exempt employees - sick time

DianeZ

We are a small manufacturing company of about 80 employees. We do not have accrued sick time or a PTO plan for employees. We do have a short term disability plan that kicks in on the fourth lost day of absence due to illness. We also, of course, provide vacation benefits for both hourly and salaried. When an "exempt" employee is sick for an entire day, or more, they are required to use vacation time to cover that day or they are told to work it out with their direct report to work a different day, make up the time, etc. This, of course, frustrates our exempt employees when they have to use vacation time for sick absences. Here's my question: What do other companies do for their exempt employees when they have absences of a day or more because of illness? Do you allow so many occurrences that "don't count"? Do you just pay and not worry about it? What do you do with exempt employees that abuse this? I would like to bring this information to my boss (the owner of the company) so that I can provide him with some possible solutions when I present him with the problem! I'm just looking for examples of what other companies do. Any information would be welcomed! For your info: We have never reduced an exempt employees pay because of this issue. I know that's a "no-no"!

POPEYE

There have been several threads on this topic over the last few weeks. I you will do a search on "exempt employees" you will find more information than you will be able to digest.

LindaS

If an exempt employee in our company is absent for 1-2 days for illness, they are paid their regular salary and are not "docked" vacation time. If they are out for more than 3 days, we require a physician's release before they are returned to work but they are still not "docked" any vacation time. If a supervisor feels one of his/her direct reports are taking advantage of this system, it is addressed from a disciplinary standpoint. It is the feeling of our upper management that exempt employees are hired to perform a job, regardless of the amount of hours and as such they are treated as professionals.

System

Our company follows this same policy.

rad

This sounds much like our policy as well.