All extension association employees have an obligation to report to work at the scheduled time. Support staff are expected to be at work at the start of their scheduled workday, and tardiness is cause for disciplinary action. Failure to do so adversely affects the image and credibility of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Absences All extension association employees must notify their supervisors when they are going to be absent from work. The employee must keep the supervisor routinely informed of the status of unplanned absences extending over one day.
Unauthorized absences are grounds for disciplinary action.
Employees absent for three consecutive workdays without personally notifying the supervisor or being on approved leave will be considered to have voluntarily abandoned the job and will be separated from employment. Falsification of these records may lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination. Unauthorized absences, especially of extension association employees who work outside the office, pose a unique problem if the employee is involved in an accident of any kind. Under Workers' Compensation Law, the extension association is required to make an initial determination as to whether or not the employee was working at the time of the accident. Therefore it is imperative that the extension association be kept informed of its employees' working schedules and ensure that records reflect if an employee is not working.