Are you sure you’re
up-to-date on family leave in your business? This has become a hot topic
everywhere in our country as federal and state lawmakers push employers to
provide leave benefits for their employees.
Whether you’re obligated to
provide time off or simply wish to provide it to your employees as a benefit,
consider the following before implementing a time-off policy. Some of these
considerations are legal requirements, while others just make good sense.
When considering a leave
policy, be sure to check your state laws and any applicable federal
regulations. If a local, state or federal statute covers the type of leave
requested, you’re obligated to abide by the minimum requirements of that law.
Some employers provide only
medical leave, while others provide sick leave and vacation leave. Many
employers are moving toward a paid time off (PTO) policy. This type of policy
combines sick and vacation leave into one policy. Once employees are eligible
to take PTO, they may do so for whatever reason.
Depending on the type of
employee, you may or may not want to provide time off. For example, many
employers offer PTO only to full-time employees.
So how will your leave
policy work? First you must decide how the leave benefits will accrue and
whether the benefits will be renewable at the end of the year. In some states,
employers may force employees to “use it or lose it,” meaning that if employees
don’t take time off during the year they are not able to carry it forward into
the next year.
Other states will not allow
employers to implement this sort of policy. In these states, employees must be
allowed to carry forward any unused time off into proceeding years.
Regardless of what kind of
leave policy you institute, make sure you implement it in a fair and
nondiscriminatory manner. Remember, a good leave policy can go a long way in
helping you attract and retain top employees.
- Source: Tire Review
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