Do you have an equitable personal leave policy?
Smith has been under the weather and requests a 3-mo personal leave without pay. Klein feels burned out and says he needs a leave to recharge his batteries. Jones wants a 6-mo leave to stay home with her problematical teen-age daughter.
By Raymond Dreyfack
Smith has been under the weather and requests a 3-mo personal leave without pay.
Klein feels burned out and says he needs a leave to recharge his batteries.
Jones wants a 6-mo leave to stay home with her problematical teen-age daughter.
Who gets the nod? Who gets the "No"? And what determines the response?
Deciding to accept or reject personal leave requests can be a ticklish matter. Employee morale is involved. So are the press of the workload, the responsibility level of the applicant, and the actual quality of performance itself.
Experience proves that where employee leave policy is stated in a manual or other document, it makes sense to do so in general terms. Typical recommended statements include such phrases as "for good cause," and "reasonable requests," leaving it up to management to evaluate the pros and cons for okay or denial. Finally, decision consistency is critical if discrimination charges are to be avoided.
In one case, Instrument Repairman Bill Oxham asked for a 3-mo leave to have a nose operation he described as "long overdue to relieve serious nasal congestion." Maintenance Foreman Jeff Egan was distressed by the timing. He showed Oxham a copy of the current work schedule.
"Do you know how far behind we are? I'm sorry, Bill, but I have to deny the request. A leave at this time is impossible."
Question: In Egan's place, would you have granted the leave?
Delaney's decision: "Give Oxham the leave," Plant Engineer Sam Delaney ruled. "For one thing, health consideration is priority number one, preempting work requirements and anything else. For another, there is the moral factor to consider, plus the importance of holding on to good employees. Finally, there's the reality of life that no one benefits from having a health-impaired person on the job. As experience indicates, health-impaired usually means performance-impaired as well."
Case Study Database
Get more exposure for your case study by uploading it to the Plant Engineering case study database, where end-users can identify relevant solutions and explore what the experts are doing to effectively implement a variety of technology and productivity related projects.
These case studies provide examples of how knowledgeable solution providers have used technology, processes and people to create effective and successful implementations in real-world situations. Case studies can be completed by filling out a simple online form where you can outline the project title, abstract, and full story in 1500 words or less; upload photos, videos and a logo.
Click here to visit the Case Study Database and upload your case study.
2012 Salary Survey
In a year when manufacturing continued to lead the economic rebound, it makes sense that plant manager bonuses rebounded. Plant Engineering’s annual Salary Survey shows both wages and bonuses rose in 2012 after a retreat the year before.
Average salary across all job titles for plant floor management rose 3.5% to $95,446, and bonus compensation jumped to $15,162, a 4.2% increase from the 2010 level and double the 2011 total, which showed a sharp drop in bonus.