Takeaways:
- Minnesota's Earned Sick and Safe Time law (ESST) saw a few
significant amendments during the special legislative session.
- The main changes impact when employers can require
documentation and notice for unforeseeable absences taken for a
covered ESST reason.
- The amendments also clarify that employees may voluntarily
trade shifts to cover ESST absences and that employers may advance
ESST hours to employees.
On June 14th, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into
law, S.F. No. 17, which once again included amendments to
Minnesota's Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law that went into
effect in January 2024.
Requesting Documentation for Employee ESST
Absences
Under the new amendments, when an employee uses ESST for an
absence of 2 or more consecutive scheduled work days, an
employer may require reasonable documentation that the absence was
taken for a covered reason. Previously, an employer could require
reasonable documentation only for an
