Helping your employees understand all their options when they need time away from work
Benefit Must-Haves
Leave of Absence & PTO
Allowing your employees to take time away from work is essential in helping them maintain a healthy work-life balance. But depending on their situation, they may need help determining what kind of time they need to take. The right communication will help employees understand whether a leave of absence or paid time off is right for their situation.
What’s the difference between a leave of absence and PTO?
A leave of absence allows employees to be away from work for an extended period of time, usually to handle a personal situation like a serious medical condition or the birth of a new child. Leaves can either be paid or unpaid, depending on your company’s leave of absence policies, and they can also be mandatory or voluntary.
Paid time off (PTO) is a set number of days employees have available each year to take paid time away from work. While some companies still offer traditional vacation plans and sick days, most are starting to offer a general PTO bank, which allows employees to take time off at their discretion for any reason.
Why is it important to offer
leaves of absence and PTO?
1
Health and
Well-Being
Giving your employees the opportunity to take time away from work helps them care for their overall health and well-being. We know PTO is an increasingly popular benefit, so it’s no surprise to see employees rate paid vacation as the No. 2 most important benefit, right after health care, according to research done by Project: Time Off. Employees want to know they can take personal days away from work when health or family matters conflict with professional duties — and still earn their normal pay.
2
Clear Mind
And for the times when those personal demands last longer than a few days, employees rely on the ability to take extended time away from work through a leave of absence. They should be able to focus their full attention on their personal matters without feeling guilty about being absent from work.
3
Productivity
Allowing employees to take PTO or a personal leave of absence not only positively affects your employees, but it’s also beneficial to your company. According to an APA study, 58% of working adults reported that they were more productive following time off, and 55% said their work quality was better. Having the opportunity to refocus and rejuvenate increases an employee’s overall job satisfaction and also helps you retain top talent.
How to Communicate
Leaves of Absence and PTO
With all the complexities around time away from work, the way you communicate these benefits is critical. Knowing which time away option is right for certain situations can be confusing. Laying the information out for your employees in an easy-to-read format will help them understand their options and what may be best for them. At PartnerComm, we like to break the information out into smaller, more digestible sections.
Smart Tip!
A Leave of Absence and PTO Communication Example
PartnerComm was asked to create a Leave of Absence Tool for the employees of a nationally recognized cancer center. The tool lives on the company’s benefits website and asks employees a series of questions to model a leave based on their unique circumstances. The tool then shows them which leave and pay policies apply to them, gives details about when each policy begins and ends, describes the pay and benefits that apply and outlines any return-to-work policies. The tool was launched in January 2018 and, since then, more than 11,000 employees have used it to determine the best leave of absence option for them.