New York City recently amended its Earned Sick Time Act (the “Act”), renaming the Act to the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act and implementing two major changes that require employers to take action in June.
First, the amended Act expands the types of reasons for which employers must allow employees to use paid time off, which now includes “safe leave.” Safe leave is time off related to any situation where the employee or the employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence or unwanted sexual contact, stalking, or human trafficking, and the employee is taking the leave to restore the physical, psychological, or economic health or safety of the employee or family member.
Second, the Act broadens the definition of “family member” for both safe and sick time leave. Family member now includes any individual related by blood to the employee and any individual whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of family.
Under the Act, employees who work for employers with five or more employees who work more than 80 hours a calendar year in New York City now have a right to both paid safe and sick time leave. Employees who work for employers with fewer than five employees have a right to unpaid safe and sick time leave.
Although the Act went into effect on May 5, employers are required to revise their written policies (to reference safe time and the expanded definition of family member) and to provide an updated Notice of Employee Rights (the “Notice”) to new and existing employees beginning this June. The written Notice is available on the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs’ website here.