Evil HR Policy?

mburch · May 2003

Ok - our FMLA policy states that ee on FMLA must exhaust vac./sick benefit hours. Further...ee can only use the sick leave for when the FMLA is for them - not for family care.

I have read in several of the threads that many of you do not distinguish if the leave is for ee or family when using the sick time. Is our policy EVIL - should I adjust it to be more employee friendly?

Thanks for your help!

Mburch

POPEYE · May 2003

We are very kind to our EEs and do not require that they use any type of benefit hours during FMLA. We have a "NO FAULT" attendance policy and do not distinguish between EE or family care or even if they want to go motorcycle riding with Don D. An absence is an absence and unless it is covered under FMLA it is recorded as an incident. When they reach the maximum incidnets during our defined period of 6 months, they are subject to our progressive disciplinary process of verbal/written/suspension/dismissal.

cthr · May 2003

If FMLA is for the ee illness/injury we require that they exhaust thier sick time. Once sick time is exhausted they are eligible for STD if they are full time. Other leave is optional to use. If the ee is caring for a family member, they have the option to use vacation or floating holidays, but not sick time.

mburch · May 2003

Sounds like our firm's policy is similar.

Thanks for the response! Have a good weekend.

Margaret Morford · May 2003

I'm going to be the heretic again and say that I'd let employees use sick leave for a family member. It's more family friendly. I also don't want to have to face some one with an extremely ill child in the hospital and tell them while they've got four weeks of sick leave saved up, I'm not going to let them use it. Remmeber, they've had to have good attendance in the past to have accumulated that much leave. I also find that if you don't allow them to use sick leave for their children, you just encourage them to lie to you and call themselves in sick rather than tell you it's their child. That doesn't come into play with FMLA because it has to be certified, but it will with other non-FMLA illnesses.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

mburch · May 2003

Margaret,

I do agree - the policy does make for dishonesty in employees - have tried to pass with the Directors a PTO based policy to no avail.

Will keep trying - thanks for the input!

cthr · May 2003

We have a very generous sick time policy. Employees accrue 120 hours of sick time thier first year and recieve an additional 40 hours of sick time every Jan 1 thereafter. There is no cap on how much sick time you can carry over. We long term employees who have accrued in excess of 1000 hours. We also re-imburse any used sick time in excess of 5 days with a doctors note. If we allowed employees to use their sick time for the care of a family member, it would be an administrative nightmare.

Margaret Morford · May 2003

To move them towards PTO in the future, try a baby step by broadening the sick leave policy so that it can be used for family members living in the same household. That will make it a better benefit for the employees, who are probably using it that way anyway. You can anounce it as a benefit enhancement at open enrollment time and get a very positive morale boost without really spending any additional money. Good luck!

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

Don D · May 2003

We are also kind to our employees. But we also run a business and in the interest of that, certain leaves do run concurrent with FMLA. Doing otherwise is not unkind. It's just different. If we allow sick leave for family illness, then we also require vacation and sick be exhausted while on FMLA for that sort of purpose.

Hatchetman · May 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-17-03 AT 02:25PM (CST)[/font][p]Check our your state law as well. In --- where else -- California, IF an emplyer has accrued paid sick time for its employees, it must allow an employee to use, if and when needed, one half of the paid sick leave time to care for a sick parent, spouse, or child. Verification may be required for this if it would be required for the employee's own illness.

Evil HR Policy?

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