guidance for earned sick leave policies

For example, if an employee carries over 16 hours of paid sick leave into a new accrual year, she must be permitted to accrue 40 additional hours of paid sick leave even if she does not use any paid sick leave while that accrual occurs. The final definitions of these terms are based on the definitions that appear in the Violence Against Women Act, one of the statutes to which the EO directs the Department to look. In [SHRM members-only how-toguide: How to Develop and Administer Paid Leave Programs]. 4. div#block-eoguidanceviewheader .dol-alerts p {padding: 0;margin: 0;} 7. Chicago and Santa Monica, Calif., employers with 26 or more employees must front load 72 hours annually. What is the status of pay and benefits while an employee is on paid sick leave? (3) Caring for a child, parent, spouse, domestic partner, or any other individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship who has any of the conditions or needs for diagnosis, care, or preventive care described in (1) or (2) or is otherwise in need of care. No. Q. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. copies of notifications to employees of the amount of paid sick leave accrued; denials of employees' requests to use paid sick leave; dates and amounts of paid sick leave employees use; and. What information must be contained in the request to use paid sick leave? These interpretations are the same as under the Final Rule implementing the Minimum Wage EO. No. Does an employee accrue paid sick leave based on all time spent working for a Federal contractor? Your session has expired. var currentUrl = window.location.href.toLowerCase(); @media (max-width: 992px){.usa-js-mobile-nav--active, .usa-mobile_nav-active {overflow: auto!important;}} In requesting leave, employees are not required to provide detail about the circumstances surrounding the need for leave, but they must provide sufficient information to enable contractors to assess whether a request to use paid sick leave is valid. What if it is difficult for a contractor to track how many hours employees working in connection with covered contracts spend on such work? The Final Rule permits a contractor to contact the health care provider or other individual who created or signed any certification or documentation only for purposes of authenticating the document or clarifying its contents. Why can't an employer count the same leave for both SCA/DBA and EO? How do the EO's requirements interact with the FMLA? Paid sick leave required by the EO and the Final Rule is in addition to a contractor's obligations under the SCA and DBA. In some instances, such as if it is unclear at the time of the request whether the employee will be working on or in connection with a covered or non-covered contract at the time for which paid sick leave is requested, as soon as practicable could mean within a day or no longer than within a few days. The Final Rule applies to "new contracts," that is, contracts with the Federal Government that result from solicitations issued on or after January 1, 2017 or that are awarded outside the solicitation process on or after January 1, 2017. A contractor may not receive credit toward its prevailing wage or fringe benefit obligations under those Acts for any paid sick leave provided in satisfaction of the requirements of the EO. A contractor may choose to do so, and would not be penalized for doing so; specifically, if a contractor has a more generous policy regarding when employees may use paid sick leave than is necessary under the Final Rule such that an employee could use all 56 hours of his accrued paid sick leave during a period when he was working exclusively on a private contract, the contractor is not obligated to provide any additional paid sick leave for use during time the employee spends performing work on or in connection with covered contracts. If an employee carries over paid sick leave from the previous accrual year, is that employee's additional accrual in the new year limited to less than 56 hours? Q. #views-exposed-form-manual-cloud-search-manual-cloud-search-results .form-actions{display:block;flex:1;} #tfa-entry-form .form-actions {justify-content:flex-start;} #node-agency-pages-layout-builder-form .form-actions {display:block;} #tfa-entry-form input {height:55px;} .cd-main-content p, blockquote {margin-bottom:1em;} 1. Contracting agencies must also assist the Department of Labor in enforcing the obligations of contractors, such as by withholding funds from contractors that violate the EO's requirements. Employees are eligible to take FMLA leave if they have worked for their employer for at least 12 months, and have worked for at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months, and work at a location where at least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles. Can I ask a worker to postpone leave if it isn't an emergency? How do the EO's requirements interact with the FMLA? Examples include, but are not limited to, a common cold, ear infection, upset stomach, ulcer, flu, headache, migraine, sprained ankle, broken arm, or depressive episode. State and local law provisions interfere with establishing uniform practices. May an employer require certification or documentation to verify the need to use paid sick leave? How far in advance does an employee have to request leave? It includes such relationships as grandparent and grandchild, brother- and sister-in-law, fianc and fiance, cousin, and aunt and uncle. When may a contractor deny an employee's request to use paid sick leave? A human resources professional, a leave administrator, or a management official should make contact with the health care provider or other individual who created or signed the certification or documentation. 