Last September, the Seattle City Council passed the ‘Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance’ which will require any company, with 4 or more employees, doing business within the City of Seattle to provide paid sick and safe leave to employees at the same hourly rate and benefits that the employee would have earned during the same time period for which the leave is taken. The ordinance establishes 3 tiers which set leave accrual rates, total annual allowances, and carryover allowances to determine whether an employer meets the threshold requirements or applicable tier. The tiers are based on the total number of employees working within the City of Seattle. The requirements outlined in this ordinance will mandate that any company doing business in Seattle may need to reexamine and rewrite the employee policies that pertain to an employee’s leave of absence.
