Poor performance review

Employee A was reported to have been in violation of the following employer rules:

• Taking unauthorized breaks
• Use of a personal device in the work area

Employee A was sighted on one occasion leaving the cafeteria while not on an authorized break and on another occasion answering their telephone during work and while in the work area.

Advocacy and intervention

A TDC representative and an employer representative reviewed the employer’s policies regarding both incidents with the employee. The employee then explained the reason they didn’t recognize they were in violation was because they have observed that behavior as common practice among co-workers. Employee A acknowledged that they now understood the employer’s policies and agreed to adhere to them going forward. To support compliance; and as a team, the employee, employer representative and TDC representative identified behavioral alternatives that would ensure compliance with company policies: The strategies identified and agreed to were:

Authorized breaks:

• Identify the scheduled break times for the cell they are assigned to and follow company protocol regarding timekeeping, e.g.: signing in and out.
• Notify/request permission from, their team lead/cell lead or supervisor if they need to leave the work area outside of their scheduled break times

Use of personal devices:

• Provide family member(s) and childcare providers the employer’s Human Resource contact information in case of emergency
• Do not carry personal devices on their person into the work area
• Check and use personal devices outside of the work area during scheduled breaks.