Planning for Unplanned Absences

Secrets of a CRA Recruiter

Unplanned absences are going to happen. Kiddos get sick. Parents become ill and need to be cared for. Car accidents happen. Unplanned absences from the workplace are inevitable.

We teamed up with one of our favorite Hiring Managers to discuss how both management and team members can (and should) proactively plan for unplanned absences. Part of our discussion relates to federal guidelines that protect team members when it comes to requesting time off for certain reasons.

We then breach the subject of how leadership can provide team members with an easy way to alert them of an emergency leave from work. This communication topic is an important one…and quite tricky. After all, how do you balance a timely notification while not feeling that you have to reveal more personal details than needed?

I tell a story about one of my CRAs who just went missing. She didn’t show up for a visit and wasn’t answering her phone. After she had been missing for several days, I was so worried about her that I sent the police to her house. And yes, she had experienced an emergency. But she was physically able to communicate but hadn’t. She allowed her situation to ruin her brand with both our firm and the client to which she was assigned. The net was that if she had been more proactive in planning for a potential emergency, the resulting circumstances would have caused a lot less heartache for her, for me, and the overall team.

We hope you enjoy our most recent podcast where we provide both leadership and team members how to plan for unplanned absences from work.