Illinois Enacts "Any Reason" Paid Leave Law

I came across an excellent article from Cozen's Austin G. Dieter describing the new Illinois law mandating paid leave for any reason, including vacations. The law, entitled the "Paid Leave for All Workers Act," goes into effect January 1, 2024. Here's a summary from the article:

Covered employers must provide all employees with a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave during a 12-month period (the 12-month period may be designated freely by the employer) or – for employees beginning mid-year or for part-time employees – a pro-rata amount of paid leave accruing at a rate of at least one hour per every 40 hours worked. The leave must be made available for employees to use for any reason, and employers may not require that employees disclose the reason or provide any documentation for any leave taken under the Act.

Illinois joins Maine and Nevada with as states that mandate paid leave for any reason. Expect more in the future. Employers in the staffing industry may not always be able to get client agreement to reimburse them for paid leave, but they can limit their exposure by carefully reviewing the eligibility and accrual language in the statute and implementing policies that impose the maximum allowable limits.  Learn the details here:

Illinois to Implement Guaranteed Paid Leave for All Workers [Alert]

Employers statewide who do not currently offer paid leaves equal to or in excess of 40 hours per year should make appropriate preparations to comply.

Contact Bill Josey at wjosey@staffinglaw.com