Using personal days all at once

Paige

I think I know the answer to this one, but I guess I'm just looking for confirmation. If someone is granted 5 personal/sick days a year, can there be a stipulation included in our policy that says they cannot be used consecutively unless it is for medical reasons?

The situation is we have a very small office. An employee asked to take a week off in July. This employee started at the end of March and per our policy, she is entitled to 5 sick/personal days for the rest of the year, which she is entitled to after 2 months of employment. When she asked to take the week off in June, the supervisor said yes, but without pay. The employee later figured out that she had personal days available and used all 5 of them (the supervisor was out of the office when payroll was submitted due to a family emergency and didn't know the employee did it). The supervisor would have preferred that she not use all 5 sick days for the week.

Any thoughts?

Down_the_Middle

Presumably the employee alleged illness as the reason for being paid sick time and presumably your policy requires MD verification for this type of absence (5 consecutive days). If all of that came to play, I don't see how you can look back now and adjust the days paid. If neither of these things occurred, then I think it's a different outcome. The time off s/b w/o pay and the sick time credited back to her account. Unable to give you the confirmation you're seeking---not sure how you handled it.

Paige

No--illness was not the issue here. She started in March, already had plans for July and needed the time off. The supervisor originally told her it would be without pay, but the employee decided she would use her personal time since it was available to her.

Now the supervisor is worried that other employees will want to do the same. Since they are a small office, she really can't afford to have employees say, I want to use my personal days for a week of vacation.

I told her any type of request is subject to her approval. But she wants to prevent people from using so many sick/personal (not vacation) days consecutively.

Down_the_Middle

The problem, it seems to me is the use of the term "personal"---which implies addt'l vacation, not illness related. If that's the case, then I question how the supervisor can grant the time off, but prohibit being paid for it. Without knowing whether the "personal days" are accrued and therefore deemed to be wages, I'd be inclined to have employees use their paid days first, to avoid lots of time off w/o pay now and at year-end wanting to use it. If you're personal days are not used that way, then you'll probably have to remind the employee that she did not have permission to use the paid days and make arrangements to have it re-paid and credited back to her account.......only to turn around and re-pay it later.

C_J

You could implement into policy that personal time can not be used to extend a vacation or holiday, unless preapproved; personal time must be scheduled, if for a forseeable absence; and when unscheduled personal time is taken over x number of days, verification such as a doctor's excuse is required. Then if employee requested personal time and is denied, but takes the time off anyway, disciplinary action will be taken. A warning on that one is that it discourages employees from scheduling the personal time if less than x number of days and lying about the absence saying it was unforeseeable.

It is a difficult subject because employees feel that you give them the time to use but then do not allow them to use it whenever they want.

Depending on the attendance policies in place, it seems that a person who used all of their personal time after only a few months of employment could be an attendance problem, if they have future absences.

Mikki H

We have switched to a PTO (paid time off) system so that we do not have those kind of issues anymore. All of the PTO is one category. If you are never sick, then you, in effect, have another week "vacation" time. Most of our employees have liked this change. It is up to the supervisor to approve the requests so that a department is not left understaffed. We generally do not let people take more than the 6-7 day leave (a week with a long weekend attached) because that also strains the department, but again, it is up to the supervisor and their department's need at that time.

Rockie

I agree with Mikki about the PTO concept. Anytime you offer sick time and "personal days", you are opening yourself up to all kinds of abuse. If people have only PTO days,they will be more judicious and responsible in their choice. Many hositals have gone to this concept simply because of the abuse issue and the massive staffing problems employees being out "sick" can cause.