QUESTION
Can a company force you to take time off D/T lack of work and make you use your earned vacation time in order to keep you medical benifits?
Asked on Sep 29th, 2011 on Labor and Employment - Ohio
More details to this question:
I work in the medical field and was hired to work 9 days a pay (every two weeks). Lately the company has been calling us off or sending us home early D/T lack of work. We are given the option of using our earned vacation time to cover our lost wages. We need to work so many hours a pay period, to maintain our full time status and receive our medical benifits. This forces us to use our vacation time when they choose and not for our pleasure. Can they legally make us stay home or leave early? Also can they force us to use our vacation time in order to keep our benifits, as they are the ones cutting our hours not us.
1 ANSWER
Labor and Employment Attorney serving Atlanta, GA
2 Awards
The employer controls when and if you work, unless you have a contract that provides otherwise. It can force you to go home early, or to use up accrued vacation time to count you as having worked a certain number of hours. The employer's Health Insurance benefits plan contract contains a definition of covered employees. Usually this clause requires that an employee work a certain number of hours per week to qualify for coverage. By counting vacation hours as hours worked, the employer is ensuring that you fit within the definition of a covered employee.
Michael Caldwell
404-979-3150
Answered on Sep 29th, 2011 at 4:09 PM