This is crazy

San Francisco

I was just handed a draft for a new leave of absence policy. I have never seen anything like it - it's 27 pages long! Isn't this unusual? Does anyone else have policies this long?

Elizabeth

Parabeagle

27 pages? Did the writer also author the US Tax Code???

I can't conceive of any reality which would require a 27-page policy for anything, much less leaves of absence. The longest policy I have is only 5 pages and it covers harassment. None of our other corporate policies exceed 3 pages and most are a single page.

Don D

Arnold is getting right to business isn't he?

Whatever

Is the title "Leave of Absence Policy for Dummies"?

HRsage

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-08-03 AT 01:39PM (CST)[/font][p]San Fran, I think you work for a large retailer as do I. I just counted the pages to my LOA policy, and it's 25, but some pages are short. I think the bigger the company the bigger the policy manuals. A lot of it states the same things over and over.

San Francisco

HRSage, you are right, we are a large retailer. This policy is whole pages and closely spaced. FMLA and the effect on benefits is 9 pages. Then it has jury duty leave, bereavement leave, a 30-day personal leave, a leave if the employee is terminally ill, work-related injury, USERRA , CFRA and PDL which is so complicate I can barely plow through it, victims of crimes & domestic violence, emergency personnel leave, school visits, voting time off, kin care. Then we have the leaves for Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, ORegon and Washington. Then we expand on worker's comp leaves. It's just a hodge-podge of everything and it's overwheming especially for the average employee.

And, this isn't an "Arnold" thing, it's a new executive regime thing. They think we have been too lax and are tightening up the reins. And maybe they are right. We started out a small family owned and run business that was known for being employee friendly. Now we are too big and many of those family things have gone away or been taken away. Ah, corporate life.

Elizabeth

HRsage

You totally just described everything in my manual too minus a few states. Our corporate is based in San Fran too I have to go there every few months. They need to make sure everything is covered 8 ways from Sunday and even then they can't get it all. It will change next year when the paid leave act goes into effect, unless that's already in there. Isn't HR fun!

Pork

Elizabeth: With this post, now I can change my response, we have a page for each of those or at least an identifying section ARTICLE 8 BEREVEMENT LEAVE type heading with an easy to find INDEX. I suspect this was written by an "ATTORNEY DAWG" WHO HAS HIS/HER NOISE TO THE SCENT OF MONEY AND HAS RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP AND EDITING AND WILL DEFEND THE NECESSARY INCLUSION OF EACH AND EVERY WORD. AFTER ALL TO CHANGE A WORD WILL REQUIRE THE TIME PIECE TO BE STARTED AND "RAINMAKING" IS UNDERWAY. I suggest you check to see if it can't be indexed and labeled for easy research otherwise the ee will not read it and it will do your company "no good". You might as well not have one, which is not read! Large retailer or not without the happiness of the ee in his/her world of work is a time of crisis in the HR World of Work!

PORK

San Francisco

Pork, that is a great idea. You are so right,it is so cumbersome no one will find anything. Thanks, I will suggest it.

Elizabeth

Pork

NO, BUT THEN YOU ARE IN CA.
PORK

San Francisco

Meaning????

Elizabeth

sonny

I think he might be responding to Whatever's question above.

JM in ATL

Well, it certainly sounds thorough. My LOA form is 6 pages long, but I am a private employer with less than 50 ee's. So since we don't have to comply with FMLA, I had created a form as if we did.

I certainly hope that they offer employees assistance in completing the 27 page form.