California’s new sick leave law will require employers to provide three days of annual paid sick leave to virtually all employees beginning on July 1, 2015.  However, the new law actually takes effect January 1, 2015, and imposes two immediate requirements upon employers:

Posting Requirement: By January 1, 2015, employers must post the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) poster regarding paid sick leave.  The poster can be found here, and printed on standard letter-sized printer paper.  If your company uses “all in one” labor compliance posters, be sure to confirm with your provider of such posters that the 2015 version includes the new DLSE sick leave notice.

Notice to New and Existing Employees: Employers must also individually notify employees using a State approved form of notice.  The DLSE’s  newly created form to notify employees of their right to paid sick leave can be found here.  Use of this form is mandatory for all new employees starting work on or after January 1, 2015.  Existing employees must be notified in writing of their sick leave rights no later than January 8, 2015.

Beginning July 1, 2015, employers will need to provide at least 24 hours or three days of paid sick leave for each eligible employee to use per year.  Employers should plan ahead, because the law requires employers to keep records showing how many hours each employee earns and uses, and to inform each employee of their number of available sick days with each paycheck.  Employees must be able to use their accrued sick time upon reasonable notice to the employer, and the law prohibits retaliation or discrimination against an employee who requests or uses paid sick days.

Employers should contact their Labor and Employment counsel at Hill Farrer for guidance on how to best prepare for implementation of this new law.