Benefits: In the absence of a personal time-off policy, when has an employee called in sick enough times to justify dismissal? How many days off are appropriate when a family member is sick or dies? Do you have any choice about paying an employee who is on a jury or spending two weeks at reserve training? While it is possible to deal with each situation as it arises, a consistent and clearly communicated policy can make your life a lot easier. Employees will know what to expect and you won't be faced with making policy decisions each time a situation arises.

The attached file contains sample policies that you can quickly customize to create your own personal leave policy. Be sure to have any policy you formulate reviewed by an attorney — there are a few areas where you have specific legal obligations, such as jury duty and military leave.

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• holiday policy, including a list of possible holidays and suggestions on requirements that your employees must meet in order to qualify
• vacation policy, including suggestions regarding how much vacation time employees should be given based on various accrual methods (e.g., seniority accrual, accrual for new employees, monthly accrual, part-time accrual) as well as sample policies for part-time employees and employees leaving the company, illness on vacation, and more
• funeral leave policy, including suggestions for the amount of time you should allow, definition of immediate family member, forfeiture, language for salaried and hourly employees, and suggestions on requirements that your employees must meet in order to qualify
• sick leave policy, including sample eligibility requirements, pay and benefits during sick leave, and accrual of sick leave
• personal leave policy, including suggested provisions for leave without pay, credit for length of service, and return to service
• jury duty leave policy, including sample language on how to handle the jury duty stipend
• military leave policy, including sample language on pay offset
• pregnancy/maternity leave policy, including suggestions on length of leave, schedule of payment over the length of the leave, and reemployment rights and benefits

Download: Time-off policies