(AKA: People Ops Just Never Ends…)
With the passing of Westchester County’s Earned Sick Leave (WCESL), Westchester became one in a number of cities and municipalities across the country to pass similar legislation. Many will wonder why Westchester passed this new law with NYS having recently passed Paid Family Leave state wide. The two laws are similar with slight differences.
WCESL law is different than NYS Paid Family Leave (NYSPFL) in three significant ways. NYSPFL (1) is employee funded through payroll deductions into disability insurance, (2) covers all employers with as few as one employee, and (3) it covers time off for the care of family members, not self-care. WCESL (1) is completely employer funded whereby employees accrue 1 hour sick leave for every 30 hours worked which the employer pays, (2) requires employers with five or more employees to pay employees for sick pay, and (3) it covers time off for the care of both family members and self-care.
KEY WCESL TAKEAWAYS:
• Employees Begin Sick Leave Accrual on July 10, 2019 or 1st day of Employment (whichever is later)
• Employees Accrue 1 hour for Every 30 Worked up to a Max of 40 hours per Year
• Employers can Delay Use of Leave for 90 days
• Can be used for Self-Care and Family-Care
To find out more about the details of the regulations HERE>
Whether it’s a long-term NYSPFL or short-term WCESL, successful organizations plan for staff interruptions and have contingency plans. With effective needs analysis to determine a baseline of current staff and skill demands, organizations can evaluate where their gaps are and forecast future needs. The development of an effective staffing model is essential to both maintaining productivity levels and cost controls (as well as your sanity!)
To find out more about strategies on staff coverage HERE>
