Updates to California Sick Pay and PTO in 2025

Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, changes to California paid sick leave and paid family leave took effect in California.

Use of Paid Sick Leave Expanded

The use of paid sick leave has been expanded to cover additional reasons for absence including:

• Jury duty

• Appearance in court under a court order as a witness in a judicial proceeding

• Any reason covered under the victim leave law, if the employee or their family member is a victim of any qualifying act of violence (QAOV)

Additionally, agricultural workers whose job description requires them to work outside may use paid sick leave to avoid unsafe smoke, heat, or flooding conditions.

To ensure your business is in compliance with these new requirements, update your paid sick leave policy to include these new uses.

Use of Paid Family Leave Requirements Changed

The requirements for an employee to use paid family leave have also been updated. Employers can no longer require employees to use up to two weeks of accrued, unused vacation time before they are able to receive Paid Family Leave (PFL) from the state.

Employers should update family leave policies to remove any requirement that employees must use accrued vacation time before receiving PFL benefits on or after January 1.

Changes to paid sick leave and Paid Family Leave policies can be made through Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage™ portal by utilizing the Company Policies/Handbooks feature.

For more information on other important changes to California employment law, register for Rancho Mesa’s 2025 Employment Law Update webinar.

Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standards End, Employers Still Required to Document COVID-19 Cases

Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

February 3, 2025 marked the end of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standards.

However, while California employers are no longer required to follow any regulatory requirements, COVID-19 reporting and recordkeeping requirements (Title 8 Subsection 3205(j)) remain effect until February 3, 2026. The requirements specify that the employer must:

Keep a record of all employee COVID-19 cases.

These records should include the employee’s name, contact information, occupation, location where the employee worked, the date of the last day at the workplace, and the date of the positive COVID-19 test and/or COVID-19 diagnosis

These records must be kept for two years “beyond the period in which the record is necessary to meet the requirements of this section.”

Provide information on COVID-19 cases to all health and safety governing bodies when requested.

These records must be provided to the local health department that holds jurisdiction over the location of the workplace, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Cal/OSHA, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) immediately upon request and when required by law.

Although employers are no longer required to enforce a specific set of COVID-19 regulatory requirements, California employers must still adhere to state health and safety guidelines. These guidelines include:

• Maintaining a “safe and healthful” place of employment for all employees as required by Labor Code section 6400.

• Establishing, implementing, and maintaining an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) as required by Title 8, California Code of Regulations, section 3203.

• Identifying, evaluating, and correcting any and all unsafe or unhealthy conditions, practices, or procedures associated with COVID-19 if COVID-19 is identified as a workplace hazard.

A COVID Resources Toolkit is available through Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage™ portal.

More information can be found on Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Guidance and Resources webpage.