Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

Paid vs. Unpaid Sick Leave

Sick leave is a common benefit offered by many companies to their employees (typically, only full time employees). Sick leave benefits usually specify a certain number of days per year that an employee can take off work due to injury or illness and still receive payment.

Interestingly, in the United States there is no federal law mandating that companies provide their employees with paid sick leave as part of their employee benefits. Individual states, however, are allowed to regulate their own laws with regards to paid sick leave. It is important to note, though, that the federal government does stipulate that companies that are subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act have to provide their employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid sick leave.

Why Provide Paid Sick Leave?

There are a number of benefits to providing employees with paid sick leave. Primarily, it is an attractive benefit, and will help recruit more qualified and sought-after individuals to a company.

Additionally, companies that provide paid sick leave are less likely to deal with illnesses spreading through the office. If a company does not provide sick leave, people are likely to come to work when they are sick in order to get paid, and depending on the illness, there is a good chance that it will spread to other members of the staff.

Employees with children also benefit from paid sick leave in that they are able to better take care of their children if they become sick, especially in cases where both parents are working.

Contact a Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

If you believe that your employer is violating company policy, state regulations or federal regulations regarding sick leave, contact Los Angeles employment lawyer Perry Smith today at 888-356-2529 to discuss your situation with a qualified and experienced employment lawyer.