Keeping employees honest about their sick time use

When an employer offers paid sick time to their employees they can boost morale in the work area and give sick employees a chance to get better without spreading the germs to the rest of the office. But many employers worry that offering sick time can lead to their employees dishonestly using it. This article discusses three ways that an employer can keep their employees honest about their sick time use.

Teach them, and then trust them

Trusting employees to use their sick time honestly when they are truly sick can be a hard thing for employers to do. But sometimes that is just what needs to happen. But an employer should not just naively trust their employees to use their sick time honestly; they need to take time to teach their employees how to honestly use the sick time they are given by the employer.

An employer should begin teaching their employees the second they get hired. They can explain to them the privilege they are being given of having sick time and that they should use it honestly. It also can't hurt for the employer to explain what honest use of sick time is.

Honest use of sick time will of course depend on the sick time policies for that specific company. An employer can explain that paid sick leave can only be used when the employee is sick, or if it can be used when a child, spouse, or other family member is ill, they should explain that as well.
An employer should also point out that the employee is only given a certain amount of paid sick time so that the employee is aware of just how much sick time they actually have.

But even if employers teach their employees about sick time when they are first hired, they should not expect the employees to remember everything. It is a good idea for the employer to hold meetings periodically (when they seem to be needed) to remind the employees of the sick time policies of the company. During these meetings an employer should also stress the importance of the employees using their sick time honestly.

Get rid of it.for awhile

One of the best ways for employees to start using their sick time honestly is by having it taken away when they do not use it honestly. If an employer senses that the sick time being given to the employees is being taken advantage of and not being used honestly they can threaten to take the sick time for awhile. If that does not seem to work then the employer should get rid of it for awhile. As long as this is legal then it can be a great way to encourage proper and honest use of sick time.

Reward employees

A great idea to help employers make sure their employees use their sick time honestly is by rewarding employees who do not use their sick time. If the prizes are good, employees will not think it is worth it to dishonestly use their sick time and will only use it when they are actually sick and they have to use the sick time.

Employers should think about what prizes and rewards their employees would be interested in. Many employees like money, gift cards to restaurants, movie theatres, stores, or tickets to concerts and sporting events.