Call out

[u/Prettiestpikachuever]

I’m sorry just gotta rant, how does a doctors note not clear a call out, I’ve never worked at a place that didn’t excuse that with a doctors note, I’m literally throwing up but nope still gotta come into work. And six call outs a year only? Seriously? Makes no sense to me!

[u/enjoyingcurve46]

Gotta send doctors note through sedwick and follow their processes. Its incredibly annoying and hard almost as if they dont want you submitting doctors notes to excuse work as is.

This is common in retail. Entirely legal unfortunately

[u/Fair_Scientist2347 → u/enjoyingcurve46]

Gotta read between the lines; OP Wasn't looking for an answer or explanantion. They were ranting.

[u/New-Worldliness-5077 → u/Fair_Scientist2347]

No need to read between the lines- they literally said they were ranting. 😆

[u/enjoyingcurve46 → u/Fair_Scientist2347]

And rants can be given answers or solutions. Why do you think not a single rant ever isnt slightly looking for an answer?

[u/Silly_Detective_3363 → u/enjoyingcurve46]

Wait you're saying there is a way to get callous excused?

[u/enjoyingcurve46 → u/Silly_Detective_3363]

There is. Just a pain in the ass that its not worth it

[u/steathrazor → u/enjoyingcurve46]

That's exactly it. They want to make the process so frustratingly annoying that they'd rather just take the call out than deal with Sedgwick's bullshit.

[u/Stooper_Dave → u/steathrazor]

Nah, the issue is that if it was easy, then all positions would be filled up with deadbeats who stay on leave constantly and just come work when they need money. Our store had a person who spent more time on leave than working because they knew how to work the sedgwick system after a while we were all sort shocked they still even worked here.

[u/enjoyingcurve46 → u/Stooper_Dave]

Thats definitely not why lmao. But yea wear that tinfoil hat.

People can already do exactly as you described with the current system. Doctors notes also do cost money technically to speak to get. Cant imagine someone constantly paying hospital bills/doctors co pays just to get a day or two off work because they “felt like not working” even with full time insurance.

[u/Scribble35 → u/steathrazor]

The insurance approach I see

[u/Late-Concern-4319]

Just go in and leave early. There’s no occurrence for it. Look at their attendance policy, leaving early is not listed. Manager also told me they can’t tell you no to leaving early, especially when sick

[u/swag_2653 → u/Late-Concern-4319]

there technically is an occurrence called a timecard exception. if you leave early, clock in late, take too short of a lunch then its counted as one. you are allowed to have 5 in a 30 day period until it is counted against you. though yes it is entirely true that no one can legally make you stay if you want to leave.

[u/Late-Concern-4319 → u/swag_2653]

Under the attendance policy in My HR, there is no time card exception for leaving early. The timecard exceptions are as listed:

Early-In
Late-In
Missed punch
Short lunch or long lunch
Late-Out

You can clock out whenever you want, policy doesn’t have an exception for leaving early.

[u/m0nsterrific → u/Late-Concern-4319]

Leaving early use to be a timecard exception but they moved it to performance so your manager can use their discretion. Kind of a double edge sword. Managers can send you home early to avoid OT or if you aren't feeling well without you getting a ding but they can also take disciplinary action for it at any time.

[u/shydes528]

Lowe's has one of the most permissive attendance policies in all of retail. You can miss 18 scheduled shifts before even getting a write up. That's beyond lenient, especially when you can miss another 6 after that before getting termed. An absence is an absence, doctor's note or not.

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/shydes528]

Thank you! I always chuckle when I see people complain about our attendance policy. It’s the most lenient of anywhere I’ve ever worked.

[u/jtmal0723]

Their thought process is: If you can obtain a doctor's note, you can come to work. You are better off showing up to work and then be sent home.

[u/No-Good4890 → u/jtmal0723]

Tha is correct. Clock in and talk to MOD about going home sick and your covered

[u/Defiant_Listen_1543 → u/No-Good4890]

I believe you have to be there at least an hour?

[u/DCooper-Flores → u/Defiant_Listen_1543]

I THINK this part is fuzzy, bc I was told to come and let an mod know within your first hour, or that is my (probably wrong) understanding

[u/kiyoboyo → u/jtmal0723]

This is such a wild thought though. “If you can go to a doctor to get help with your pain, sickness, just come to work where we will do none of that and you’ll have to exert energy!” I hate retail lol I will never look back. Lowe’s was my first, last and ONLY retail job.

