How do I compute the number of hours of paid sick leave for my employee who has irregular hours?
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Generally, under the FFCRA, you are required to provide an employee with paid sick leave equal to the number of hours that employee is scheduled to work, on average, over a two-week period, up to a maximum of 80 hours.
If your employee works an irregular schedule such that it is not possible to determine what hours he or she would normally work over a two-week period, you must estimate the number of hours. The estimate must be based on the average number of hours your employee was scheduled to work per calendar day (not workday) over the six-month period ending on the first day of paid sick leave. This average must include all scheduled hours, including both hours actually worked and hours for which the employee took leave.
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Consider the examples below involving two employees with irregular schedules who take leave on April 13, 2020. For both employees, the six-month period used for estimating average hours consists of 183 calendar days from October 14, 2019, to April 13, 2020.
During that six-month period, the first employee worked 1,150 hours over 130 workdays, and took a total of 50 hours of personal and medical leave. The total number of hours the employee was scheduled to work, including all leave taken, was 1,200 hours. The number of hours per calendar day is computed by dividing 1,200 hours by the 183 calendar days, which results in 6.557 hours per calendar day. The two-week average is computed by multiplying the per calendar day average by 14, which results in 91.8 hours. Since this is greater than the statutory maximum of 80 hours, the first employee, who works full-time, is therefore entitled to 80 hours of paid sick leave.
The second employee, in contrast, worked 550 hours over 100 workdays, and took a total of 100 hours of personal and medical leave. The total number of hours the employee was scheduled to work, including all leave taken, was 650 hours. The number of hours per calendar day is computed by dividing 650 hours by the 183 calendar days, which is 3.55 hours per calendar day. The two-week average is computed by multiplying the per calendar day average by 14, which results in 49.7 hours. The second employee, who works part-time, is therefore entitled to 49.7 hours of paid sick leave.