Defining Your PTO and Leave Policies

Defining Your PTO and Leave Policies

July 18, 2023 | Charter Administration, Personnel Management

Charters have a lot of options and opportunity to exercise creativity when it comes to defining PTO and local leave policies for their organization. A thoughtful and robust leave policy can be a critical part of the charter’s enticing total rewards and benefits package, which can impact recruitment, retention, and morale as it speaks to organizational values and culture. The role of a well-defined leave policy is to clarify what kind of leave is available, if any, in any circumstance an employee would need or want to miss work. Further, leave policies address compliance and define protocol and process associated with the policies.

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Standard PTO considerations include:

  • Type of PTO
    • Will there be a differentiation in the standards for certain types of time away, like sick versus personal?
  • Eligibility
    • Will employment classifications like parttime or fulltime status be a factor in PTO determination? Will differing positions be subject to differing PTO standards? Does duration of employment play a role in the award of PTO?
  • Allotment Award
    • Will PTO be awarded based on accrual, or will it be awarded upfront at time of hire? Perhaps a certain amount of PTO is awarded at different points of time of the year. How are midyear hires and midyear job changes impacted?
  • End of Year Balances
    • What happens to end of year balances? Does a limited or unlimited amount of PTO roll from year to year? Is unused PTO eligible for payout, and if so, at what rate? Are there cases in which PTO may be forfeited? Can it ever be donated?
  • Restrictions
    • Consider blackout dates, advance notice and request requirements, what approval protocol will be, and define what the consequences for misuse of PTO may be.

Other than your charter’s locally-defined, standard PTO, you may also consider defining policies for circumstantial leave. These will speak to special circumstances in which you may want to offer additional time off, beyond the standard leave available. Examples of these specialized circumstances are FMLA, Emergency-Extended Non-FMLA, New Family Member Care – Maternity/Paternity Leave, Military Leave, Sick Leave Pool, Religious Leave, Bereavement, Civic Duty Leave, and Mandated School Closure. Within each of these, you will want to go through considerations similar to those above to ensure a robust, comprehensive policy.

Once in policy, ensure that all staff are familiar with the leave befits available to them, and ensure extra training is offered to Supervisors and Managers responsible for enforcing the policies set forth. This will keep your charter in compliance and protected from unnecessary legal issues.

Questions?