Is he telling the truth or using up vacation time?
swynia
31 Posts
I have an employee who was recently transfered out of an office job, to an outside manual labor job as a mechanic. One week after being transfered, he called in on a Monday and needed to have the whole week off suddenly. We granted it to him based on the story that he had a family issue he needed to deal with. He was told to make sure he came in on Monday. Well, here we are at Monday, and he has called in sick. I have asked for a doctor's note to prove that he is sick and to be in tomorrow morning with it.
What do other companies do with employees like this? The manager wants to terminate him, but if he is really telling the truth, I would hate to do that. He is a decent employee. Do you always look at it that the employee is trying to pull one over on you, and if that is the case, how do you become more proactive in it? Just write him up?
The fear is that he has found another job and is using up his personal/vacation time as we do not pay that out upon leaving the company.
What do other companies do with employees like this? The manager wants to terminate him, but if he is really telling the truth, I would hate to do that. He is a decent employee. Do you always look at it that the employee is trying to pull one over on you, and if that is the case, how do you become more proactive in it? Just write him up?
The fear is that he has found another job and is using up his personal/vacation time as we do not pay that out upon leaving the company.
Comments
Not a lot you can do...........so chill, let it play out. If you act and are wrong you will be so screwed when you lose an employee.
My $0.02 worth,
The Balloonman
You'll probably agree, Shelly, that down at the legislature where the Elected Elite are holed up, anything that is too complicated to figure out (i.e. anything above a 2nd grade level), they always add on the old reliabel phrase, "Employers are free to devise their own system for vacation accrual."
First, I'm kinda wondering about the circumstances of his transfer from an office job to manual labor. That's not a typical situation, at least not to me. But you say he's been a decent employee so it seems that you should at least start with some benefit of the doubt. I hope you'll post again tomorrow and let us know if he brought the dr.'s note and what happens next.
Meanwhile, it wouldn't hurt to start thinking about a policy that doesn't encourage employees to burn their vacation time when they're in the process of getting another job, such as paying them for accrued vacation when they terminate. Besides, from what Larry says, sounds like you're supposed to be doing that anyway.
Also, it's good to have a policy or some rules about what circumstances will require employees to document the necessity of taking time off without advance approval.
In answer to Larry, we are currently re-writing our handbood. Mgmt, prior to me being in the position I am now, thought it wise to not pay people their vacation time when they leave. (Not sure why they thought that way.) They had lawyers draft up a policy that would work with MN laws and the such. That is one of my big-ticket items that needs to change for us.
It's interesting that we don't have more information on why the person was transferred to an "outside" manual job - I would be interested in learning more about that - was it something he wanted or did he have to take it to save a job with the company? I'm usually a pretty quick person to pull the trigger, but I'm softening up in my old age. Why don't you call the employee at home and get to the bottom of his story. I'm sure it will be illuminating.
***Never mind - just saw the update.