As Covid-19 becomes less prevalent across the country, states and localities are backing off employers’ requirements to provide their employees with paid leave if they have COVID-19 or symptoms. While not all employers were required to provide paid leave to their employees for having COVID-19 in the very beginning, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) set rules in place. The FFCRA required certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.
As deaths and hospitalizations are declining significantly, the rules and regulations have also dropped. Five states and Washington, D.C., were locations that had laws in place but have expired and are no longer effective. However, Arizona, Colorado, and New Jersey are the only states that still require paid leave for COVID-19. In addition, the following still require employers to provide paid time off for employees to get themselves or their children vaccinated for COVID-19:
- Nevada
- New York
- Washington, D.C.
In addition, cities in California, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, have mandates in place but will expire by the end of February.
What Employers Should Know
As we’re approaching the third year of COVID-19, it’s essential that you stay aware of changing laws and regulations. Although COVID-19 hasn’t been much of a concern these days, you must ensure you have rules in place regarding the safety of your employees. The goal of the COVID-19 leave requirements was to ensure your employees felt safe, and if they felt sick, they shouldn’t risk coming to work and exposing themselves to others. While state laws are backing off mandates for paid sick leave, business owners can certainly have their own rules in place. If you want to add extra sick days designated for COVID-19, you can do that. In fact, 25% of employers modified their paid sick leave or time off plans to accommodate the pandemic.
Despite the spikes and declines of COVID-19, this is the time for you to remain on top of ever-changing laws and regulations during these unprecedented times. If you’re in one of the states previously mentioned, it’s vital that you understand the laws and what you’re required to do as an employer. In addition, consider how the rules interact with FMLA leave, state and local paid-sick-leave laws, and other time-off benefits.
GMS Is Here To Save The Day
We’ve all been working together trying to combat these unprecedented times. At GMS, we understand the effects COVID-19 has on businesses, especially small businesses. We’ve partnered with over 2,000 clients and work with them daily to ensure they are on top of all of the changing laws and regulations. When the pandemic hit hard in 2020, we worked with our clients to ensure they had a workplace policy to ensure their employees' safety. Three years later, we can still help in those efforts. Whether it’s working with small business owners to create an employee handbook that explicitly states what happens when you test positive for COVID-19 or our benefits experts working with you to enhance your benefits offerings, we do it all. Allow GMS to take the administrative burdens off your shoulders. Contact us today to get started!