Let’s update you on the status of paid sick leave for Coronavirus/COVID-19…

We’ve got a lot to discuss.

On Monday, I wrote (here) about proposed federal legislation mandating paid sick leave, where workers would accrue seven days of paid sick leave and immediately provide 14 additional days when there is a public health emergency.

However, Dave Jamieson writing at The Huffington Post (here) reports that, yesterday, the Senate put the kibosh on employer-paid sick leave in favor of government-funded paid sick leave.

And wouldn’t you know…

In last night’s Oval Office address, President Trump stated that “to ensure that working Americans impacted by the virus can stay home without fear of financial hardship, I will soon be taking emergency action…to provide financial relief…targeted for workers who are ill, quarantined, or caring for others due to Coronavirus.” President Trump also stated that he would ask Congress to extend this relief. You can read his full speech here.

With or without federal legislation, don’t forget to abide by any existing state and local paid sick leave laws. And if you don’t have those rules yet, keep a close eye on pending legislation — especially if you are a multi-state employer. For example, Illinois is discussing it, and Colorado just did it.

Plus, there is nothing stopping your business from temporarily enhancing paid sick leave benefits for your workers. Amazon, Walmart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Apple, Instacart, Uber, Lyft and Darden, among others, have extended paid sick leave to allow those who feel ill to stay home. (Updates here, here, and here).

At the very least, review your paid sick leave policies. This article will help get you started. And check out yesterday’s blog post too.

As most of you know, I work for the oldest and largest distributed law firm in the world, where our attorneys have the option to work from anywhere. And the vast majority work from home.

So, if you have questions about remote working procedures, I may have answers. Please don’t hesitate to ask.