Do we have to pay for holidays employees don't put on time sheets? 08-09-2006

Our hourly employees complete time sheets so that their payroll can be generated. Full-time employees receive a number of benefits, one of which is paid holidays. If an employee neglected to record holidays on his/her time sheet, is the employer responsible to back track and pay for holidays that they did not record on their weekly time sheets?

Rita Risser replies:

Legally, you are not required to give holidays, so the fact that you do is a matter of contract law. If your policy is clear that people have to put in for their holidays, then that is part of the contract. But if it is more vague, then I would think you have a duty to make sure people get their holidays. You are talking about "going back." If it was one holiday that a new employee missed, I would give it to them, but if they have been missing out for months and just sort of woke up, I might not. In sum, try to be reasonable.

Good luck.

Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.