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time and they are still sick , they must use a vacation day .
4 A doctor ’ s note is required for three or more consecutive days off .
5 Other unpaid time off is strictly subject to the manager ’ s discretion .
Of course , you must follow all relevant laws regarding time off . If an employee is eligible for intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act , your company must grant it when requested . If the employee has a disability that qualifies within the Americans with Disabilities Act and additional time off is a part of the reasonable accommodation , you must honor that .
It is vital that your employees have the time to recover from any illnesses , especially during this coronavirus pandemic . You need to have sufficient sick leave and adequate vacation time to keep your employees healthy , rested and happy . If your competitors offer better packages , you need to match or beat what they offer .
California ’ s labor code also requires all companies with 500 or more employees nationwide to provide up to 80 hours of supplemental sick leave to all full-time employees who are unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19 .
In addition to establishing a policy , you need to have and enforce consequences . Some companies follow a progressive discipline model where people accumulate points for violating rules , which can ultimately result in termination . You can work out how best to do that based on your business needs . But if all you say is , “ Oh , Laura , I wish you wouldn ’ t call in that you want the day off !” nothing will change .
Once you ’ ve created a solid policy that will work for your business , meet with your employees and explain how things will function . Make it clear that they need to work all scheduled days
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( unless they are legitimately sick or have scheduled PTO ), regardless of how many hours they have put in . And if they call in sick , they must use their sick leave ( and vacation time , if needed ).
In California , employers must pay overtime when a nonexempt employee works more than eight hours in a day , so you may wish to control the daily schedule in favor of having people work eighthour days , five days a week . This would be a financial benefit to you , because you ’ re currently paying overtime wages . There is a way you can switch to four 10-hour days in California without having to pay overtime , but it ’ s tricky . The most crucial part is that two-thirds of your affected employees have to agree to it in a secret ballot . If lots of people
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What is the attendance policy at your workplace ?
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October 2020 | comstocksmag . com 17 |