7. the subject of litigation. 1. If she uses, for example, 24 hours of paid sick leave in the same accrual year (so she has 32 hours remaining available for use), she must be permitted to accrue up to at least 16 more hours (in addition to the 40 hours she has already accrued during the accrual year) for a total of 56 hours accrued in that accrual year. For example, if an employee works on an SCA-covered contract for security services for 30 hours each workweek and works for the same contractor on a contract not covered by the Final Rule for an additional 30 hours each workweek, the contractor would only be required to allow the employee to accrue 1, rather than 2, hours of paid sick leave each workweek. 12. Can an employee use paid sick leave at any time when he or she is scheduled to perform work for a Federal contractor? }); if($('.container-footer').length > 1){ In How long does a contractor have to respond to a request to use paid sick leave? These tips are based on federal employment discrimination laws. A contractor may require the employee to provide certification or documentation within 30 days of the date the leave begins. The final rule describes the categories of contracts and employees covered by the Executive Order; the rules and restrictions regarding the accrual and use of paid sick leave; the obligations of contracting agencies, the Department of Labor, and covered Federal contractors under the Order; and the remedies and enforcement procedures to . This rate will be lower than the regular nationwide rate because these employers will be providing employees with paid sick leave required by the EO in addition to health and welfare benefits under the SCA. SeaTac, Wash., accrued but unused leave must be cashed out (however, the state law requires a specific amount of leave to be carried over, so employers must ensure their end-of-year practices comply with both laws, if applicable). 5. Who could make the contact with the health care provider regarding certification? You can also access this document via the Wage and Hour Division's (WHD) website at http://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd . 17. Transition leave. /*-->*/. Q. This information must be readily available to all employees, and provided to them no later than their first day of employment. 5. In 1. What is the amount of paid sick leave required under EO 13706? 6. Q. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM China "); 14. Q. Michigan did not set an annual or overall cap on how much leave an employee could accrue. (Any paid sick time a contractor provides even though it is not required by EO 13706 can, however, count toward SCA obligations if it is provided in compliance with SCA requirements.) What happens to the paid sick leave accrual if an employee's employment terminates, but the employee is later rehired? Rather, the law requires a maximum bank, For work to which EO 13706 does not apply, the contractor is not obligated to provide employees with paid sick leave in accordance with the EO and therefore is not entitled to a reduction in the SCA health and welfare fringe benefit rate. In other words, if a contractor provides 56 hours of PTO that meets the requirements described in the Order and the Final Rule but employees can use the leave for any purpose, the contractor does not have to provide separate paid sick leave even if an employee uses all of the time for vacation or any other non-sick leave purpose. 20. The employer, however, does not have to allow the employee to accrue additional paid sick leave under the EO, while the employee is using paid sick leave. Yes. Are there any limits to the amount of paid sick leave that can be accrued? In If a CBA ratified before September 30, 2016 applies to an employee's work performed on or in connection with a covered contract, and the CBA provides the employee with at least 56 hours (or 7 days, if the CBA refers to days rather than hours) of paid sick time (or paid time off that may be used for reasons related to sickness or health care) each year, the requirements of the EO and the Final Rule do not apply to the employee until the date the agreement terminates or January 1, 2020, whichever is first. A contractor may communicate its grant of a request to use paid sick leave either orally or in writing. other records showing the tracking of employees' accrual and use of paid sick leave. Members may download one copy of our sample forms and templates for your personal use within your organization. Yes. 4. These procedures are largely identical to those adopted in the Final Rule implementing the Minimum Wage EO. Q. What does it mean for an employee's wages to be governed by the SCA? What if a CBA that already provides paid sick leave applies to an employee's work performed on or in connection with a covered contract? How is the Department defining domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking? A contractor is not required to allow employees to accrue paid sick leave in increments smaller than 1 hour for completion of any fraction of 30 hours worked. In that circumstance, a contractor's obligation to allow employees to carry-over unused leave coupled with "frontloaded" leave can result in an employee having more than 56 hours of paid sick leave available for use at one time, but will not require an employee to receive more than 56 additional hours in any one year. What amounts of paid sick leave could an employee use, or would an employee have to use, when she needs to take leave? Q. Transfer and recredit of leave. An official website of the United States government. The term includes, but is not limited to, doctors of medicine or osteopathy, podiatrists, dentists, psychologists, optometrists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse-midwives, clinical social workers, physician assistants, physical therapists, and Christian Science Practitioners listed with the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts. Q. The requirements apply regardless of the value of the subcontract. How many employees will receive additional paid sick leave under the Final Rule? Reposted with permission. What contracts are covered by EO 13706 and the Final Rule? If an employee carries over paid sick leave from the previous accrual year, is that employee's additional accrual in the new year limited to less than 56 hours? 