Tag: paid family leave

March 31, 2023

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.

September 30, 2022

Remote Employees in New York (Webinar Recap)

On September 29, 2022, I presented a complimentary webinar entitled “Remote Employees in New York”. 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:

Insurance Issues
Mandatory Policies
Employment Discrimination
Hiring Pitfalls

and much more!

There have always been some people who worked from home. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced many employers into remote work arrangements on a large scale.

Beyond the practical issues, a new spotlight has emerged on legal compliance regarding remote employees. Especially when employees are working remotely in cities or states where the employer doesn’t have a physical presence, the arrangement may expose a company to new legal parameters.

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

Why You Should Watch “Remote Employees in New York”

If your organization isn’t physically present in New York, but has employees working there remotely, then you may not be familiar with many of the state-specific employment law requirements that probably apply. Similarly, if you have employees working remotely in New York City, there are additional protections to be aware of within the city boundaries.

Whether you’re based in New York or elsewhere, this webinar addresses many aspects of New York employment law relative to remote employees. If you’re new to having employees in the State or NYC, then we’ll get you up to speed on the major compliance requirements. If you’re already familiar with New York human resources practices, hear more specifically about what to consider with employees working off-site.

Don’t Miss Our Future Webinars!

September 9, 2020

2021 Paid Family Leave in New York

We are now in the third year of New York’s Paid Family Leave Program. It continues to get more costly for employees. But the benefits also get better. Here a primer on New York’s 2021 Paid Family Leave Program.

Employee Contributions

The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has announced the maximum employee-contribution rate for 2021. It will increase from 0.270% to 0.511% of the employee’s gross wages, up to an annual maximum. This maximum annual contribution will be $385.34 in 2021 compared to $196.72 in 2020.

The contribution rate increased from 0.153% to 0.270% in 2020. That changed the maximum annual contribution from $107.97 to $196.72. Thus, the maximum annual contribution has nearly doubled since last year and increased overall by 350% in just 3 years.

This means an additional annual cost of up to nearly $300 for many employees from 2018 to 2021. And additional increases remain likely each year.

2021 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 again in 2021. The weekly benefit rate increases from 60% of the employee’s average weekly wage to 67%. This percentage only applies up to the first $1,450.17 of weekly earnings. An employee who earns more than that can only receive $971.61 per week in paid family leave benefits.

The maximum leave allowance also increases from 10 weeks in 2019-2020 to 12 weeks in 2021. That is the last scheduled increase in the length of the paid leave allowance, which began at 8 weeks in 2018.

Preparing for 2021

Companies should confirm their 2021 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 reflected specific rates for paid family leave in 2020 (or earlier), then you might want to update that component.

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.

Finally, employers might find that these changes coupled with unique COVID-19 issues increase the utilization of paid family leave in 2021. First, the benefits are higher and last longer, making it more financially viable for employees to take time off from work. Plus, since employees have to pay more for the program, they might feel even more entitled to use it. These factors might require employers to replace more worker hours next year or otherwise allow for lost productivity.

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