Preparing Your Company for Arizona’s Employment Changes on July 1

By Jezabel Southard

Posted on March 10, 2017

Starting July 1, 2017, most employers in Arizona will be expected to follow the state’s new rules regarding paid sick leave. Certain “small business” organizations are exempt if they have gross annual revenues under $500,000 and do no business in interstate commerce.

For all other employers, paid sick leave must accrue for employees as follows:

• If the employer has 15 or more employees: 40 hours of paid sick leave per year.
• If the employer has fewer than 15 employees: 24 hours of paid sick leave per year.

In all cases, employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work.

The new law allows employees to use their paid sick leave for many different reasons. For instance, employees must be allowed to use their paid sick leave to attend to:

• their own illness, injury or health condition (mental or physical);
• a family member’s illness, injury, or health condition (mental or physical);
• absences related to abuse, stalking, or sexual or domestic violence against the employee or a family member; and
• public health emergencies that cause the closure of the employer’s workplace, or the school or daycare an employee’s child attends.

“Family member” is fairly broadly defined by the statute. It includes not only children, parents, and spouses, but also grandparents and siblings, as well as other blood relatives. It includes people who are related to the employee’s spouse or domestic partner, and it includes people connected “by affinity” who are close enough to the employee that the relationship functions as a family relationship.

Although employers are not required to pay sick leave time to employees who leave their jobs, the employee must get their sick time back if the employer rehires them within nine months. This includes layoffs and rehires of temporary or seasonal employees.

With these new paid sick leave requirements just around the corner, how can your company control staffing costs while still hiring the quality employees you need? Talk to a staffing firm! Your staffing partner can help ensure you have the help you need when you need it without blowing your budget.

At TERRA Staffing Group, our experienced recruiters can help you navigate upcoming changes to Arizona’s employment laws while still finding the best talent in the Phoenix area.

Contact us today to learn more about our recruitment services in Phoenix, Seattle and Portland.

Categories: HR and Management Advice, HR Compliance & Labor Laws

Tags: Arizona Employment News, Arizona Paid Sick Leave Rules, Employment Laws Phoenix, Employment News Phoenix, Phoenix Paid Sick Leave Laws, Phoenix Paid Sick Leave Rules, Phoenix Recruitment Services, Phoenix Staffing Services, Phoenix Temporary Staffing, Temp Staffing in Phoenix

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