5 Tips for When Military Duty Calls

Employees have the right to use their vacation time or personal days during their service; they may also opt for unpaid leave.

You are not obligated to pay employees who are absent on account of military duties, unless your company policy says you will.

If your company does have a paying policy for military service time, you cannot require employees to use their vacation or paid leave time.

You must extend the same benefits to employees who are absent for military service as you do to employees who are on nonmilitary leaves of absence.

You may temporarily fill vacancies left by military employees absent for service. However, upon their return, military employees are entitled to the same positions they left.