The Start of a Trend? California’s New Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Law

A new California law, effective in 2015, requires mandatory paid sick leave. With California so often leading the way on workplace legislation, similar requirements may be in your future, regardless of where you’re located.

The California law requires that employees be entitled to at least three days (or 24 hours) of paid sick leave per year. Sick leave may be accrued and carried over to the next year but the carry-over may be capped at six days (or 48 hours).

The law also requires employers to:

Display a poster with information about paid sick leave where employees can read it easily.
Provide written notice of sick leave right at the time of hire.
Show how many days of sick leave an employee has available on pay stubs or a document issued the same day as a paycheck
Keep records of hours earned and used for at least three years

Here’s a link to the California Department of Industrial Relations webpage regarding paid sick leave requirements.