It's a win for staff – not far enough for unions – and a stretch for smaller businesses
Earlier this week, British Columbia became the first province to introduce paid sick leave for employees. As of January 1, 2022, all employees will be eligible for five paid days of sick leave each year – a move which is intended to improve worker morale and boost benefits for both full-time and part-time teams. Speaking to HRD, Michelle McKinnon, employment lawyer at BC-based McMillan, explained the rationale behind the new legislation and revealed the impact it could have on employers and their people.
“In the Announcement, the BC government commented that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for paid sick leave,” she told HRD. “The government indicated during a two-month period at the height of the pandemic, nearly 200 businesses were shut down in the Fraser Health Region alone.
“Businesses that had pre-existing sick leave programs for employees saw fewer workplace transmissions and, as a result, were not as severely impacted. This highlighted the fact that a lack of paid sick leave forced employees to choose between staying home to recover from an illness and being paid, with the impact being greater on lower income employees. The BC government stated that paid sick leave will enable employees to stay home when ill and will help prevent the transmission of diseases.”
Prior to implementing the new legislation, the BC government consulted with employers and their teams across...
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