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U.S. NEWS Thursday 13 July 2017

American Living:

Is it a sick day? Vacation day? With PTO, it doesn’t matter

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG larly helpful in the growing
AP Business Writer number of states, counties
NEW YORK (AP) — At small and cities where employers
businesses this summer, are required to allow staff-
many owners won’t be try- ers to accrue sick time, usu-
ing to figure out whether ally up to 40 hours a year
employees will be counting depending on how many
it as vacation time, person- hours they work. With PTO,
al days or sick leave when there’s no need to track
they send texts or emails hours worked or accrued.
that say, “I’m not coming in For Will Gadea, offering PTO
today.” to his five staffers means he
A growing number of com- doesn’t have to be the ar-
panies combine vaca- biter of whether someone
tion and sick time into one is really sick when they call
bucket called paid time him in the morning, cough-
off, or PTO. Staffers decide ing and asking for a day off.
whether they’re going to “I don’t want to make
use the days for vacation, employees lie to me in or-
when they or a relative is ill, der to use those days up,”
or for family events. says Gadea, owner of Ide-
“You’re saying to staffers, aRocket, an animated vid-
it’s PTO, just take it. If you eo company in New York.
have a sick kid, need a But PTO isn’t a panacea
personal day, you’re really for time off issues. It may William Gadea, founder and creative director of IdeaRocket LLC, an animated video company,
stressed out,” says Gretch- not stop those workers who poses for a portrait in his office in New York. A growing number of small businesses are combining
employees’ vacation and sick time into one bucket called paid time off, or PTO. For Gadea,
en Van Vlymen, a vice habitually call out on Mon- offering PTO to his five staffers means he doesn’t have to be the arbiter of whether someone is
president at StratEx, an HR days or after long holiday really sick when they call him in the morning, coughing and asking for a day off.
consulting firm based in weekends. And some staff- (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Chicago. ers may decide to work
Forty-three percent of com- when they’re sick rather ing a conversation with the you missed.” But unless oth- At Motev, a Los Angeles-
panies offered PTO in 2016, than use days they want to staffer who tends to call er employees also get ex- based limousine service,
up from 28 percent in 2002, set aside for a vacation. out after weekends, noting tra days, the boss’ leniency employees accrue PTO as
according to a report from Employers need to deal there’s a pattern and let- can be seen as unequal they work. If staffers use up
World at Work, an associa- with such situations from a ting them know that if they treatment, something that their time and need more
tion of human resources performance perspective, have a problem of some can become evidence in days, owner Robert Gas-
professionals. The report says Kate Zabriskie, CEO of kind, help is available. a discrimination lawsuit. kill will structure the work
said 51 percent of private Business Training Works, an Another issue can be if “You need to remain con- schedule so they can ac-
companies, which would employee development an employee runs out of sistent. You can’t look the crue more hours. If drivers
include small and mid-size consultancy based in Port time. It can happen if they other way for one person,” are sick and come to work,
businesses, offered PTO last Tobacco, Maryland. That take vacation time, some says Eric Cormier, a con- the law prohibits them from
year. The report was based means talking to workers if personal days for school sultant with the Houston- driving, so Gaskill assigns
on a survey of the organiza- they come in sick and let- events or to be home with based human resources them to work in the office.
tion’s members. ting them know they’re sick children, and then provider Insperity. Some companies award
One of the biggest pluses probably better off at come down with the flu at One solution is that if staff- top performers PTO as a
about PTO for small busi- home. the end of the year. ers are able to work from kind of bonus. Under a bo-
ness owners is eliminating “If they’re not performing When a staffer is running home and aren’t too sick, nus system, companies are
the administrative chore well because they’re ill, I’d out of days, especially if it’s they can telecommute to allowed to reward staffers
of tracking how many sick say, ‘You’ve got to be here a highly valued employee, avoid using PTO. with different amounts of
days versus vacation days and ready to do the job,’” it can be tempting for the Companies where employ- money or time off depend-
their employees have Zabriskie says. boss to say, “Don’t worry, ees don’t have that op- ing on how well they have
used. That can be particu- Van Vlymen suggests start- we’ll pay you for the days tion can also be creative. performed.q