By unexcused absence are you talking about illness? I would think that 10 is a fair number for sick days. Many people are sick enough to meet exclusion criteria for 10 days a year.

I'd look at this on a case by case basis, personally. If a person is ill, they should not be at work. I would not ALLOW a sick employee at work. I'd hold them to the same exclusion criteria as I do the kids.

In my family's businesses, we all bent over backwards to accommodate illness, family emergencies, or even just covering for an employee who wanted to attend a concert on a night they were scheduled. Know what it got us? Loyal, faithful employees who stayed for many years. People who became experts in the business. People who customers could depend on and trust because of their longevity and knowledge.

If an employee needs a day off for sickness or personal business, *I* would accomodate it to the extent that I was able. If it is TRULY hurting your business, you may have to act, but in my experience, when you're flexible with them, they're flexible with you. Steve called in sick, so you call Jim to cover, and he comes right in because he knows that Steve has covered him before, too. I, my parents, and my siblings all worked extra hours to cover employees who needed the day off. My dad's philosophy was "happy employees, happy customers", and it's mine, too, because it works.

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