Dear HR:
An employee wants to use a paid sick day for our previous pay period that has already been paid. They forgot to turn in their request in time to get it on their last paycheck. Are we required to pay sick time after a pay period as passed? Can I say no since they didn’t turn their request form in to their manager in the proper time frame?
HR Answer:
You should pay sick time if the employee was absent for a qualifying reason. It could be considered unlawful for you as an employer to deny, interfere with, retrain or fail to pay an eligible employee for sick time. This may be a good opportunity to review your time tracking system and policy regarding requests for time off such as sick time. If your employee is not following proper procedures, this should be treated as a performance issue using progressive discipline.
If you would like assistance updating your time and attendance tracking, or have questions about other employment issues, please feel free to contact Cardinal.