Is It Fair to Withhold Salary if an Employee Can't Prove Their Hospital Stay?

Hello, please, I need advice. We have an employee in our organization who has taken her maternity leave, annual leave, and was also granted sick leave all at the same time. However, this employee claims she is still admitted to the hospital and has provided a hospital form stating that she remains on admission. All efforts to visit her at the hospital to confirm her admission have been unsuccessful, with the excuse that the hospital authorities are not allowing visitation to the emergency wards.

I suspect that she might be fabricating a story to continue receiving her salary. I have also requested that she provide an official report from the medical doctor confirming her admission, but I have not received it yet. Is it appropriate for us to withhold her salary this month if she does not provide the report from the hospital?

Category and Heading Adjustment

First and foremost, let me address the choice of your category. You have posted your query in "HR Humour." What is humorous about your query? I will change the category.

The same goes for the choice of the heading of the post. You have only written one word, i.e., "Pay." Is your post about payment to the employee or the employee's leave on dubious grounds? I need to change the heading as well.

Verification of Hospitalization

Regarding your query, you may send an official letter to the hospital authorities for the verification of her hospitalization. Let the letter be sent by the Director of your company and addressed to the Director of the Hospital.

Secondly, when we visit the hospital, generally outside the patient's ward, there is a desk or counter where nurses or medical assistants sit. They maintain the records of the history of the patients admitted to the ward. You may request at that counter whether the employee is admitted or not. Inform the medical assistant that you are verifying the records to avoid audit objections.

Leave Admissibility and Policy

Lastly, about the admissibility of the leave. Are you from India or another country? What is the leave eligibility for each employee? Do you have an employee leave policy in place? Medical leave cannot be granted for an indefinite period.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar