Can I require that employees take vacation time only after they've earned it?

Q&As

• Can we assign vacation time to employees who do not sign up to take vacation?
• Can we avoid cashing out unused vacation on termination?​
• Can an employer buy back vacation or PTO hours at less than full value from California-based employees?
• Can we change our vacation policies as a result of the employees not using their time?
• How do we calculate vacation pay for our commission-only, outside sales staff?
• What should I do when Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day fall on Saturday and Sunday?
• Does an employee continue to accrue vacation time while on pregnancy disability leave?
• May we deduct from an exempt employee's salary when they have no paid time off accrued and take off a partial day for illness or vacation?
• Can I only deduct increments of four or more hours from an exempt employee’s paid time off bank for a partial day’s absence?
• Can we have different vacation policies for different worksites and different groups in the same office?
• If an employee is terminated before completing a 90-day probationary period, do we have to pay accrued vacation?
• How does an employer’s closing, sale or bankruptcy affect final pay for accrued and unused vacation?
• How robust should our holiday policy be?
• What must I pay employees during a holiday shutdown?
• Can I let an employee who is out of vacation time use sick leave to take time off for a trip?
• Does an ownership change require a vacation payout?
• Do I have to pay an employee who is leaving for unused sick and/or vacation time?
• Must I pay an exempt employee who worked during their vacation?
• Must I pay overtime on hours an employee is paid for time off such as vacations, holidays and sick time?
• Are personal days or floating holidays considered accrued vacation payable at termination?
• Can we have a policy requiring employees to work the day before and after a holiday to receive pay for not working on the holiday?
• What is a PTO policy?
• If we have a PTO policy, do we have to track mandatory paid sick leave time separately from other reasons for time off?
• Am I required to provide paid vacation time to employees?
• Can I require employees to use vacation or forfeit it?
• Can I require employees to work on a holiday and how do I pay them?
• Can I require an employee to use accrued paid vacation time before taking unpaid time off?
• What are the time limits and criteria applicable to a vacation earnings cap?
• Does vacation pay accrue during a layoff period?
• Can I wait for a period of time before an employee starts earning vacation?