California’s Paid Sick Leave Laws: A Guide for Employees

Am I eligible for sick leave? When do I take sick leave? Can an employer deny sick leave? This article will satisfy your curiosity if you are bombarded with such questions. This article will guide the employees to understand California’s Paid Sick Leave Laws. So, keep reading to find out more. 

Everything you need to know about California’s Paid Sick Leave Law

Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act (HWHFA) of 2014 protects the rights of employees to get paid sick leave whenever necessary. Under this act, your employer must provide you with at least 24 hours (three days) of paid sick leave every year. However, your employer is not bound to California sick leave payout at termination, resignation, or retirement. 

Eligibility of Paid Sick Leave

Paid sick leave is provided to all employees, including:

• Exempt employee
• Non Exempt employee 
• Part-time employee
• Full-time employee
• Temporary employee
• Seasonal employee

You will be eligible for this leave if you have:

• Worked for the same employer for at least 30 days in a year
• Completed the first 90 days employment period before taking sick leave 

When to use paid sick leave?

• You can use the paid sick leave if you are dealing with a serious physical, mental condition or injury. You can utilize this time off to recover from your illness. 
• If you are going through a medical diagnosis process, treatment, or preventative care, you can use this leave.
• If you are recovering from domestic violence, sexual harassment, or stalking.
• You can also ask for paid sick leave if your family member is sick or needs medical treatment, diagnosis, and preventative care. 

Calculation of paid sick leave 

Accrual Policy 

With the accrual system, you will be eligible for one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours of work. The accrual starts from your hiring date. Normally, you are bound to get at least 24 hours or 3 days off within a year.

Lump sum or front-loading method 

According to this policy, you will get the paid leave immediately as soon as you qualify. For example, you can take paid sick leave at the beginning of the period or January 1. 

Can an employer deny sick leave?

HWHFA prohibits employers from rejecting the paid sick leave of eligible employees. Your employer can neither deny your sick leave nor retaliate against you for taking the break. If your employer refuses to pay sick leave,

you are free to make a complaint with the California Labor Commissioner. You can also file a lawsuit against your employer in court. If you proceed to do so, you better consult an employment attorney. An experienced attorney will give you proper guidelines to preserve your rights. Through a complaint, you can gain benefits like:

• Payment of withheld sick leave 
• Reinstatement 
• Backpay
• Attorney’s fees 
• Administrative penalty 

 

Final Words

This article provided the answer to your query. ‘Can an employer deny sick leave?’ Though it is illegal to deny sick leave, sometimes your employer might violate the rules. In such scenarios, you will have to ask for paid sick leave.  That’s why the above discussion also gave some solutions for you to deal with such situations. 

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Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/ Ильназ Багаутдинов