Are employers required to provide sick leave to employees?
In Pennsylvania, employers are required to follow the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which does not specifically require employers to provide paid or unpaid sick leave to employees. However, an employer may choose to provide some type of sick leave policy as a benefit to the employee. If an employee is a non-exempt employee, meaning they are paid an hourly wage, they must be paid for all hours worked. This means that if they take a sick day, they must still earn the same amount of wage or salary they would for a day worked. If an employee is an exempt employee, meaning they are paid a salary, they may be unpaid for sick leave. According to the FLSA, an employer may deduct from their salary for any time taken off for personal reasons, including sick days. Additionally, employer provided health insurance plans may provide an employee with paid or unpaid time off if they have a qualifying medical condition. If an employee does have to use an employer provided health insurance plan, it is important to check the details of the plan to see what it will provide. In Pennsylvania, employers aren’t required to offer sick leave or other types of paid time off, but employees may be able to use their employer provided health insurance or other benefits to cover time taken off due to illness.
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