Employment Issues and Verification

As soon as a juror receives a summons for jury duty, he or she should inform the employer of the possibility of being selected and the need to be absent from work if selected to serve on jury duty. Employers are required to grant an employee a leave of absence for jury service per Wisconsin Statute 756.255.

At the completion of jury service, the Jury Coordinator will provide to any juror who requests it, a signed verification of jury service that identifies the date(s) of jury service and whether the service was for a full or half day.

State law currently does not require employers to continue paying the salary of employees who are absent because of jury service. Many employers, however, including state, federal and many local governmental agencies, have a policy of compensating employees for at least part, if not all, of the time spent in jury service. Employers and businesses are encouraged to support the jury system by paying employees while they are serving as jurors. If employers do pay their employees during jury service, they have the right to require employees to remit the per diem (excluding mileage) they received for jury service.

An employer shall grant an employee a leave of absence without loss of time in service for the period of jury service. For the purpose of determining seniority or pay advancement, the status of the employee shall be considered uninterrupted by the jury service. No employer may use absence due to jury service as a basis for discharging an employee or for taking any disciplinary action against an employee.

An employer who discharges or disciplines an employee may be fined not more than $200 and may be required to make full restitution to the aggrieved employee, including reinstatement and back pay.