California’s Recent Paid Sick Leave Law
The health family act of 2014 created by California governor, Jerry Brown requires all employers to provide sick leave to employees. The law was implemented from July 1 2015 and it made California to enter history books as the second state behind Connecticut to compel employers to provide this coverage to employees. However, unlike Connecticut where this law only applies to employers who have more than 50 employees, the California law applies to all employers regardless of the size of their workforce. In this article, we are going to break down this laws to help you understand exactly what it entails.
How has this law effected employers?
When this law came into effect in July 1 2015, all employers were required to offer a certain minimum amount of sick leave to their workers each year. This means that all employers in state of California must calculate the sick leave that each employee has accrued, report their balance and pay all their employees for the sick leave that they have taken within their minimum balance.
Who is eligible under this law?
All employees who have work for at least 30 days in year are eligible to receive sick leave under this law. This include both temporary and part time employees with only few exceptions.
How to determine the amount that an employee can take when on sick leave
When it comes to determining the amount an employee can take on sick leave, employers have two options. The first option is to offer lump sum to employees at the beginning of the year. Employer who choose this option must offer three days at the beginning of the year. The second option is known as the accrual method. Employers who choose this method are required to pay at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours that the employee has worked. Employers who choose this method have the flexibility to choose to start accruing sick leave from July 1, 2015 if the employees were hired before this law was implemented.
What happens if the employees don’t take sick leave?
Employees who have not taken sick leave can roll over the amount accrued to 48 hours of untaken sick leave. However, employers who provide lump sum at the beginning of the year are not required to roll over the remaining balance to the following year.
What are the reasons for taking sick leave?
Employees can take sick leave when their own health or the health condition of their family member is not well. They can also take sick leave when seeking preventative treatment.
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