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LightGabler Presents: The Weather’s Great, Wish You Were Here.” Handling Employee Absence, Use & Misuse of PTO & Related Disciplinary Issues

February 22, 2023 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Register

Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Location:
ZOOM Webinar (login instructions will be provided upon registration and again via email the day prior to the event)

Cost: No charge to attend; RSVP is required. Attendance is limited to no more than two logins per company.

Presenter: Karen L. Gabler

Providing state-mandated sick leave, vacation or combined paid time off to employees is easy. Figuring out how to handle employees’ use and misuse of that time is a far bigger challenge. What is an excused absence? When can you ask the employee to provide a doctor’s note? How do you address excessive absenteeism without inviting a disability discrimination lawsuit?

In this informative seminar, employment law attorney Karen L. Gabler will discuss a variety of issues related to employees’ use and abuse of paid time off policies and related legal risks for the employer. Topics covered will include the following:

  • Pros and cons of sick and vacation leave policies vs. PTO policies
  • “Unlimited vacation” policies (and the discrimination pitfalls to avoid)
  • Cashing out unused paid time off: how, when and why
  • When is an absence “excused,” and why does it matter?
  • When is an absence “approved,” and why does it matter?
  • Proper notice of absence (and how to handle lack of proper notice)
  • When can you ask for a doctor’s note (and should you?)
  • How to handle “family emergencies” and other vague excuses for absence
  • Should employees be allowed to “go negative” on their paid time off?
  • Can you recover a negative PTO balance at termination?
  • Can you discipline an employee who is absent without available paid time off?
  • Can you terminate for excessive absenteeism? When and how?
  • Can you terminate for job abandonment? (Hint: why you should never do so)
  • What to say (and not to say!) in attendance-related disciplinary memos

 

Details

Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Location:
ZOOM Webinar (login instructions will be provided upon registration and again via email the day prior to the event)

Cost: No charge to attend; RSVP is required. Attendance is limited to no more than two logins per company.

Presenter: Karen L. Gabler

Providing state-mandated sick leave, vacation or combined paid time off to employees is easy. Figuring out how to handle employees’ use and misuse of that time is a far bigger challenge. What is an excused absence? When can you ask the employee to provide a doctor’s note? How do you address excessive absenteeism without inviting a disability discrimination lawsuit?

In this informative seminar, employment law attorney Karen L. Gabler will discuss a variety of issues related to employees’ use and abuse of paid time off policies and related legal risks for the employer. Topics covered will include the following:

  • Pros and cons of sick and vacation leave policies vs. PTO policies
  • “Unlimited vacation” policies (and the discrimination pitfalls to avoid)
  • Cashing out unused paid time off: how, when and why
  • When is an absence “excused,” and why does it matter?
  • When is an absence “approved,” and why does it matter?
  • Proper notice of absence (and how to handle lack of proper notice)
  • When can you ask for a doctor’s note (and should you?)
  • How to handle “family emergencies” and other vague excuses for absence
  • Should employees be allowed to “go negative” on their paid time off?
  • Can you recover a negative PTO balance at termination?
  • Can you discipline an employee who is absent without available paid time off?
  • Can you terminate for excessive absenteeism? When and how?
  • Can you terminate for job abandonment? (Hint: why you should never do so)
  • What to say (and not to say!) in attendance-related disciplinary memos