Employee morale is influenced by the number of perks they receive from their employers, and there is sometimes a lot of grumbling about how much Americans work compared to other countries, and how little sick time they get. The City of New Brunswick has decided to push an ordinance through to give more workers sick leave. Only one councilperson voted against the measure.
The ordinance requires businesses to provide full time employees with 40 hours of paid sick leave a year and all part-time employees with 24 hours of paid sick leave. It also creates a new administrative position to enforce the ordinance and handle any complaints.
New Brunswick isn’t the first city to do this in New Jersey. Around a dozen other cities in the state have passed similar measures. Arguments for the measure included how many other cities and countries have paid sick leave measures without a negative impact to their economies, as well as how the ordinance allows workers who are dealing with violence, stalking, or sexual assault to use the time to contact authorities and get safe.
However, some critics say the ordinance doesn’t go far enough. Workers who work fewer than 20 hours a week, per-diem hospital workers, and telecommuters do not get the benefits. Restaurant workers will also have to jump through additional hoops to claim the time.
Tracking changes in local employee law can be confusing, and may force you to reconsider your financial goals. A PEO company can help you stay compliant. For more information about how PEO can help you, contact NetPEO to learn how you can offload your HR tasks so you can focus on your core business.