The definition of a ‘‘pattern’’ is a frequent, predictable, and observable
employee action that repeats itself over time. When employees take more than 50 percent of their time off around weekends or holidays, then a pattern may be established. (In the example in Appendix Q, the employee took four of five days off on a Monday or a Friday; thus, 80 percent of his unscheduled absences occurred around the weekend.) Just remember that this 50 percent rule isn’t a legal definition; it is, instead, a reasonable company rule that you may wish to establish.

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‘‘Patterning,’’ in this author’s opinion, is a separate infraction from
unscheduled absenteeism. Consequently, it should be handled separately
in the written warning. Simply create two headings in the written warning:

Issue 1: Excessive, unauthorized absenteeism
Issue 2: ‘‘Patterning’’ incidents of unscheduled absenteeism
around regularly scheduled time off

Sample wording for this separate section is included in Appendix Q. With these progressive discipline tools in hand, you should be successful in minimizing further incidents of ‘‘patterning,’’ because most employees will avoid this perception problem once it’s been brought formally to their attention.

Taken From : The Hiring and Firing Quention and Answer Book