By now, Covid-19 has affected just about everyone’s life in some fashion. This blog is meant to raise awareness to employers on yet another effect that Covid-19 might have on your business and outline Colorado’s new accrued paid sick leave.
Starting January 1, 2022, Colorado strengthened its Public Health Emergency Leave Policy which allows for two weeks of paid leave for Covid-19 related needs. The new law expanded paid leave for Covid-related needs to apply to all employees and to all businesses, no matter how big or small (unless you’re the Federal Government). Broken down, this amounts to 80 hours for a full-time employee, but are less if part-time.
What does “Covid-related needs” mean? Covid-19 related need are not defined as only being for confirmed cases. Covid-19 related needs include:
- Illness with Covid-19 symptoms;
- Quarantining or isolating due to Covid-19 exposure;
- Covid testing;
- Vaccination and side effects;
- Inability to work due to health conditions that may increase susceptibility or risk of Covid-19;
- Covid-19 related needs of family (illness, school closure, etc.)
It is important to note that if you are an employer, you cannot require documentation from your employee which shows that the leave is for Covid-19 related needs. As an employer, you’ll have to take their word and give them the paid time off or you will be violating Colorado law.
Aside from paid sick leave for Covid-19 related needs, what’s different about this year’s accrued leave vs. last years? Starting January 1, 2022, all employers, no matter how big or small, must provide accrued paid sick leave. Prior to January 1,2022, this law applied only to companies with more than 15 employees. The new accrued leave laws require that for every 30 hours an employee works, the employer must provide for one hour of paid sick leave with a maximum of 48 hours per year. This means that if an employer has a full-time employee (40 hours per week), Colorado law requires the employer to provide 48 hours of paid sick leave.
Contact The Drake Law Firm For Additional Information
These are just a few of the considerations which you will need to think about as an employee. Although handling these considerations may feel like a hassle, the truth is that following Colorado employment law regulations is absolutely necessary. For more information, contact the Drake Law Firm today by calling 303-261-8111.
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The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
The Drake Law Firm, PC
2117 Ford St.
Golden, CO 80401
303-261-8111
https://thedrakelawfirm.com