The Workplace Advisors specializes in providing HR assistance to associations such as PPAI and their member companies.
Each month, the consultancy answers anonymous questions from companies about a myriad of topics. Below is advice on how to handle anonymous complaints about employees and whether you should pay employees if you close the office due to weather conditions.
Question: We received an anonymous complaint about one of our employees. It was a vague “inappropriate conduct” complaint left on our general voicemail. We have no way of following up with the person or anything specific to pursue through an investigation. What do we do?
Answer: While you should take every complaint seriously, you probably need more information to investigate.
If there is no way to contact the person who made the complaint (i.e., caller ID), you can do whatever you can with the information they provided. You can also determine how much credibility you want to place in the complaint of someone who won’t give you their name or specific details.
If the allegations can be explored through a resource such as security footage or account reconciliation, try that.
You can also inform the named employee of the complaint and see what they say – maybe they know who the person is or the underlying reason for the complaint. Don’t feel like you need to discipline the employee if there isn’t enough evidence of wrongdoing.
As with any investigation, exhaust whatever means you have to try to find out what actually happened. Document everything – noting your actions and the challenges you faced during the investigation. Then, if appropriate, you can reopen the case if you get more information in the future.
Question: What is the policy on closing the office due to bad weather? Do I have to pay my employees if we have to close the office?
Answer: How you set up your inclement weather policy is a matter of preference and should be spelled out in your employee handbook. Generally, non-exempt, hourly workers don’t need to be paid for the time not worked, although some states require some reporting pay if they are sent home from work before the end of their shift.
Should you wish to pay them because it’s a circumstance beyond their control, you can certainly do so. For exempt, salaried employees, if you close the office, you can’t dock their pay for time not worked if they worked any time during the workweek, but you may be able to request that they take paid time off.
If they do not have any leave remaining, you must pay them for the time off. However, if an exempt employee doesn’t work at all during the workweek, you may not need to pay them. Under either circumstance, if the employee is working from home, he or she must be paid.
We understand that navigating inclement weather closures and determining appropriate pay can be confusing for employers. If you need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for guidance on how to ensure compliance and support for your team.
To learn more, visit www.theworkplaceadvisors.com.
