Massachusetts Attorney General Issues Final Sick Leave Regulations

Effective July 1, 2015, all private-sector employers in Massachusetts must provide their employees with up to 40 hours of sick leave per calendar year.¹ Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Attorney General published proposed regulations concerning the implementation of the new law.² After receiving comments to those proposed regulations, the Attorney General recently issued final regulations that differ from the proposed regulations in a number of important respects.  

Which employers must provide paid leave?

Under the new law, all employers, regardless of their size, must provide sick leave to employees.  Employers with 11 or more employees, however, must provide paid sick leave.  Employers with fewer than 11 employees must provide sick leave, but it can be unpaid.