La Verne Chamber Of Commerce: Labor Commissioner Publishes 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Poster And Resources

Press release from La Verne Chamber of Commerce:

February 28, 2022

The Labor Commissioner has published a required workplace poster and FAQs on 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave. The new law goes into effect on February 19 for employers with 26 or more employees.
“One goal of my office is to ensure workers in California know their rights and employers have the resources they need to comply with the state’s labor laws,” said Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower. “Supplemental Paid Sick Leave is a critical tool to stop the workplace spread of COVID-19 and save lives.”
The resources available include:
Required Workplace Poster (English, Spanish)
Frequently Asked Questions on the new law (English, Spanish coming soon)
On February 9, 2022, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 114 which requires employers with 26 or more employees to provide Supplemental Paid Sick Leave for specific COVID-19 related reasons. The law is retroactive to January 1, 2022 and will remain in effect until September 30, 2022. Qualifying employers are required to provide up to 80 hours of COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick leave, with 40 of those hours available only when the employee or their family member tests positive for COVID-19.  COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave is in addition to regular paid sick leave.
Even if you employ only one person in California, you are required to post current employment notices and distribute certain pamphlets. Be sure to display a poster in each business location where employees can easily see it and read it.
You'll need both English and Spanish kit versions if you have Spanish-speaking employees.
Reminder: On January 1, 2022, the minimum wage increases to $14.00/hour for employers with 25 or less employees and $15.00/hour for employers with 26 or more employees.
 
Have you or your employees received an “urgent” letter stating your labor law posters are out of date? Or, have you ever been surprise “audited” by a mysterious agency?
You’re not alone. Here are some of the most common labor law poster vendor scare tactics for which you and your locations need to know.
Poster Update Notice
This scam looks like an urgent poster update notification (email, mail, etc.) with legal jargon about fines for non-compliance. But, upon further investigation, it turns out to be an order form for a new labor law poster set.
The vendor’s intention is to trick the receiver into ordering new, perhaps unnecessary posters with the attached form. However, you and/or your locations should not purchase the new poster set, as the sender does not actually know any of your company details or compliance needs. Too often, receivers will submit payment in fear of non-compliance and receive a poster that doesn’t meet their needs.
 “Open Immediately” Letter to Individual Locations
Companies with multiple locations are challenged with managing labor law poster updates across state, county and city jurisdiction, which can be further complicated by the “Open Immediately” scam.
This type of scare tactic starts with an individual company location receiving an urgent “open immediately” message (email, mail, etc.) with a non-compliance fine warning inside.
It’s common for locations to fall for this scam, as these messages often pass for communications from their company’s corporate office. Locations believe the warning is valid and must purchase whatever poster is offered in the communication.
To prevent this from happening, make sure your locations understand how your labor compliance program works, and that they should not respond to notices of this type.
The Fake Audit
Recently, a few companies have told us about a new type of vendor scare tactic – the fake audit.
Basically, this happens when an “auditor” visits an individual location, explaining he/she was sent from the “state agency” to audit their labor law posters. He/she then issues a poster requirements form with a fake agency name and a list of posters the location needs to buy, along with an order form.
Many location managers fall for this seemingly legitimate scam. To prevent it, educate your locations on your vendor and what is included in the labor law poster compliance programs. Also, ask your location managers to inform your company’s corporate compliance team when a surprise audit occurs. That way, you can determine whether it is a fake or real audit.

If your payroll services provider does not supply you with a poster every year, you can purchase the All In One poster on line, the price should range from $15.00-$40.00 (laminated), or you can download them here. 

This press release was produced by La Verne Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.