PTO (see yesterday’s CED ) is attractive for many reasons, says attorney John P. Hagan, but there are critical questions to ask before switching over from a traditional approach. Hagan, a partner in the law firm Sarles & Ouimet, LLP, made his suggestions at a recent BLR webinar. Here are his...

PTO plans, which eliminate distinctions between types of leave, do relieve HR of an administrative burden and the dreaded role of “absence police”—but there are some drawbacks, says attorney John Hagan. Absences, like terminations, can be voluntary or involuntary. However, unlike terminations...

Handling employee requests for time off because of illness, injury, or a disability is undoubtedly one of the most difficult — and frustrating — parts of your job. A complicated array of state and federal laws governing family leave, workers' compensation, and disability accommodation...

Yesterday , guest columnist Cathleen Yonahara of Freelance Cooper & Foreman, LLP, discussed a recent case in which a departing employee claimed that his employer's sabbatical program was actually vacation that had to be paid out upon termination. Today: The court's ruling in the case. [Click...

California employers are familiar with the state law making "use it or lose it" vacation policies unlawful, so you must pay employees any unused, accrued vacation upon termination of employment. But what is a vacation policy? Is all paid time off considered "vacation"? The California...

I have a client that is a start-up company that I’m helping set-up up Policies & Procedures for their Handbook. They currently do not have any formal Time-off policy and do not want any established Company Holidays, amount of sick days per year or amount of vacation days per year. What they...

The California labor commissioner has withdrawn an existing opinion letter regarding employer-mandated use of vacation and other paid time off (PTO) for exempt employees, as well as the use of vacation or PTO for partial-day absences. We'll explain what the commissioner's action means and how...