So you
have employees in California. You’ve got
your new Paid Sick Leave poster up on the break room wall. You’ve provided your employees with updated
Labor Code 2810.5 forms that explain Paid Sick Leave (“PSL”) entitlement. And your payroll person hasn’t quit yet. You’re ready – right?
Great,
but let’s make sure.
Remember
that as of July 1, 2015, all employees
in California -- full-time, part-time,
temporary and special -- begin to accrue PSL after they have worked for you for
30 hours. Employers can limit an employee’s annual use of PSL to 24 hours or 3
days, and can limit total accrual of PSL to 48 hours or 6 days. The law
mandates that PSL can be taken in increments as small as 2 hours.
PSL
can be used for an employee’s own health condition or the health condition of a
family member. Family members include
children, spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, grandchildren and
siblings.
Employers
do not need to pay out unused PSL at termination. Accrued unused PSL must carry over to the
following year, but can be limited to the 48 hour cap.
Employers
can choose one of three methods to provide PSL benefits: lump sum, existing
policy or accrual. The “lump sum” method requires employers to authorize the
full 3 days of annual PSL for all employees on July 1, 2015. From an administrative standpoint, it is the
simplest method. Employers may also choose
to use or modify their existing policies, so long as they offer the required minimum
PSL. If PSL is something new for your organization – or if you haven’t offered
it before to part-time or temporary employees -- you may use the state’s “accrual”
method, which requires that employers provide 1 hour of PSL for every 30 hours
worked.
Make
sure to update your payroll systems to track PSL. Train supervisors and
managers about the requirements of the law and about your lump sum,
policy-based, or accrual method of allocating PSL. Employers must provide employees with regular
written notice of their accrued PSL. Keep detailed accrual and usage records
for three years.
Got all
that? Then you’re ready.
Posted by: Sarah Mott
