ODs required to provide all employees paid sick leave beginning this month

As a reminder, beginning this month – July 2015 – all employers, including doctors of optometry, must provide paid sick leave for all employees.

In addition, the California Healthy Workplaces, Health Families Act of 2014 (AB 1522) requires a new poster to be placed in the practice relative this new requirement (COA makes available the new sick leave poster plus the 16 other federal- and state-required workplace posters at a members-only substantial discount). Failure to comply with the law can be expensive: up to $4,000 in fines; plus triple back wages for unpaid sick leave, along with interest; plus attorney’s fees.

Under the new law, every full- and part-time employee is entitled to a minimum of 24 hours annually of paid sick leave. An employee is authorized to use paid sick time for medical and preventative care for the employee or his or her family; and, time to attempt to obtain relief if they are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Written notice of the sick leave availability must be provided by employers to employees at the time of hire and given to existing employees no later than July 8, 2015 (the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement makes available a “Notice to Employee” which contains the required sick leave employee communication).

COA has available for members only a detailed fact sheet on this new requirement. Additional information on the sick leave requirement can be found at the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement website. Also, see “Successfully navigate the California sick pay law” in this edition of COA Member News.

Return on your dues investment: Compliance with the new sick leave mandate can return up to nearly two years of a doctor’s annual AOA-COA-local society dues investment by avoiding potential fines of $4,000 (or more), plus the placement of required employment law posters can return up to more than eight times a doctor’s annual AOA-COA-local society dues investment by avoiding potential fines up to $17,000.