As 2021 comes to a close, we are taking a look back at some of the major developments in New York City and New York

state employment law this past year, and a look ahead as to what’s to come in the New Year. We start our end-of-year

New York kicked off 2021 with a change to the state’s sick leave policy. Back in April 2020, the state enacted a

permanent paid sick leave program requiring all employers to provide job-protected sick leave. The amount of leave

time employees can take and whether the leave is paid or unpaid varies based on the size and profitability of the

employer. These changes went into effect on January 1, 2021. As employees continue to get vaccinated and boosted

against COVID-19, employers should be sure to comply with New York State Department of Labor (“NY DOL”) guidance

by giving workers at least four hours of paid leave per vaccine injection. Employers must also permit workers to use

Employers are also reminded that this permanent paid sick leave is a separate allotment of leave from New York’s

COVID-19 leave which requires that employers provide up to fourteen days of job-protected leave to eligible employees

marijuana use for adults 21 years of age or older. Now that the use of cannabis is legal for adults under New York State

law, New York employers are generally prohibited from taking adverse actions against employees for cannabis use

outside of work hours. However, as we explained back in October when the NY DOL interpretive guidance was released,...

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