Employees have the right to use paid vacation for their own health problems, doctor's appointments, and circumstances related to domestic violence, sexual abuse, or stalking. They can also use their earned paid sick leave to help family members who have the same conditions, appointments, or health circumstances. In Texas, a federal judge declared illegal the appointment of the volunteer body that established the requirements for preventive care. In Massachusetts, employers with 11 or more employees are mandated to provide paid sick leave.
Colorado's paid sick leave law states that a family member is an immediate relative connected by blood, marriage, civil union, or adoption. Companies can allow their staff to use paid sick leave as they accumulate it or set up a waiting period of up to one year. However, employers are not obligated to let employees transfer unused sick leave if they offer it in a lump sum. In addition to state laws, some localities have mandatory sick leave laws. For example, Arizona employers must allow their employees to transfer unused sick leave (up to the cumulative maximum) to the following year unless they anticipate paid sick time.
California's mandatory sick leave law states that employees can accumulate up to 40 hours of time off. Employees can use paid or unpaid sick leave for themselves or for a child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse. The Maryland Healthy Working Families Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to offer paid sick leave. However, employers are not required to let employees prolong if they offer paid sick leave in a lump sum at the beginning of the year. If your company is in a city with both municipal and state paid leave laws, you should follow the one that is most generous to the employee. So, are you responsible for paying your employees when they are on sick leave? If your business is located in a state with paid sick leave laws, then yes.
Small businesses that are not required to offer paid sick leave are required to offer unpaid sick leave.
