Inquiries about Personal Days off

[simo24]

(Iowa) My employer requires us to give a reason for taking personal days off. He does this so in the event multiple employees request the same day he can decide which reason is more important and give the day off to that specific person. He also threatens that if we lie about what we will be doing on our personal days off we will be terminated even if he finds out 6 months later we will be terminated. Is it legal for him to pry into our personal lives like that? Does he have the right to decide which reason for a day off is more important; after all its supposed to be "personal"? (Iowa)

[cbg]

He is not required to provide personal days at all and you have no legal guarantee of being able to take off whatever days you want. In a VERY few situations his right to ask for specifics is limited, but he has the right to ask for general information about your reason and to grant time only when he feels it is justified. It would only be illlegal if members of one or more protected groups were adversely affected by the policy. He can legally fire you for lying, no matter how long ago the lie was when he discovers it.