Hi Jon,

The procedure would differ depending on a few factors, such as whether the employee is exempt or not. However, I’ll assume you’re talking about an hourly worker who wants to take a 2-hour break from work, but who doesn’t want to use up 2-hours of PTO time and prefers to make up the time instead.

We have articles on how to create a time off policy, including one that offers the option of unlimited PTO. Both of those have free policy templates with language in them that you could download and use for free. I’ve also attached an article clarifying exempt vs. non-exempt. For example, if this person is exempt, you really shouldn’t be tracking PTO in hourly increments in the first place.

However, before you develop a policy change, consider what’s causing the friction in the first place. Is it the fact that the employee is out of the office for 2 hours causing other workers to have to cover their work? Or is it the fact that the employee is staying late, and someone needs to stay with them to lock up? Is the employee a family member who others feel is getting special treatment?

A best practice would be to allow an employee flexibility to use their PTO in whatever way suits them. Work life balance is important to employees. I have seen policies that say things like “time away from work must be used within the same pay period”. But I’ve never seen one that won’t allow an employee to make up time in the same day. If you want something like that, consider:

“Employees must use available PTO time whenever they’re not working or they may take time off unpaid with supervisor approval. Furthermore, time is not allowed to be made up, even within the same business day without supervisor approval.”

However, that seems a bit inflexible to me. I’d advise against it, in favor of working with employees to help them meet their personal needs while still getting the work done.

How To Create A Paid Time Off (PTO) Policy – Ultimate Guide with Template

Should You Offer Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)? Pros, Cons, & Pitfalls To Avoid

Exempt Employees vs Non Exempt Employees – The Ultimate Guide to Overtime Laws for 2017