Question:
An employee quit without notice midway through the workweek. Do I have to pay them for the days they didn’t work?
Answer from Ophelia, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP:
No. If the employee is non-exempt, you only need to pay them for the time they worked. And while exempt employees usually must be paid for the full workweek if they performed any work during the workweek, there are exceptions to that requirement. One of those exceptions applies to the employee’s first and last week of work, for which you can prorate their salary based on the number of days they actually worked.
Just as a reminder, you should check state law for final paycheck timing requirements. Even when an employee quits without notice, you may be required to pay them sooner than the next scheduled payday.
Ophelia, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP
Ophelia has held HR roles in the financial services, healthcare, IT, real estate, and telecommunications industries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a concentration in Human Resources from Willamette University. A member of SHRM since 2008, Ophelia currently serves as the Director of College Relations for a regional Human Resources Management Association.
