Although no federal law entitles private sector employees to paid or unpaid vacation, most employers do give employees a paid vacation. There is a growing body of state law that governs how employers administer vacation time, including whether and how much employees must be paid at termination for accrued but unused vacation. Employers must know their own state laws to develop a comprehensive policy covering eligibility, accrual, carryover, forfeiture, administration, pay upon termination, and integration of vacation policy with other state laws, and to ensure strict compliance and consistency of administration.
Time off May Be the Biggest Benefit
There are two things to keep in mind about employees and vacations: First, many employees, 68% of them according to one survey, say the benefit they most value is time off. Second, recent data reveals that more than 415 million vacation days went unused in 2006. As employers get creative with programs and benefits, you should think about the intersection of these two findings. How can you encourage employees to use their much needed and well-deserved vacations?
Are Your Employees Vacation-Deprived?
Some employees simply won't take a vacation. But everyone needs to recharge their batteries, so here are tips for getting your employees to get away from it all.
Vacation Pay Lawsuits on the Rise
Employee-initiated lawsuits based on allegations that employers are cheating them out of vacation pay are on the rise, according to an article in The National Law Journal. Some recent class action settlements are sure to catch the attention of employers ... and have certainly already caught the eye of plaintiffs' attorneys.
HR Pros Not Keen on Ceasing to Track Vacation Time
A large majority of human resource professionals do not think that ceasing to track vacation time would be a good idea at their company, according to a recent Compensation.blr.com poll.
