First in the Human Resources Office was John, the Front Desk Manager who was having some trouble with a new employee. Sally Ann is a new front desk agent who has been with the hotel for only 48 days. During her first two weeks, she was early to work every day and ready to go. Since then, however, she has called in unable to work twice and been late 3 times without calling. Her work is exceptional and the guests seem to like her very much. John believes she has great potential and has discussed with her the importance of being on time to work. John knows that she is a single mom, has a two-year-old daughter, and that she has to get to childcare before coming to work in the morning. The other staff is starting to get a bit frustrated with her coming in late and picking up the slack when she misses work. They are concerned it is going to be a continuous problem and they want John to do something about the situation.

John feels that he must do something about Sally Ann, But what? He has come to the HR office for some advice on how to handle the situation? How do you, as HR managers, respond to Johns questions?

Question:

What suggestions do you have for making sure he protects the company in case he needs to discipline her or terminate her in the future?