Read and abide by the law. Employers must consult with labor law specialists to understand the legal requirements that mandate employee leave. Keep records of the law requirements to provide easy reference for each of the items that you must include in each employee file.
Research the difference between types of leave mandated by the law such as vacation leave, holiday leave, sick leave, funeral leave, personal leave, jury duty and family and medical leave and the requirements of each, such as compensation laws for each of the leaves.
Develop a company employment policy and share it with your employees. Provide a copy of your company’s employment policy to every new employee. Enlighten all employees on the mandatory leave benefits allowed by the law and their provisions.
Ask your employees to provide the necessary information for each of the requirements in the employee’s policy. Include your company’s leave incentives in the employee’s policy. Clarify the timelines associated with each type of leave provided for by the law. Address absenteeism in the policy so that your employees clearly understand the difference between leave and absenteeism.
Maintain official staff personal files with historical records of information pertaining to your staff employment from the day of hire to the time of separation. Include pre-employment and post-employment information where necessary.
Keep all leave application forms in the personnel files and include all the approvals and denials of such requests. Ensure that there is a consistent review, for instance annually, of all personnel files.
Put measures in place to ensure employees' confidentiality, such as separating information related to mandated medical leave records from the contents of the official personnel files. Keep all medical leave records and their supporting evidence, including any doctor recommendations obtained. Ensure the information kept includes a history of the conditions.
Study the federal and state law and ensure you retain the records as required by the law before purging them.