By TIM TWIGG AND REBECCA CRANE
QUESTION: If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, are we required to provide Monday through Friday workers with an extra day of pay since they’ll lose what would usually be a paid holiday?
ANSWER: No. You are under no legal obligation to pay employees for holidays at all, and you also don’t need to provide paid time off when a holiday falls on a day the employee does not usually work. However, review your policy manual or employee handbook to verify what has been promised. If you have agreed in advance to provide workers with a Friday or Monday off when a paid holiday falls on a weekend, then you may be obligated to do so. The same rule applies if you told workers they would have a specific number of paid holidays per year.
QUESTION: We use a time clock to track our workers’ hours. Can we round up or down to the nearest five minute increment?
ANSWER: Federal wage and hour law permits you to round off worker’s time to the nearest five minutes, one-tenth, or quarter of an hour — as you choose. But you need to be consistent, andyou need to be sure that your rounding practices do not always result in employees not being paid for time that they work. For example, you could always round in favor of the employee, or have a policy that rounds back for starting times and forward for ending times.
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ALSO BY TIM TWIGG AND REBECCA CRANE:
Can dentist reduce employee pay? What is an OSHA 300A form?
Workers' comp, and rescinding a job offer
Is employer required to provide paid time off for military family members?
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Human Resources Tips for Dental Practices is provided by Tim Twigg and Rebecca Crane of Bent Ericksen & Associates. Tim Twigg is president and Rebecca Crane is a human resource compliance consultant with Bent Ericksen & Associates. For 30 years, the company has been a leading authority in human resource and personnel issues, helping dentists deal successfully with the ever-changing and complex labor laws. To receive a complimentary copy of the company’s quarterly newsletter or to learn more about its services, call (800) 679-2760 or visit www.bentericksen.com.
