If the company has a policy for providing personal days off, then the reason for taking if is irrelevant. Asking for a reason could open yourself up to problems. If stated in your policy that the employee must ask for the time in advance or if the company has right to refuse for operational reasons then that is the route you go. You should have an absenteeism policy covering unexcused absences if denied. The denial should be in a reasonable time as well.
Having a well written policy and following is important for good employee relations.
The answer here is "it depends". If you offer PTO, then no need to ask why. The person is simply using what is due him. But if the person has a history of taking more time off than he has earned, and this is disrupting the business, then you can and should ask the reason.
No, I wouldn't ask. There are HIPPA privacy laws that can come into play.
Also, I have employees give adequate notice to their supervisors if they plan to take time off (i.e a minimum of 48 hrs). However, the longer the request the better in order to schedule back ups.
No, it's not adequate to ask for the reason why. If your company offers PTO, then it can be designated for any use. That means that the employee does not need to disclose the reason for the request. If the company offers sick leave and a policy around the use of the time off, then you may only inquire if the time off meets the policy. You may not ask the reason why.
Hello Lester and thank your question. Unless an employee has been abusing time-off to include sick leave, I recommend not asking the reason why since it is personal. We always want employees to know we trust them and are not prying into their personal leave time.
Adequate, for what purpose? Why do you want to know what their time off is for? Is it appropriate to ask? No, not really. If you regularly provide time off for personal reasons (vacation, personal time, etc.) then there's likely no business need to know why the person has chosen to exercise this benefit.
No, it's none of our business why someone wants to use the time off they are given. The only time they might need to tell you is if it is requested for a time period that is business-critical and you'd be inclined to deny the request. They might need to explain a reason if they are asking you to make an exception based on an extenuating circumstance.
Business from Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Answered on Aug 2nd, 2018
Absolutely. If they say it is medical you can ask for a doctor's note to verify
No. I don’t want to know what for. If the company gives the time, the employees should be able to take it. The only thing I would ask,in the case of a pressing business need, is if they had an emergent requirement and if not could they please reschedule.
Join Your Local
Business Network
Connect & get quality referrals
from Small Business Owners
Answers (1-10)
If the company has a policy for providing personal days off, then the reason for taking if is irrelevant. Asking for a reason could open yourself up to problems. If stated in your policy that the employee must ask for the time in advance or if the company has right to refuse for operational reasons then that is the route you go. You should have an absenteeism policy covering unexcused absences if denied. The denial should be in a reasonable time as well.
Having a well written policy and following is important for good employee relations.
The answer here is "it depends". If you offer PTO, then no need to ask why. The person is simply using what is due him. But if the person has a history of taking more time off than he has earned, and this is disrupting the business, then you can and should ask the reason.
No, I wouldn't ask. There are HIPPA privacy laws that can come into play.
Also, I have employees give adequate notice to their supervisors if they plan to take time off (i.e a minimum of 48 hrs). However, the longer the request the better in order to schedule back ups.
Hope this helps
No, it's not adequate to ask for the reason why. If your company offers PTO, then it can be designated for any use. That means that the employee does not need to disclose the reason for the request. If the company offers sick leave and a policy around the use of the time off, then you may only inquire if the time off meets the policy. You may not ask the reason why.
Hello Lester and thank your question. Unless an employee has been abusing time-off to include sick leave, I recommend not asking the reason why since it is personal. We always want employees to know we trust them and are not prying into their personal leave time.
Adequate, for what purpose? Why do you want to know what their time off is for? Is it appropriate to ask? No, not really. If you regularly provide time off for personal reasons (vacation, personal time, etc.) then there's likely no business need to know why the person has chosen to exercise this benefit.
No, it's none of our business why someone wants to use the time off they are given. The only time they might need to tell you is if it is requested for a time period that is business-critical and you'd be inclined to deny the request. They might need to explain a reason if they are asking you to make an exception based on an extenuating circumstance.
Absolutely. If they say it is medical you can ask for a doctor's note to verify
No. I don’t want to know what for. If the company gives the time, the employees should be able to take it. The only thing I would ask,in the case of a pressing business need, is if they had an emergent requirement and if not could they please reschedule.