California’s paid sick leave law takes effect July 1 and if you haven’t begun preparing for this change, you should start now.
Did you know that parts of the law have already taken effect? Do you know what they are?
There are actions you should take now to prepare for the law, and you should also have policies in place before the law takes effect. The California Chamber of Commerce recommends the following.
What you should be doing now
- Post the new paid sick leave notice in a place where employees can easily see it.
- Provide the updated Wage Theft notice to nonexempt employees.
- Know that anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation provisions already apply, even before employees being accruing benefits on July 1.
- Check if there’s a local ordinance for paid sick leave that applies to your workers.
Before July 1
- Review your existing policies for sick leave and paid time off.
- Choose which method you’ll use to provide paid sick leave benefits to employees – accrual, lump sum or existing policy.
- Ensure your policies cover all eligible employees, and for all permissible uses.
- Communicate your paid sick leave policy to your staff.
- Train supervisors and managers about specific paid sick leave rights for employees.
- Update your payroll systems to track sick leave.
On July 1 and after
- Begin providing paid sick leave benefits on July 1 to employees who have worked in California for more than 30 days within a year from their start date.
- Allow employees to start using accrued paid sick days on the 90th day of employment, and upon reasonable request.
- Follow the law’s requirements regarding usage, record-keeping and timely payment.
- Track paid sick leave and update record-keeping systems as required.
- Show how many days of paid sick leave an employee has available, either on a pay stub or on a written document issued the same day as the paycheck.