Dear HR: Can I offer different Paid Time Off (PTO) policies to employees based on their position? I would like to offer PTO for full -time staff, but keep our temporary staff on accrued sick time only. Is that allowed under labor laws? A. In Oregon, employers are not required to provide employees with vacation benefits, either paid or unpaid. So yes, you can offer different PTO policies to different employees, as long as the […]
Dear HR: We decided to give each of our staff an extra two days of paid time off (PTO) to use around the holidays this year. These two days are in addition to the 14 they normally receive to use throughout the year. This is something we have never done before, and we want to be fair to our staff. We value our staff and appreciate all their hard work this year, so we want […]
The Latest in Paid Time Off Trends Unlimited PTO is just as it sounds, unlimited. Of course, nothing panics supervisors or management more than the thought of employees spontaneously choosing NOT to work! Unlimited PTO should be thought of as scheduled vacation time. Time off for vacations is planned and scheduled with a supervisor’s buy-in. If the employee has to complete a project by a deadline, then their vacation is planned around that need with […]
Dear HR: My current employee has asked about taking time off to have a surgery. They anticipate being off for a couple of months during recovery and are hoping to be able to continue employment after they return from their previously planned two week cruise at the end of the summer. Would this time off be something that falls under the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) or the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? […]
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 […]
Dear HR: Do I have to pay my employee when they are off work serving jury duty? HR Answer: The answer is generally no, but also depends upon your policy. Current laws allow an employee time away from work to serve jury duty without retaliation from the employer, but the laws do not require the time be paid. Many employers choose to compensate employees as a thank you for their service to the community. Since […]
Dear HR, This new sick time law is still so confusing! My company offers 40 hours of PTO to our employees every year on January 1st. PTO can be used for vacation days, personal time, or any qualifying sick time reason. One of my employees used his 40 hours of PTO in February to go on vacation. Now they want to use 8 hours of sick time for an absence last Monday when he was home […]
Dear HR: My employee requested a leave of absence due to a serious injury that happened off-the-job. They have two weeks of PTO available and qualify for 12 weeks of OFLA leave. They are asking to take off a total of 14 consecutive weeks: 2 weeks paid and 12 unpaid. Do I have to honor the request? HR Answer: Employers may decide if PTO must be taken concurrently with OFLA. In this instance, you may […]
