Q: With the recent increase in the number of COVID cases in Connecticut, so have the numbers of our employees who have tested positive. We have also had several employees tell us that they were exposed to COVID, either at home or at work.

If we send those exposed—but not sick—employees home to quarantine, do we have to pay them during their absence? Can we require them to use paid time off?

A: If quarantining employees are exempt and they worked any part of a work week, then yes, you must continue to pay them their regular salary during their absence, and you may not require them to use PTO time.

This is a wage and hour law specific to Connecticut. Although federal law allows employers to deduct time from an employee’s PTO bank in such circumstances, Connecticut employers must follow the more restrictive state law applicable to exempt employees.

In Connecticut, employees are “exempt” from certain wage and hour rules if they meet both the “duties test” and the “salary test.”

In general, Connecticut recognizes exemptions for administrative, executive, professional, and some sales positions.

To be exempt, an employee must also be compensated on a “salary basis,” which means that the employee receives a predetermined amount for each pay period, regardless of the number of days or hours worked, and regardless of the quality or quantity of work produced.

There are five exceptions to this rule, providing for allowable reductions in salary, outlined in Connecticut’s regulation...

Read Full Story: https://www.cbia.com/news/hr-safety/hr-hotline-paying-quarantined-employees/