Leave

The benefit that gives back: Offer time off for employees who volunteer

02/21/2024

Paid time off so employees can engage in volunteer or charity work may be just the benefit you’ve been looking for. It doesn’t cost much, it burnishes your image in the community and it has been shown to improve employees’ mental health.

How to Wipe Out Fraud and Abuse Under FMLA

02/16/2024

The medical certification process is your most potent weapon for combating potential FMLA fraud. But obtaining a certification is only the first fraud-stopping step. Here are 10 more things you can do to keep employees from gaming the FMLA system.

3 ways to handle use of sick leave with employee well-being and productivity in mind

02/09/2024

Studies show that since the pandemic, employees are taking much-needed sick days to prioritize their physical and mental well-being. Based on data from more than 30,000 small and mid-sized businesses that use Gusto, a payroll and HR platform, 30% of all employees have taken sick leave. That’s a 42% jump compared to 2019.

Docking pay for snow-day absences: When is it legal?

02/04/2024

The snow’s coming down pretty good and an exempt employee calls to say she can’t make it in today because her car is stuck. Can you deduct a full day’s pay from her salary for that missed day? What if she’s non-exempt? What if you close work because of bad weather? Here’s guidance—and a handy flowchart—to help you make the call.

Develop a process for extending FMLA leave

01/26/2024

Every employer needs a clear process for handling requests for additional time off after an employee exhausts FMLA leave. How you handle those requests can make the difference between winning and losing a disability discrimination lawsuit.

Take some paid time off … if you have any

12/20/2023

American workers have far less paid time off than any European workers have. A new report by international HR-services provider Remote found that even the stingiest European nations—Netherlands and United Kingdom—mandate at least 28 days of paid leave.

Help employees who are experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss

12/19/2023

There’s a good chance at least some of your employees may need accommodations as well as leave as they attempt to conceive, remain pregnant or deliver a child.

Push for federal paid leave mandate gains bipartisan backing

12/19/2023

A bipartisan group of eight senators and six representatives are collaborating on efforts to craft federal legislation that can win support in both houses of Congress from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Beware unintended consequences of unlimited PTO

12/15/2023

Unlimited paid time off is an increasingly popular benefit that employees value—and that employers hope will help them recruit and retain workers. Properly implemented, an unlimited-PTO program appeals to a new breed of workers who prize work/life flexibility and believe they can accomplish their work duties without micromanagement and restrictive rules dictating when they must work. But before you jump on the unlimited-PTO bandwagon, consider a few unintended consequences.

ADA: Unpaid leave can be reasonable accommodation

12/04/2023

The ADA requires employers and disabled employees to engage in an “interactive process” to explore possible accommodations that will enable the employee to perform a job’s essential functions. Then, the employer can pick the reasonable accommodation it prefers. But what if the employer chooses to place the employee on unpaid leave until a temporary flare-up of a disabling condition subsides?