Employment Law Blog

Time To Review Your Company's Personnel Policy

November 14, 2018

As the weather gets colder and the days shorter, the end of the year can’t be too far away. Now is a good time to start reviewing your Company’s personnel policies so that your house can be in order to start the new year.

Here are a few questions for your HR team to answer to determine whether you need outside counsel to review your personnel policies and practices:

1. When was the last time your Employee Manual was reviewed? There have been a number of significant changes in the law that might impact your policies.
2. Does your Company’s sick leave policy comply with NJ’s paid sick leave law? The new law took effect October 29th.
3. Has the Company reviewed its pay policies? There were significant changes this year in New Jersey concerning equal pay. In just the past few days Hewlett Packard was hit with a gender pay gap lawsuit.
4. Do you have a workforce in New York state? If so, has your Company provided them with mandatory sexual harassment prevention training? Has your Company issued a compliant policy? This law became effective October 9th and applies to all employers. It requires annual training. New Jersey also requires training of managers and staff members.
5. Does your Company require employees to arbitrate disputes? When was the last time your arbitration policy was reviewed? There have been some significant changes in this area. Both Google and Facebook recently announced that they will not require employees to arbitrate sexual harassment claims.
6. Does your Company require releases when severance is paid? Do the agreements require confidentiality? If so, it might interfere with the Company being able to deduct the severance payments as a business expense.

The Labor & Employment Law Group at the Firm is available to answer any questions you may have or help bring your Company into compliance.

Attorney: Steven Adler
Related Practice: Labor and Employment
Category: Employee Benefits

New Jersey Sick Leave Law

June 13, 2018

New Jersey’s Sick Leave Law (the “Law”) takes effect on October 29, 2018. It establishes a uniform, state-wide law that pre-empts all municipal sick leave laws and prohibits the passage of similar, local laws.  

Who is Covered?
The Law applies to all NJ employees (full and part-time) and any business with NJ-based employees (regardless of size). The only exclusion are construction industry employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, per diem healthcare workers, and public employees who already receive this benefit.

How is Time Accrued?
Employees accrue one (1) hour of paid sick leave for every thirty (30) hours worked, up to forty (40) hours (five days) in a benefit year. Alternatively, an employer may "frontload" the entire forty (40) hours on the first day of a benefit year (as well as implement a more generous program).

A “benefit year” is any 12 consecutive months designated by the employer. Once established, an employer may only change the “benefit year” by first notifying the NJ DOL.

Sick leave benefits begin to accrue for:

• Current employees, who have not already accrued sick leave under an existing policy or law, on October 29, 2018 (the effective date of the Law).
• Employees hired after October 29, 2018 on the first date of employment. New employees may be required to wait 120 days after hire before “using” earned sick leave.

Carry Over?
Employers must either (a) allow up to 40 hours to carry over from one benefit year to the next or (b) pay employees for that time. It is the employee’s choice which alternative to accept.

Existing Policy?
Employers may comply with the Law if they already offer employees paid sick leave or paid time off (“PTO”) that accrues at a rate equal to or greater than one (1) hour of leave per 30 hours worked, and the policy is otherwise consistent with the Law.

“Sick Leave” Uses?
Earned sick leave may be used for:

• Diagnosis, care or treatment of, recovery from and/or preventative care for an employee's own, or his/her family member’s, mental or physical illness or injury.
• Absence due to a public health emergency that caused the closure of the employee’s workplace or the school or childcare facility of the employee’s child, or that requires a member of the employee’s family to seek care.
• Absence to obtain medical treatment, legal services or to relocate related to an employee's or his/her family member's status as a victim of domestic or sexual violence.
• To attend any school conferences requested or required by school staff to discuss a child's health condition or disability.

“Family members” is broadly defined to include an employee’s child, spouse, domestic partner, civil union partner, parent (including adoptive, foster or step-parent, or legal guardian), sibling (including foster or adoptive siblings), grandparent or grandchild, and the parent, grandparent or sibling of the employee’s spouse, domestic partner or civil union partner. Indeed, an employee may also use their sick leave for the care of a non-related individual whose close association with the employee is the “equivalent” of a family relationship.

What May Employers Do?

• Require up to seven (7) days advance notice if an absence is “foreseeable,” and limit the use of “foreseeable” sick leave to certain dates.
• Request notice “as soon as practicable” if an absence is “unforeseeable,” and the employee is aware of this requirement.
• Request documentation to substantiate sick leave, but only if an employee is absent for 3 or more consecutive days.

Employer Obligations?
Employers must:

• Notify current employees of their rights under the Law (by posting and distributing a notice) and new employees at the time of hire.
• Maintain records of hours worked, and used, earned sick leave for 5 years.  (Failure to do so will result in a rebuttable assumption that the employer failed to allow employees to accrue time)

Employers are subject to private claims, and the penalties and remedies contained in the New Jersey Wage and Hour Law, including fines and possible imprisonment.

Recommendations?
Employers with NJ-based employees should review and adjust their current paid time off policies to ensure compliance with the New Jersey Sick Leave Law prior to October 29, 2018. 

Attorney: Lauren Topelsohn
Related Practice: Labor and Employment
Category: Paid Sick Leave

NYC's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act Takes Effect

May 16, 2018

On May 5, 2018, NYC’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (the “ESSTA”) went into effect. It amends NYC’s Earned Sick Time Act by (a) permitting an employee to use accrued “sick leave” for “safe leave” and (b) expanding the definition of “family member.”  Employers are required to provide notice to employees by June 4, 2018. 

Under the ESSTA, employees have the right to use leave for the medical care of themselves or a family member, as well as the right to seek assistance or take other safety measures if the employee or a family member is a victim or has been threatened with domestic violence, “unwanted sexual contact”, stalking or human trafficking.

“Safe leave” includes absences to:

• Obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center or other similar program
• Participate in safety planning, temporarily or permanently relocate for safety reasons or take other actions to increase the safety of the employee or family member
• Meet with a civil attorney or other social service provider to obtain information and advice on, and prepare for or participate in, any criminal or civil proceeding, including but not limited to matters related to a family offense matter, sexual offense, stalking, human trafficking, custody, visitation, matrimonial issues, orders of protection, immigration, housing, discrimination in employment, housing or consumer credit
• File a complaint or domestic incident report with law enforcement
• Meet with a district attorney’s office
• Enroll children in a new school; or
• Take other actions necessary to maintain, improve, or restore the physical, psychological, or economic health or safety of the employee or family member or to protect those who associate or work with the employee. 

“Family member” is now defined as:

• A spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or the child or parent of the employee's spouse or domestic partner
• Any other individual related by blood to the employee
• Any other individual whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship

Employers with five (5) or more employees must provide up to 40 hours of paid sick/safe leave; all other employers must provide up to 40 hours of unpaid sick/safe leave.

For more information, see: http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/about/Paid-Safe-and-Sick-Leave-Law-Rules.pdf

 

Attorney: Lauren Topelsohn
Related Practice: Labor and Employment
Category: Paid Sick Leave