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Browsing the DOL website, it seems that it's illegal for exempt employees to be charged a deduction for partial days worked, even if the employee only showed up for an hour. However, I think that law only covers wage deductions, and not time-off banks. I think employers who charge you PTO for partial days off are violating the spirit of salaried employment, but they aren't actually breaking the law.
I was recently charged a half PTO day for going home sick after working 3 hours. I only went in because a project of mine had an immovable event happening with many people involved; I definitely would have called off for the entire day if it were just a regular day. I know better than to rock the boat at work over a half day of PTO, but I'm curious to hear what other people's employers do for partial day absences.
If it's under four hours, it's not deducted, though someone abusing this will probably be coached by management. Over that, and it's an entire day.
It varies based on the company. The last place I was at required you to take PTO in half-day minimum increments. If I had a one hour doctor appointment, I had to take four hours PTO. Crazy.
If it's under four hours, it's not deducted, though someone abusing this will probably be coached by management. Over that, and it's an entire day.
It varies based on the company. The last place I was at required you to take PTO in half-day minimum increments. If I had a one hour doctor appointment, I had to take four hours PTO. Crazy.
That first policy seems like it could backfire and encourage people to stay at work longer and spread their germs. It's not like sick employees are that productive anyway.
I think any PTO policy for exempt salaried employees that deals in increments of less than a full day is is ridiculous. They'll ding your PTO bank for a 38 or 34 hour week, but you don't get anything for a 42 or 46 hour week but a pat on the back (if you're lucky).
That first policy seems like it could backfire and encourage people to stay at work longer and spread their germs. It's not like sick employees are that productive anyway.
I think any PTO policy for exempt salaried employees that deals in increments of less than a full day is is ridiculous. They'll ding your PTO bank for a 38 or 34 hour week, but you don't get anything for a 42 or 46 hour week but a pat on the back (if you're lucky).
We have to put at least forty hours on our time sheets. My first exempt job granted comp time for weekend exercises like a disaster recovery test. On-call was like 1/12 weeks, and it's busy, but they got something like $1500 for a weekend of on-call. That's far different than having no comp time or incentives at all.
People do come to work sick. Five unscheduled absences in a rolling twelve month period is an oral warning.
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Exempt workers are paid for the body of work, not for the actual hours worked. Still, there has to be a way to prevent abuse. Our written policy on exempt allows for up to 4 hours off in a day for any reason without having to use PTO, with approval from our director. This cannot exceed 40 hours in a year, however. Since this is not tracked by anyone, that 40 hour maximum is really not enforced. We just put down 8 hours on our time record (online) regardless of how long we were actually there.
Where I am if you show up for at least four hours you worked that day. If not you are on PTO. When I was in the private sector we could take half day pto increments. No one tracks it but we are results driven and it’s pretty obvious if someone isn’t keeping up.
Where I work you are considered to have worked a full day if you put in 5 hours. This allows you to go to the doctor (or whatever) and still get your day in. It is up to the individual directors to manage this. I am not supposed to be able to work five 5 hour days and say I worked all week. Sick leave and vac is to be taken in half day intervals.
U.S. Department of Labor
Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
FLSA2005-7
To respond to your specific concern about whether or not an exempt employee’s accrued PTO leave bank may be reduced for partial day absences, the answer is yes. Where an employer has a benefits plan (e.g., vacation time, sick leave), it is permissible to substitute or reduce the accrued leave in the plan for the time an employee is absent from work, whether the absence is a partial day or a full day, without affecting the salary basis of payment, if the employee nevertheless receives in payment his or her guaranteed salary. Payment of the employee’s guaranteed salary must be made, even if an employee has no accrued benefits in the leave plan and the account has a negative balance, where the employee’s absence is for less than a full day. See opinion letters dated February 16, 2001, May 27, 1999; and December 4, 1998
We only track full day absences for salaried employees; anything less is just ignored. Of course, if you abuse it you're going to get called on the carpet.
I had a manager who described our companies attitude about exempt employees as they love you being exempt when you work over 40 hours a week but want to treat you like an hourly employee over 2 minutes of being out of the office. He treated us very fairly.
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