In December 2024, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development released an updated Earned Sick Time workplace poster that expanded the qualifying reasons for using sick time.
Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law
Under the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time statute, all employees have the right to earn and use up to 40 hours of job-protected sick time per year to care for themselves and certain family members. Employees must earn at least one hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with 11 or more employees must provide paid sick time, whereas employers with fewer than 11 employees must provide earned sick time, which does not need to be paid.
Most employees who work in Massachusetts are eligible, including full-time, part-time, seasonal, per-diem, and temporary employees.
What Changed on the New Earned Sick Time Poster?
Previously, the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time law allowed for an employee to use accrued sick time to:
- care for the employee’s child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse, who is suffering from a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition; or
- care for the employee’s own physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition; or
- attend the employee’s routine medical appointment or a routine medical appointment for the employee’s child, spouse, parent, or parent of spouse; or
- address the effects of domestic violence on the employee or the employee’s child.
Effective November 21, 2024, employees may use earned sick time to care for themselves or their spouse in the event of pregnancy loss or failed assisted reproduction, adoption, or surrogacy.
How Employers Can Stay Compliant
It’s crucial that Massachusetts employers display the new Earned Sick Time poster in a conspicuous area where employees can easily view it. Additionally, any written employment policy regarding earned sick time must be revised in accordance with the updated regulation.
The new Earned Sick Time notice is now available in our Massachusetts Labor Law Poster. Our all-in-one poster is guaranteed to comply with current mandatory state and federal labor law postings. Staying compliant is made easy and worry-free with our automatic labor law poster replacement service, which ensures that your business always has the latest posters without you having to keep track of updates. LaborLawCenter is your partner in workplace labor law compliance.
