are addressed, those stay on the file, and the employee moves on to the next tracking period.

Occurrences that don’t get marked negatively for the Publix employee.

As much as the policy is pretty black and white, life is not like that, and Publix is aware of that. That is why there are types of absences that fall under what we can call “excused” or justified absences. Those can be absences under approved PTO, bereavement, jury duty obligations, military service, FMLA leave, Publix’s Disability Leave, Worker’s Compensation, or any other federally protected leave. 

One of the most important is PTO, which includes vacation and sick time. Publix offers the standard 0-12 days PTO for qualified employees.

One of the negatives when it comes to that area is that Publix being a supermarket, there are times when employees cannot take time off even if they have accrued it because it may fall during peak or very heavy seasons where it is an “all hands on deck” type of situation. Other than PTO, all the other types are standard across industries. 

Attendance during and post a COVID-19 world.

Publix understands the importance of not putting their employees and customers at risk to relieve the employees. After all, they are a marketplace, and employees are exposed to products that customers handle and will eventually put in their mouths. Given the pandemic that we have just come out of, absences as a result of COVID-19 do not count towards any disciplinary action.

Although, this is not a free pass. Employees absent because of COVID-19 symptoms may be required to quarantine, and if the number of days exceeds three, Publix will require a doctor’s medical note.

How are excessive absences and tardiness addressed at Publix?

Well, you already know we are working within a six-month tracking period, and remember, this is an either/or situation. So if there are two or more absences or two tardiness in a tracking period, Publix employees get given a reprident they call an Associate Counseling Service (ACS).

If either of these two scenarios happens a second time, the employee gets an ACS plus a one-week suspension. And finally, If either of these two scenarios happens a third time, the employee is discharged.

The important key here to remember is to have open and transparent communication with your leadership so that expectations are met with attendance. If they are not, there is openness and reason behind the action.

The proper channel and process to report attendance issues.

All of the above mentioned is provided there is proper communication. Otherwise, the action is seen as more severe; therefore, more severe consequences apply.

An employee that is not going to be attending the first is required to call and speak directly with their direct supervisor or the manager in charge at least two hours before the start of the shift. Texting or calling after the start of the shift is never acceptable and results in disciplinary action.

When not properly communicated, Publix sees this missed attendance as “no call/no show.” These occurrences do not reset at the end of each tracking period (the six months). One occurrence like this results in an ACS and a week’s time suspension. And two occurrences like these go straight into a discharge of employment. 

The Publix attendance policy is designed to promote regular and consistent attendance among employees. The attendance policy seems fair and reasonable, and it is explained and provided in writing to the employees, so they know what is expected of them. I hope you found this article helpful in understanding Publix’s attendance policy.