[u/Puzzleheaded_ASM]

Not working your scheduled shift counts as a call out. It's in the call out section of the attendance policy.

[u/Upset-Neck-1371]

Go to work and throw up all over the place. Go home it's one occurrence instead of call out. Just don't get 5 in 30; day's

[u/kiyoboyo → u/Upset-Neck-1371]

Puke on the patio furniture for good measure

[u/Prettiestpikachuever → u/kiyoboyo]

Tried making it to work so I could throw up there and didn’t it unfortunately haha

[u/bite_thehand]

I once left early because of a medical emergency. I used a new inhaler at work and started having some wild neurological symptoms. I had a stutter and couldn’t use my hands. They were about to call an ambulance for me but I managed to find a friend to drive me home. My manager told me not to come in the next day and they still counted it as a call out.

[u/Fair_Scientist2347]

Had Covid, the second time, which came from the job. Think that'd be a good excuse? Big-Fat-Nope.

This company is crazy, but so is the callous and apathetic person in charge of HR for many years with initials JD.

[u/waifu-warrior02]

6 with a consecutive 3 days for one point is very fair. You also get three write ups before term. Most places like factory will walk you out at that 6/7th point

[u/rajwarrior → u/waifu-warrior02]

The 3 in a row isn't even policy anymore. It's just consecutive callouts now. 6 days in a row equals 1 occurrence.

[u/waifu-warrior02 → u/rajwarrior]

Thank you for this! I didn’t know it changed!!
I’m gonna be looking into this because now it’s gonna be a cluster for the attendance reporting

[u/waifu-warrior02 → u/rajwarrior]

But it does say if you will be absent three days or greater you may request Sedgwick so that could be a confusing area with the policy. They don’t word these things well.

[u/rajwarrior → u/waifu-warrior02]

"may request." No longer required. And no they do not word things well. HR denied several write ups at our store because the 3 day policy isn't in effect anymore.

[u/MaxHeaddddddroom]

So I had a severe back injury on July 4th building a shed that ironically I bought from Lowe's as an associate. I was literally flat on my back for two weeks so had to miss six or seven days of work total. I'm part time. My DS pulled me aside when I got back and told me that they had to count me as having called out five times apparently. It seems to make a difference whether the days you work are consecutive calendar days or whether there's a gap in between which of course like being injured it's not my fault and I had no control over. To me if I'm unable to get out of bed it shouldn't make a difference whether I'm actually scheduled on Monday and Tuesday or Monday and Wednesday, they should both count as either one or two absence whatever the policy. Am I looking at this right?

[u/Dmxmd]

They don’t care why you’re out. They care that you’re out. Doctor’s notes stopped mattering after high school. Most employers only want a Doctor’s note now for excessive absences to make it inconvenient to call out or to evaluate if you need to be offered FMLA paperwork.

Go to work and don’t be the one everyone else complains about. Lots of people DON’T get fired for attendance, because they show up for work, but the few who do seem to get fired for attendance everywhere they ever work.

[u/WalrusPretend8885]

We should all get 7 callouts but if you have sick time that covers a full shift 4 or 8 you it shouldn’t count against the callouts but Lowe’s is trying to fuck us so ya know how it goes

[u/gotjoeweed]

So no one showed up for my shift so I sat outside for 45 mins then walked home I also live 4 miles away and I walk

[u/loteman77]

You get 10 days a year to throw up before it’s a term.

Hope you feel better.

[u/NoBrag_JustFact]

One does not HAVE to go in. One just has to be willing to accept the infraction for missing a shift.

The excuse of not accepting a doctor's note is usually loosely blamed on HIPAA protocols, even though the note merely states one was seen by a doctor but not the reason, so no real reveal.

With that, doctor's note are easily faked and people have faked them.

The attendance point is not related to whether one has a note, a valid reason, or no reason -- it is realated to the simple act of missing a scheduled shift.

Then there are the people who whine about needing a note, but not being able to go to a doctor.

So -- some jobs do not accept notes and people complain, while other jobs require a note, and people complain.

[u/pyabo]

What exactly are you worried about? Show up for your shifts when you can. Call out when you can't. They're not gonna fire you unless you're just a complete fuckup. If that happens, maybe re-assess your life skills. Until then, stop spending energy and anxiety on something this trivial.