Comments on: Overused paid-time off: What you can do

By: Maggie

Maggie — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:51:53 +0000

The definition of an exempt employee is one who is paid to do a job, no matter how many. This means that they are paid to get a job done even if it takes 60 hours a week to do it. It also means that they get paid to do the job even if they can do it in 35 hours a week.

I would not have this policy. If you have an employee who is exempt and working 35 hours per week, find out if the job is actually getting done. If work is not done timely or well, then it is a performance issue. If the job is getting done in less than 40 hour per week, you may have a talented person who needs more challenge.

Stick to performance as the issue (good or bad) and stay away from “requiring” 40 hours. Requiring 40 hours every week builds in disincentives to working longer hours other weeks when necessary. You should give your exempt employees the latitude to structure the job to get it done and not worry about the hours they put in. I have found that employees who disappear from work early on a regular basis without corresponding weeks of longer hours are your performance problems, anyway.

By: Kelly Kline

Kelly Kline — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:05:55 +0000

Tried clicking on the Wage Tests link at the bottom of the article. but it is giving me the following message: Page Not Found. The page you requested (http://www.hrmorning.com/overused-paid-time-off-what-you-can-do/) wasn’t found on our Web site. If you followed the link from another Web site, the link they provided may be outdated. Please check our Topics area or our A-Z Index to find what you are looking for.
Entering Wage Tests, gives a lot of results. Is there anything else I can add to the search to get to what you are referencing?
Thanks.

By: D Garza

D Garza — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:23:57 +0000

Our management created this policy, it does not meet the full day deduction for salaried employees. Is this something HR needs to redefine?

Some employees are routinely not working a minimum of 40 hours a week. All employees of LWI have an obligation to the company and to your coworkers to meet this minimum.
All Employee: includes salary/hourly/exempt/non-exempt/office/warehouse

• When making up hours (absent during a work week), employees are authorized:
• A maximum 2 hour make up.
• Are allowed to make up only one occasion per week.
• All additional hours will be charged to PTO.
• If a minimum of 6 hours is not worked in a day, the remainder will be charged to PTO.
• All full days or partial days missed for vacation, illness, personal will be charged to PTO.
• PTO will be applied to hours missed up to negative 40. PTO cannot exceed 40 hours negative.

As stated in the handbook, excessive absences will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Disciplinary