2. If it is physically impossible for an employee using paid sick leave to commence or end work during a shift, such as if a flight attendant is scheduled to work aboard an airplane, and no equivalent position is available, the employer may require the employee to use sick leave to cover the entire period that the employee is forced to be absent. 3. Please log in as a SHRM member. What does it mean for an employee's wages to be governed by the FLSA? Who is a heath care provider for the purpose of the EO? Q. The categories of covered contracts are identical to those covered by the Final Rule implementing EO 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors (Minimum Wage EO), except that the Final Rule implementing EO 13706 applies to certain contracts with the U.S. This is not intended to permit a contractor to change its accrual systems during an accrual year, but rather, at the beginning of a new accrual year. .agency-blurb-container .agency_blurb.background--light { padding: 0; } Can I ask a worker to postpone leave if it isn't an emergency? The legislation provides that paid leave shall accrue at the rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked. Need assistance with a specific HR issue? 5. Similarly, because paid sick leave provided in accordance with the EO and the Final Rule is required by law, such paid sick leave cannot count toward the fulfillment of SCA or DBA obligations. What if a contractor does not already keep a record of hours worked for certain employees? Q. May an employee use paid sick leave provided in accordance with EO 13706 for time to travel to and from a location where the employee will receive medical examination or treatment, including travel to another state? The certification need not name the perpetrator of the domestic violence, the nature of the acts that constitute domestic violence, the addresses of the old or new homes, or any other details beyond those sufficient to make clear that the time was used for a purpose that justifies the use of paid sick leave. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems. 10. How often does paid sick leave accrue? The Final Rule requires a contractor to allow carryover of paid sick leave an employee has accrued but not used from one accrual year to the next. 29 CFR 13.3(c) explains that the EO only applies to contracts with the Federal Government requiring performance in whole or in part within the United States, which is defined in 29 CFR 13.2 to mean exclusively the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Please log in as a SHRM member before saving bookmarks. Q. Q. A request to use paid sick leave is acceptable if the employee directs it to the appropriate personnel under a contractor's policy or, in the absence of a formal policy, any personnel who typically receive requests for other types of leave on behalf of the contractor, such as a supervisor or human resources department staff. An employer cannot require an employee to find their replacement for the leave. If the contractor does not receive certification or documentation from an employee, the contractor may, within 10 calendar days of the deadline for receiving the certification or documentation, retroactively deny the employee's request to use paid sick leave. The contractor may ask questions narrowly tailored to making that determination. .table thead th {background-color:#f1f1f1;color:#222;} Q. .manual-search-block #edit-actions--2 {order:2;} The accrual year is the 12-month period in which an employee can be limited to accruing 56 hours of paid sick leave. Q. What is the amount of paid sick leave required under EO 13706? No. They also do not apply to contracts and agreements with and grants to Indian Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Public Law 93638), as amended. .manual-search ul.usa-list li {max-width:100%;} May an employer require certification or documentation to verify the need to use paid sick leave? 9. Under the Final Rule, a contractor may limit an employee's paid sick leave accrual each year to 56 hours. Q. Are any employees who work on or in connection with covered contracts excluded from the requirements of the Final Rule? The Final Rule adds additional examples describing the breadth of possible sources of documentation that may verify this type of leave, adding clergy, family, friends, or self-certification as examples. (4) Domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, if the time absent from work is for the purposes described in (1) or (2) or to obtain additional counseling, seek relocation, seek assistance from a victim services organization, take related legal action, including preparation for or participation in any related civil or criminal legal proceeding, or assist an individual related to the employee as described in (3) in engaging in any of these activities. How is the Department defining domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking? The Department estimated that when the Final Rule has been fully implemented, about 1,150,600 employees will receive additional paid sick leave. Q. Q. When the WHD issues an All Agency Memorandum (AAM) announcing its regular, annual update to the nationwide SCA health and welfare benefit rate, the AAM will also announce a health and welfare benefit rate specifically for hours when a Federal contractor's service employees are performing work on SCA-covered contracts also covered by EO 13706. Q. 7. No. The request for leave should provide an estimate of the timing and amount of leave needed. The employee's direct supervisor may not contact the employee's health care provider unless there is no other appropriate individual who can do so. For example, if an employee needs to be an hour late for work because of a doctor's appointment, her contractor would have to permit her to use only one hour of leave (rather than, for example, a full day). 