Employers and employees in the State of California should know that a new law has taken effect as of July 1, 2015 as a result of Assembly Bill 1522. California employers are now required to provide paid sick leave to all employees, including part-time and temporary workers. Under the new law, all employees will accrue at least 1 hour of paid sick leave for each 30 hours worked or must receive a credit of 24 hours of paid sick leave at the beginning of each year.

The obligations imposed on California employers to comply with this new law are significant. The business and operational impacts are also far-reaching as the new law is quite nuanced. Employees should keep a lookout for required notices of the new law, and review their pay stubs to verify that they are receiving paid sick leave.

Employers should take all necessary steps to ensure that their employees are notified of this new law, and make every effort to properly track and record paid sick leave. This includes revisions to employee handbooks and potential changes to “paid time off” policies.

Feel free to contact us for more information regarding modification of employee handbooks or company policies to ensure compliance with this and other employment-related laws.