As all the HR managers and CEOs are striving to keep the team productive and motivated at the workplace, different types of employee engagement activities may come in their mind. Well, while some fancy organizational retreats may work, you may not find them a cost-effective way to increase the morale of your employees. So, this is where a perfect leave policy comes to play. Out of all the HR policies, the experts think the leave policy always gets the maximum attention. An ideal leave or vacation policy creates a perfect work-life balance for the employees. This way, you can make sure that when they come to work again, they are motivated and refreshed.
Even though developing a good leave policy for the employee is a crucial part of better employee engagement, HR management sometimes ignores this. As your employees go on leave frequently, the leave policy of the company is put to the test every day. So, how to create an ideal one? Can you do that using a Vacation tracker like the Day off app? Keep reading to explore more.
What do you mean by a leave policy?
In general, a leave policy is an important document that can lay down the regulations and various rules related to different types of leaves that the employees can take. Your company’s leave policy can set out multiple types of leaves for various situations, for example, grief, sickness, vacation, and more.
Besides, it also states rules related to leaving encashment, availing leaves through a PTO tracking software, granting of leave, and more. Furthermore, your organization’s leave policy will reflect the professionalism and culture of the company through the policy’s tone, friendly quotient, and language.
Why does every company need a good leave policy?
Leave is a statutory obligation of the HR managers and a right of the employees. Your leave policy will help you to define the total number of leaves the employees can take, the types of leaves they are eligible for, and the process for applying for leave using a Leave tracker like Day off. When you have a leave policy, you can assure that your company will offer them the required time off to deal with their personal issue or other things. Now, let’s discuss how to make a leave policy that can boost productivity.
Creating a perfect leave policy
To create a leave policy, you will have to consider the below-mentioned points:
- Your weekend policy
- Different types of leaves offered to your employees
- Public holidays
- Rules governing the types of leaves
Every company offers paid leaves to the employees even though there are public holidays based on the local labor law.
Purpose for leave
First, you need to remind your employees that they can’t take a leave every single day. So, you need to identify different leave conditions and then move with that in the leave policy creation process. Well, some common types of leaves that you can add to your leave policy are; sick leaves, maternity leaves, casual leaves, public holidays, first response leaves, religious holidays, paternity leaves, bereavement leaves, compensatory leaves, and more. Well, to make the process a little easier for you, you can always use an employee leave tracker app.
Understand that laws related to leaves
There are different types of leave policies the employers or HR management should follow to remain compliant with the law. For every company, it is crucial to follow the local leave, federal, and state leave laws and then check with a professional attorney to make sure they have the right policy. Due to the COVID-19, some states have expanded the paid leave or sick leave. So, carefully monitor the changes while creating an employee leave policy. A professional Employee time off tracker can inform you about these things.
Add eligibility rules
Well, not all the employees can take all types of leaves. For instance, while paternity leaves are only for men, only women can take maternity leaves. There can be different conditions for the employees to be eligible for a leave type:
- A specific waiting period from the date of joining.
- Preventing your employee from taking certain leaves combined with other leaves, for instance, taking sick leave with annual leave, may not be allowed.
- Allow a leave if the leave balance of other types of leave is zero.
You can set the rules as per your requirements. However, make sure that the leave eligibility rules are flexible. Besides, use a Free vacation tracker to circulate the rules among employees and get their feedback to know whether they are happy with that or not.
Consider employee insurance
Buying certain types of insurance can help the HR managers to cover the costs of employee leaves. For instance, every employer has to pay into the employee’s compensation. On the other hand, some other insurance, such as disability insurance, can offer benefits to the employees when they are suffering from any illness or are on leave due to childbirth or injury. For help, you can hire an experienced attorney who can guide you in choosing the right type of insurance.
Set proper rules and regulations
Formulate proper rules related to each leave, and then you should let the employees go through those rules before they can apply for a leave. Mention the rules properly and describe the process of applying for a leave. Besides, mention the condition for the leaves. Otherwise, these things can become a loophole, and later, it can be a major problem. Using Day off, you can easily send those rules to all at the same time. There is no need to hang the notice on the notice board.
Creating the leave policy
A leave policy is very important, and you should take it lightly as it can affect the cost as well as productivity. Considering all these things, you can now start creating a leave policy for your company that will be perfect for the company as well as for the employees. Once developed, let your lawyer go through this and then send the policy to all with the help of the Free time off tracker.