3. For the purpose of the EO and the Final Rule, a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition is defined as any disease, sickness, disorder, or impairment of, or any trauma to, the body or mind. A contractor must provide to an employee using paid sick leave the same regular pay and benefits the employee would have received had the employee not used paid sick leave. If employers elect to advance earned sick leave so that all employees start the employer's benefit year with 40 hours of earned sick leave, they should include it in their written earned sick leave policy. Employees will be paid their full wage while on leave and tipped workers will be paid the minimum wage in their respective locale. May an employee use paid sick leave provided in accordance with EO 13706 for time to travel to and from a location where the employee will receive medical examination or treatment, including travel to another state? Q. A contractor could satisfy its obligations under the EO by providing paid sick time that fulfills the requirements of a State or local law as long as the paid sick time is accrued and may be used in a manner that meets or exceeds the requirements of the EO and the Final Rule. The regulations do not apply to contracts for the manufacturing or furnishing of materials, supplies, articles, or equipment to the Federal Government that are subject to the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act. This category of covered contracts refers to leases of Federal property, including space and facilities, and licenses to use such property entered into by the Federal Government for the purpose of offering services to Federal employees, their dependents, or the general public. 8. New York City, the law requires numerous practices to be expressly discussed in a written policy. 2. Nothing in the EO or the Final Rule excuses noncompliance with or supersedes any applicable Federal or State law, any applicable law or municipal ordinance, or a collective bargaining agreement requiring greater paid sick leave or leave rights than those established under the EO. . The law applies to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in What amounts of paid sick leave could an employee use, or would an employee have to use, when she needs to take leave? A contractor may use the SCA health and welfare benefit rate designated for work on contracts to which EO 13706 applies only with respect to work as to which the contractor is obligated by EO 13706 to provide access to paid sick leave. Moreover, the Austin ordinance is currently For employees as to whom contractors are not obligated by another statute (such as the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act, or Fair Labor Standards Act) to keep records of hours worked, such as white collar workers who are employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity, the Final Rule allows contractors to choose between tracking hours or continuing not to keep records of such employees' hours worked and instead allowing employees to accrue leave based on the presumption that the employees were working on or in connection with a covered contract for 40 hours per week. May a contractor contact a health care provider regarding certification? Which employees are covered by the EO and the Final Rule? Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. In For example, a note from a hospital nurse stating that an employee needed to have surgery and would need at least three days to recover before returning to work would meet the definition, as would a note from an employee's parent's doctor stating that the parent is in need of daily caretaking. The 12-month period can begin on the date an employee's work on or in connection with a covered contract began or any other fixed date chosen by the contractor, such as the date a covered contract began, the date the contractor's fiscal year begins, a date relevant under State law, or the date a contractor uses for determining employees' leave entitlements under the FMLA. How do the EO's requirements interact with a contractor's existing paid time off (PTO) policy? The Final Rule defines a "concessions contract" as a contract under which the Federal Government grants a right to use Federal property, including land or facilities, for furnishing services. Q. What are the requirements placed on contractors under this Final Rule? In order for a contractual agreement to be covered, the agreement would need to: (1) fall within the definition of a "contract or contract-like instrument" as set forth in the Final Rule, and (2) qualify as one of the specifically enumerated types of contracts described in the EO (a contract subject to the DBA or SCA, a concessions contract, or a contract entered into in connection with Federal property or lands and related to offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, or the general public). How long does a contractor have to respond to a request to use paid sick leave? If such a CBA provides the employee with paid sick time (or paid time off that may be used for reasons related to sickness or health care) each year, but the amount provided under the CBA is less than 56 hours (or 7 days), the contractor must provide covered employees with the difference between 56 hours (or 7 days) and the amount provided under the existing CBA in a manner consistent with either the EO and the Final Rule or the terms and conditions of the CBA. Q. Are there requirements for contracting agencies under this Final Rule? A contractor may not make an employee's use of paid sick leave contingent on the employee's finding a replacement worker to cover any work time to be missed. The leave required under EO 13706 includes time spent traveling to and from the location where an employee will receive medical examination or treatment. 