Are employers allowed to require employees to take annual leave during specified periods?

In the state of Washington, employers are allowed to require employees to take annual leave during specified periods. These periods are generally referred to as “mandatory blackout periods”. During these blackout periods, employers can require employees to take their annual leave whether they want to or not. This can be done for a variety of reasons, such as company-wide vacation periods, seasonal employee shortages, or to ensure certain employees are available during a certain time of year. However, employers in Washington must adhere to certain rules and regulations when mandating these blackout periods. For example, employers must provide employees with at least 30 days’ notice before implementing the mandatory leave period and must provide compensation for the time taken during the blackout period. Additionally, employers cannot create a policy that forces employees to use more than two weeks of their annual leave during the blackout period. Finally, employers in Washington also cannot discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, or disability when implementing mandatory blackout periods. Additionally, in some cases, employers may be required to give employees the option of taking unpaid leave instead of their paid annual leave. In summary, employers can require employees to take annual leave during specified periods in Washington, however, they must adhere to certain rules in order to do so.

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Are employers allowed to require employees to take annual leave during specified periods?

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