Why Employers Must Track Time for the 2019 Michigan Paid Medical Leave Act

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich., April 24, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The new Michigan Paid Medical Leave Act (PMLA) took place back on March 29, 2019 that requires employers in the state of Michigan with 50 employees or more to supply their employees with paid medical leave. Employers have the option to give employees 40 hours at once for the 12-month benefit period or choose to have the employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick time per 35 hours worked in a calendar week.

According to the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), employees may take paid medical leave for the following reasons:

• Physical or mental illness, injury, or health condition of the employee or his or her family member.
• Medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee or employee's family member.
• Preventative care of the employee or his or her family member.
• Closure of the employee's primary workplace by order of a public official due to a public health emergency.
• The care of his or her child whose school or place of care has been closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency.
• The employee's or his or her family member's exposure to a communicable disease that would jeopardize the health of others as determined by the health authorities or a health care provider.

It is important to note that businesses are required to properly track these hours. In fact, LARA states, "Employers must retain records that document the hours worked and paid medical leave taken by employees for not less than 1 year; however, there may be other laws, such as 1978 Public Act 390, the Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefit Act, that may require hours worked and fringe benefit documentation be maintained for not less than 3 years. These records shall be open to the Wage and Hour Division at any reasonable time."

A solution to properly tracking hours worked, sick time, along with other paid time off, is through an employee time clock system called OnTheClock. It is completely cloud-based where everything is stored safely and securely allowing you access from anywhere in the world. Start tracking your employees' hours worked and their sick time with ease by creating an account, today.

You can schedule a FREE live demo by clicking here.

Failure to abide by this new law comes with some serious consequences for business owners. An employer who does not comply with the new Michigan Paid Medical Leave Act will be penalized $1,000.00 for an administrative fine. Additionally, since it is required for employers to post information regarding PMLA that can be found on the Wage and Hour Division's website, those who fail to do so will be fined $100.00 for an administrative fine for each separate violation.

Avoid hefty fines and penalties by signing up with an employee time clock service or call 888-753-5999 for further assistance.

SOURCE OnTheClock