The San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Hall is responsible for providing 24 hour supervision for juveniles that require detention for the protection of the community or the youth.  Therefore, the Probation Department must be able to schedule employees in support of this mission and be assured employees will be present as scheduled.

The Probation Department expects all employees to conduct themselves in a professional manner during their employment. This includes practicing good attendance habits. All employees should regard coming to work on time, working their shift as scheduled, attending assigned trainings and leaving at the scheduled time as essential functions of their jobs.  Good attendance habits form an integral part of every employee’s job description.  Therefore, it is important to have a uniform attendance policy to avoid any misunderstandings and maximize facility efficiency and effectiveness.

1. Reporting to Work: Employees are expected to be ready for work at the beginning of their assigned shift.
   1. Employees must be in place to assume supervision of their assigned unit or other duty at the start of their scheduled work time.
2. End of Shift
   1. Employees are expected to remain at their assigned work station or duty until the end of their shift, unless excused by a supervisor. 
   2. The Supervising Deputy Probation Officer or Shift Leader is expected to assure that employees are relieved at their designated end of shift time, unless the needs of the facility require employees to work beyond the end of their shift. 
3. Breaks
   1. JSO’s III’s will be responsible for scheduling and logging completion of officers’ 15-minute breaks each day. (Three (3) breaks during a twelve (12) hour shift; two (2) breaks during an eight (8) hour shift; and one (1) during a four-hour shift).
   2. Each break will be within the first three and a half (3.5) hours of work and close to every three and a half (3.5) hours thereafter.
   3. Officers may not decline a break.
   4.  The JSO III will be responsible to ensure officers take their breaks at their scheduled time. 
   5. In the event, an officer is unable to take their scheduled break, the JSO III will ensure the officer is given a break at the first available time.
   6. Breaks will not be interrupted. Exception: Facility emergency incident as defined in section 3.9 B of the Juvenile Hall Policy.
   7. Restroom breaks will not be counted as breaks.
   8. Officers must radio the JSO III when they leave their post for a break and when they return.
   9. SDPO’s will review break logs daily.
4. Tardiness
   1. Employees are expected to be at work on time and be ready to assume their duties at the beginning of their assigned shift.  In general, road construction, traffic congestion, personal issues and “normal” weather conditions are not acceptable reasons for tardiness.  Tardiness for the purpose of this policy is any time an employee reports late for work after the start of their assigned shift or fails to return to work at the scheduled time following a break or rest period.
   2. In the event of a public emergency, severe weather or unforeseen accidents that prohibits normal traffic commuting and flow or otherwise, the Chief Deputy of the Custody Division will have the discretion to excuse employee tardiness at-large and not on an individual basis.
5. Notice of Absence or Tardiness
   1. Under some circumstances, absence or tardiness on your part may be excused, but only if you notify the on-duty Supervising Deputy Probation Officer or Chief Deputy of the Custody Division before the start of your shift.  The Juvenile Hall needs advance notice of illness or tardiness so that other arrangements can be made to cover your absence, if necessary.
   2. “Proper notice” means employees call the Juvenile Hall and give as much notice as possible prior to the start of their shift and personally notify the on-duty Supervising Deputy Probation Officer or another member of management about the problem unless a verifiable emergency makes it impossible for you to do so.  It is not sufficient to call in and leave a message with a coworker or someone else that is not in a supervisory position.  Employees not in a supervisory position are instructed to route all such calls to a Supervising Deputy Probation Officer.
   3. All on-duty Supervising Deputy Probation Officers and the Chief Deputy of the Custody Division have been advised to make themselves available to take attendance or employee emergency-related phone calls.
6. Attendance Counseling
   1. Employees who demonstrate repetitive attendance problems will be counseled by their immediate supervisor to assist them in complying with this policy. 
   2. Employees who demonstrate frequent or chronic absences or tardiness that hinders an employee’s ability or their fellow employee’s ability to satisfactorily perform and complete their shift and/or assignments will be subject to progressive corrective action in accordance with established rules and procedures.