Purpose

Reliable attendance is essential to the success of MTE. Every employee plays an important role in providing great guest service, supporting coworkers, and keeping the restaurant operating smoothly.

Employees are expected to report to work on time, ready to begin their shift, and prepared to perform their assigned duties.

General Attendance Expectations

Employees are responsible for knowing their schedule and reporting to work for all assigned shifts. Being on time means being clocked in, properly dressed, and ready to work at the scheduled start time.

Employees are expected to:

Arrive on time for every scheduled shift.
Be in proper uniform and ready to work.
Check the schedule regularly.
Communicate scheduling concerns as early as possible.
Follow the proper call-out procedure when unable to work.
Avoid excessive tardiness, absences, or early departures.

Tardiness

An employee is considered late if they are not ready to work at the scheduled start time.

Repeated lateness affects the entire team and may result in disciplinary action. Employees who expect to be late must notify the manager on duty as soon as possible.

Notification does not automatically excuse the tardiness.

Call-Out Procedure

Employees who are unable to work a scheduled shift must notify the manager on duty as soon as possible.

Unless there is an emergency, employees should call the restaurant directly and speak with a manager. Text messages, messages through coworkers, social media messages, or messages left with another employee are not considered proper notification unless approved by management.

When calling out, employees should provide:

Their name
Scheduled shift time
Reason they cannot report to work
Expected return date, if known
Any information needed for food safety or illness reporting

Illness and Food Safety Reporting

Employees who work in a food service establishment are required to report certain symptoms, illnesses, and exposures to the person in charge. The Employee Health Reporting Form found in Drive lists symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, or infected wounds that must be reported to management.

Employees must not report to work if they have symptoms or conditions that could create a food safety risk. Management will determine whether the employee may work, must be restricted from certain duties, or must be excluded from work based on food safety requirements.

No-Call / No-Show

Failure to report to work and failure to notify management is considered a no-call/no-show.

A no-call/no-show places stress on the team, affects guest service, and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Two consecutive no-call/no-show absences may be considered job abandonment unless otherwise required by law or approved by management.

Shift Coverage

Employees are responsible for working their scheduled shifts unless management approves a change.

Employees may request another qualified employee to cover a shift, but the change is not valid until approved by management. Employees remain responsible for their assigned shift until management confirms the coverage.

Employees may not switch shifts, give away shifts, or leave early without manager approval.

Early Departures

Employees may not leave work before the end of their scheduled shift without approval from the manager on duty.

Leaving early without approval may be treated as an attendance violation.

Schedule Requests

Employees should submit time-off requests, availability changes, or scheduling conflicts as early as possible and according to the restaurant’s scheduling procedure.

A request for time off is not approved until confirmed by management. Employees should not assume a request is approved simply because it was submitted.

Availability

Employees are expected to maintain the availability they provided at the time of hire or as later approved by management.

Changes in availability must be submitted to management for review. Management will determine whether the requested availability can be accommodated based on business needs.

Doctor’s Notes and Documentation

Management may request documentation when an absence involves illness, injury, repeated attendance issues, or an extended absence.

Providing documentation does not automatically excuse an absence, but it may be considered when determining the appropriate response.

Attendance and Performance

Attendance is part of job performance. Excessive absences, tardiness, early departures, failure to follow call-out procedures, or unreliable availability may result in disciplinary action.

Disciplinary action may include coaching, written warning, suspension, reduction in scheduled hours, or termination, depending on the situation.

Emergencies

MTE understands that emergencies happen. Employees should communicate with management as soon as safely possible when an emergency prevents them from reporting to work or providing advance notice.

Management Discretion

Management reserves the right to review attendance concerns based on the facts of each situation, business needs, employee history, and applicable law.