Reminder to Small Colorado Employers (15 or Fewer Employees) – Paid Sick Leave Requirements Start Jan. 1, 2022
The Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA), passed by the Colorado State Legislature in June 2020, mandated that Colorado companies with 16 or more employees provide paid sick leave to their employees starting Jan. 1, 2021.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, the Act extends that mandate to ALL Colorado employers, to include those with 15 or fewer employees.
Some Key Points of the Act Relating to Paid Sick Leave
- Paid sick leave accrues at one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year.
- An employee begins accruing paid sick leave at the start of employment, may use it as it is accrued, and it carries over year-to-year up to a maximum of 48 hours.
- Employers are not required to pay out any unused sick leave upon the employee’s termination of employment.
- An employer can front-load (vs. accrue) paid sick leave for its employees if they choose, and may use a different paid sick leave policy if it is more generous than what is provided under HFWA
Allowed Uses for Paid Sick Leave under HFWA
- The employee has a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; needs a medical diagnosis, care, or treatment related to such illness, injury, or condition; or needs to obtain preventative medical care
- The employee needs to care for a family member who has a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; needs a medical diagnosis, care, or treatment related to such illness, injury, or condition; or needs to obtain preventative medical care
- The employee or family member has been the victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or harassment and needs to be absent from work for purposes related to such crime; or
- A public official has ordered the closure of the school or place of care of the employee’s child or of the employee’s place of business due to a public health emergency, necessitating the employee’s absence from work.
Sources and Links to the Senate Bill (SB):
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