1. .usa-footer .grid-container {padding-left: 30px!important;} What are the requirements placed on contractors under this Final Rule? Q. Documentation related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking may come from any person involved in providing or assisting with the care, counseling, relocation, assistance of a victim services organization, or related legal action, which would include a health care provider, counselor, employee of the victim services organization, attorney, clergy, family member, or close friend. How does an employee request leave? The Final Rule explains that employees whose wages are governed by the SCA include those who are "service employees" under the SCA, including individuals who are employed on an SCA contract and individually registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program registered with the Department's Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, or with a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship. A contractor may also prohibit an employee from having more than 56 hours of paid sick leave available for use at any point in time, except under certain circumstances where a covered contractor "frontloads" benefits as described above. Q. Connecticut, the law applies once a CBA entered into before Jan. 1, 2012 expires or is renegotiated; similarly, in The SCA and DBA both provide that fringe benefits furnished to employees in compliance with their requirements do not include any benefits "required by Federal, State, or local law." The Department recognizes that in some industries, employees work on a short-term basis for numerous employers that provide employee benefits by contributing to multiemployer plans negotiated pursuant to CBAs. A contractor must communicate any denial of a request to use paid sick leave in writing (including electronically, if the contractor customarily corresponds with or makes information available to its employees by such means), with an explanation for the denial. .paragraph--type--html-table .ts-cell-content {max-width: 100%;} Q. It will also notify contractors when it asks a contracting agency to withhold funds based on alleged violations of the EO and the Final Rule and is the agency responsible for enforcement of the EO. Statutory requirements prohibit an employer from counting the paid sick leave required by the EO toward fulfilling its SCA or DBA obligations. Massachusetts, employees must be able to use leave when they are transferred out of state. Q. 7. The request for leave does not need to contain extensive or detailed information about the reason for the leave and a contractor may not require such information. Contractor obligations for ensuring compliance by subcontractors are consistent with obligations under DBA, SCA and the Final Rule implementing the Minimum Wage EO. How does a contractor communicate approval or denial of a request to use paid sick leave? The EO requires certain parties that contract with the Federal Government to provide their employees with up to seven days of paid sick leave annually, including paid leave allowing for family care. 2. Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark. 3. Vermont, payment for leave used cannot be delayed while an employer waits for an employee to provide documentation supporting an absence. Philadelphia, the law does not set a cap on how many leave hours can be carried over. 1. Moreover, as explained above, paid sick leave requirements would apply only to "new contracts" with the Federal Government. On September 7, 2015, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13706, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors (EO). Under the Final Rule, a contractor shall calculate an employee's accrual of paid sick leave no less frequently than at the conclusion of each pay period or each month, whichever interval is shorter. The contractor would not be permitted to request additional details about the medical or other condition referenced, seek a second opinion, or otherwise question the substance of the certification. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM MENA "); What if another law or union collective bargaining agreement requires employers to provide more leave than is required under EO 13706? Special compensatory time off for travel. The Final Rule explains that employees performing "on" a covered contract are those employees directly performing the specific services called for by the contract (including, but not limited to, laborers and mechanics engaged in the construction of a public building or public work on the site of the work and service employees performing the specific services called for by an SCA-covered contract). What if it is difficult for a contractor to track how many hours employees working in connection with covered contracts spend on such work?

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guidance for earned sick leave policies

guidance for earned sick leave policies

guidance for earned sick leave policies