Tag: leave benefits

2023 NY Employment Law Update Cover Slide

2023 New York Employment Law Update (Webinar Recap)

On March 30, 2023, I presented a complimentary webinar entitled “2023 New York Employment Law Update”. For those who couldn’t attend the live webinar, I’m happy to make it available for you to watch at your convenience.

In the webinar, I discuss:

  • Pay Transparency
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Pregnancy & Nursing
  • Leave Discrimination

and much more!

New York continues to be one of the most proactive states in regulating the employment relationship. In late 2022, the State enacted several new laws and amendments imposing new restrictions and requirements on employers. Recent developments at the federal level also impact New York employers.

Don’t have time to watch the whole webinar right now? Click here to download the slides from the webinar.

Why You Should Watch “2023 New York Employment Law Update”

If you are in human resources or management with supervisory responsibility over other employees, you need to remain up-to-date on the latest developments in workplace law. For example, are you aware of new pay transparency requirements, which will even require New York employers to publish job descriptions in job postings? Did you know there are new circumstances where employees can take Paid Family Leave? And, could minimum wage be increasing even higher?

Beyond New York law changes, the federal government is becoming increasingly restrictive on employers. The National Labor Relations Board recently deemed many common severance agreement clauses unlawful. Consequently, documents your company has commonly used in the past could result in unfair labor practice charges, even where employees didn’t sign proposed agreements!

Coming soon, New York employers may need to update their sexual harassment prevention policies, provide additional amenities to nursing mothers, and provide information to warehouse employees about production quotas. Watch our 2023 New York Employment Law Update to find out whether and how these topics affect you.

Don’t Miss Our Future Webinars!

Click here to sign up for the Horton Law email newsletter to be among the first to know when registration is open for upcoming programs! And follow us on LinkedIn for even more frequent updates on important employment law issues.

New York Paid Family Leave Rates 2019

Higher New York Paid Family Leave Rates in 2019

How is your company coping with New York Paid Family Leave so far? Remember that the paid family leave rates change next year. This includes both how much employees will pay for this statutory benefit and how much they can receive.

Employee Contributions

The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has announced the maximum employee-contribution rate for 2019. It will increase from 0.126% to 0.153% of the employee’s gross wages, up to an annual maximum. This maximum annual contribution will be $107.97 in 2019 compared to $85.56 in 2018.

This means an additional cost of up to $22.41 for many employees.

Paid Family Leave Benefits

But it’s not all bad news for workers. DFS also confirmed that the weekly paid family leave benefit will increase in 2019. The weekly benefit rate increases from 50% of the employee’s average weekly wage to 55%. This percentage only applies up to the first $1,357.10 of weekly earnings. An employee who earns more than that can only receive $746.40 per week in paid family leave benefits.

Plus, as originally scheduled, eligible employees may take two more weeks of paid family leave in 2019. The maximum allowance increases from 8 to 10 weeks.

Future Paid Family Leave Rates

Expect the contribution and benefit rates to change again.

Under the original schedule, maximum weekly benefits will increase to 60% of the average weekly wage in 2020 and 67% in 2021. The NYS Superintendent of Financial Services could delay these increases, but did not do so for 2019.

The maximum leave allowance will increase to 12 weeks per year beginning in 2021.

What Must Employers Do?

Companies should confirm their 2019 paid family leave premiums with their insurance carriers. Then make sure that next year’s payroll will include the correct contribution rates.

If your paid family leave policy reflects specific paid family leave rates for 2018, then you might need to change those.

This is also an excellent opportunity for employers to review which employees are eligible to opt out of the paid family leave program. Employers must offer qualifying employees the chance to waive coverage (and corresponding paycheck deductions). However, the waiver automatically expires if the employee later becomes eligible for paid family leave.

 

To stay up to date on employment law developments, trends, and best practices, click here to sign up for the Horton Law email newsletter.

Are You Ready for New York Paid Family Leave? (Webinar)

On December 12, 2017, I presented a complimentary webinar on Preparing for New York Paid Family Leave. For those who weren’t able to attend the live webinar, I’m happy to make it available for you to watch at your convenience.

In the webinar, I explain employers’ responsibilities under the New York Paid Family Leave Benefits Law, including the following topics:

  1. Paid Family Leave Policies
  2. Employee Waivers
  3. Leave Request Forms
  4. Interplay with FMLA

Click below to access the supplemental materials for this webinar:

  1. Webinar Slides
  2. New York Paid Family Leave Forms

Why You Should Watch This Webinar

All non-governmental employers must comply with the New York Paid Family Leave Benefits Law beginning January 1, 2018. This includes having paid family leave insurance coverage in place, posting a notice of compliance, and providing written guidance to employees. Employers must also be prepared to properly handle leave requests.

Even if you only have one employee, your company needs to take action!

This New York Paid Family Leave webinar tells you exactly what you need to do to be ready for January 1st. It also addresses some of the complicated issues any employer could face once employees start seeking this new form of leave.

For More on the Basics of the Paid Family Leave . . .

You can also watch my earlier New York Paid Family Leave webinar here.