PTO or Sick/Vacation? With Mandatory Paid Leave Gaining Ground, Which is Better for Your Organization?

In this webinar, we will be reviewing the transition from a sick/vacation policy to a PTO policy as well as making the transition from a PTO plan to a sick/vacation plan. PTO or a Paid Time Off programs that combined vacation and sick leave into one bucket of time off was the trend for many years. Transitioning from a sick/vacation plan to a PTO has its complications, but proper planning and communication will ensure its success. 

On the other hand, due to mandatory paid sick leave laws, many organizations are considering moving away from PTO back to a sick/vacation plan. Ten states require paid sick leave. Eighteen states will pass new legislation soon to require businesses to offer paid sick leave to employees. Other states will follow suit in the next year or so and a Federal Law requiring paid sick leave seems to be getting closer and closer to being passed.

In addition to state laws, many municipalities also require paid sick leave. Do you have a federal contract? If so, you are required to have a sick leave policy. Do you have a contract with a municipality? If so, have you checked to see if you have to offer paid sick leave? With the passage of these laws, PTO may become obsolete as many states require payment of unused PTO upon termination, however, the same states do not require payment of unused sick leave.

Participants will come away from this webinar with a better understanding of:

• Knowing how the trends of offering mandatory sick leave to employees will affect their organization
• Developing a plan to institute the changes necessary to comply with mandatory sick leave laws
• How to conduct a cost analysis to decide which type of plan is best for your organization?
• How to maintain consistency in your time off benefit in various geographic areas of the country?
• How to develop and communicate changes in time-off policies?

• Current mandatory paid sick leave laws in place
• A review of pending legislation
• A comparison of PTO policies vs. sick/vacation
• Conducting a cost-benefit analysis for both plans
• Planning for changes
• Communicating the changes
• Action items for participants

• With the above-described legislation, changes must be made to time off policies
• Multi-state employers need to know what the compliance requirements are. Each state and municipality has different rules for accrual of sick leave and the reasons they can be used
• Under the mandatory paid sick leave, abuse will become a huge problem - how will your organization deal with it
• Compliance is not difficult if you know what you are doing

• Human Resources professionals
• Payroll administrators           
• Benefits professionals
• Business managers

Bob McKenzie brings over 40 years of extensive human resources management experience to the table. With a rich background spanning various industries in both the private sector, public sector, and nonprofit organizations, Bob has honed his expertise in all facets of HR practices.

His insights and expertise have been recognized in numerous Human Resources trade publications, including HR.com, HR Magazine, HR Florida Review, Vault.com, BNA, the Institute of Management and Administration, and the Business Journals. As a sought-after speaker, Bob has graced several conferences and led engaging audio and web-based seminars.

Bob holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce Degree with double majors in Industrial Relations and Organizational Behavior from Rider University. Currently residing in Brunswick, GA, Bob continues to be a driving force in the HR industry, offering valuable insights and solutions to organizations worldwide.