March 30, 2021

2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs Now Available

Under SB 95, employers with 25 or more employees will now be required to begin providing supplemental paid sick leave. To help employers and workers be aware of and comply with changes in the law regarding supplemental paid sick leave during the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Department of Industrial Relations has published a 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs.

The FAQs cover the following topics:

  • Coverage
  • Reasons for Taking Leave
  • Start Date and End Date
  • Requesting Leave from an Employer
  • Calculating Leave
  • “Retroactive” Payment
  • Enforcement
  • Record-keeping and Paystubs
  • Relation to Other Laws

The 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs can be found here: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/COVID19Resources/FAQ-for-SPSL-2021.html

SB 95 mandates that employers must display the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement’s 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Notice in a conspicuous place at the worksite. For teleworking employees, employers should send the mandatory notice via e-mail, post the notice on the company’s intranet site, or transmit the notice through other electronic means. Employers should keep a record of that communication.

For more information on SB 95 and how it affects your operation, read Western Growers’ full analysis here: https://www.wga.com/blog/california-legislature-approves-extension-covid-19-supplemental-paid-sick-leave.