Program overview
Supporting workers’ health and wellness: Paid sick leave laws require businesses within a jurisdiction to offer employees paid time off to care for themselves or loved ones in the event of illness or injury. The laws aim to support the mental and physical health of employees by reducing the financial burden of missing work due to health complications or care obligations.
Reaching a wide audience: Typically, paid sick leave laws apply to mid- and large-sized businesses, with exemptions for businesses under a certain size. While these laws benefit all workers at covered businesses, there is evidence that these laws especially benefit female employees or employees in industries that have historically lacked access to paid leave.
Local implementation and enforcement: When paid sick leave laws are passed at the local level, responsibility for enforcement is typically dedicated to a specific office, like the Law Department or Consumer and Worker Protection Department. Enforcement tends to be complaint-driven, where workers must file a complaint and participate in an investigation with the relevant enforcement agency. Liable employers are often required to pay employees the balance of wages or earned paid sick time owed. Some filings may also conclude in private settlements.
Bolstering employees’ security: Most paid sick leave laws require employers to offer paid time on an accrued basis, in which employees earn a set amount of paid time off per hour worked. Most jurisdictions allow caps on accrued time, and some jurisdictions vary this cap based on company size (e.g., companies with 14 or fewer employees can cap paid sick hours at 24 instead of 40).
- Strategies
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Protecting worker well-being
- Cost per Participant
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Not available
Multiple studies with less-rigorous designs provide some evidence for paid sick leave laws as a strategy for protecting worker well-being.
- A 2022 systematic review found some evidence for paid sick leave laws as a strategy for increasing workers’ access to both paid leave and health care.
Bolster enforcement capacity: Successful paid sick leave laws require significant investment in the enforcement capacity of governing agencies. A sick leave law’s impact often hinges on the local government’s ability to quickly process and investigate claims, help workers reach settlements, and/or secure restitution on their behalf.
Engage the community: Implementing jurisdictions should collaborate with local businesses and workers groups when writing their paid sick leave policy. Topics that should be given consideration include how to approach workers who cross municipal boundaries (e.g., delivery drivers) and how to adapt the law to existing payroll systems. Such engagement can ensure the law addresses the needs of area workers while minimizing burdens on businesses.
Raise awareness: Given that enforcement of paid sick leave laws depends on employee reporting, it is crucial to develop a robust marketing and awareness campaign to ensure that workers know their rights. This should include traditional advertising (such as in bus shelters), as well as direct, in-person events and presentations delivered to workers and employers. Priority should also be given to translating outreach materials into languages commonly spoken in the area.
Support from external counsel: In some states, local paid sick leave laws have faced legal challenges from business associations or state governments. As these efforts can lead to prolonged legal battles, local governments may collaborate with legal counsel from outside organizations, such as unions, to increase their ability to win in court.
Respond to COVID-19: During the COVID-19 pandemic, some local governments implemented COVID-specific provisions to provide supplemental sick leave protections to workers. While paid sick leave laws typically require workers to accrue leave, these provisions often provide a certain amount (e.g., 80 hours) automatically. The complaint and investigation process generally mirror traditional sick leave laws.