COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Alison Landeen's coworkers literally gave her the gift of time when chemotherapy for breast cancer left her feeling so sick that she needed to take four or five days off work after each treatment.
Colleagues at Mountain Land Rehabilitation donated hundreds of hours of paid time off to help Landeen through the rough patch in her life. She has resumed working full time as a patient billing manager.
"When that number of hours comes up, you know that people have sacrificed maybe a vacation or a day or two that could have been used elsewhere," she said.
"It's really humbling that somebody would do that for you."
Suzanne Ellison, executive director of human resources for Mountain Land Rehabilitation, said the company has offered the option to employees for about 10 years.
"As we tell our employees, this is your personal time off. You choose how you want to spend it," she said.
The process has supervisors submitting requests to corporate officials.
"We discuss the situation and think about how we can help," Ellison said.
Mountain Land executives contact the person whom the supervisor has recommended to determine whether they approve of sharing their personal and or medical information with co-workers.
If they consent, an e-mail is sent to all Mountain Land employees. People who elect to donate their paid time off must fill out a payroll authorization form to contribute. The company does not disclose the identities of the employees who contribute.
"We like to keep it anonymous. It's done out of pure heart. You're not doing it for recognition, you just want to contribute," Ellison said.
Monica Whalen, president and chief executive officer of the Utah Employers Council, said the organization frequently advises employers on this issue.
While most people want to help a colleague out a sense of compassion and empathy, companies that elect to provide this option need policies that "protect people from their own good intentions," she said.
For instance, people need to hold paid time off in reserve in case they, too, experience a health or family issue that requires them to take time off work, said Whalen, an attorney who specializes in employment law.
"They can be caught shorthanded if they don’t have enough PTO (paid time off) to meet their own needs or family needs," she said.
Employers need to exercise care to protect employee confidentiality, ensure that no employee perceives they are discriminated against and that the person seeking the assistance is not perpetrating a fraud.
As for the recipient of this generosity, they need to keep in mind the income tax implications of such donations because some contributors may have higher salaries.
After a decade of providing the donation option to employees, Ellison said Mountain Land Rehabilitation has workable policies and practices.
"We try to remove the barriers and make it as user friendly for our employees to take part," she said.
Landeen, whose brother is KSL videographer Steve Landeen, said she is profoundly grateful for kindness of her co-workers.
"I'm grateful for life, because when you get this diagnosis, you don't always know what is going to happen."
Contributing: Carole Mikita.
E-mail: marjorie@desnews.com