[HRdude]

In my experience, Rebecca's suggestion can work well in most situations. A 12-month rolling period could work in some situations, but a 6-month rolling period can oftentimes be a better fit (especially in an outbound environment). A 6-month rolling period affords the outstanding rep who may have an extremely difficult period (child care issues, trouble at school, etc.) the chance to get back to their previous standards more quickly.

I've found that for especially productive and dependable workers, even the thought of accruing occurences (even for situations that were not their fault) tends to demoralize them and make them question whether they should just leave your company and start over elsewhere. It sounds crazy, but I've seen it time and again.

I also agree with MarkRobinson, that your dependable people are that way for a reason. They plan for emergency situations before they happen. They have back-up or at least some options when a tuff situation pops up and they'll usually find a way to make it in. In my new hire orientation classes, I cover this area by brainstorming with the class the situations that may arise and how (with a little planning) they can be ready for them and work right through them.