State lawmakers will consider a bill this month that would guarantee sick leave for all employees in the state.
State Rep. Eric Morrison’s (D-Newark/Glasgow) bill would grant employees one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours of work. Morrison says his proposal is on the moderate end of the spectrum, allowing small businesses to provide only unpaid sick time. It would also allow employers to cap the amount of sick leave an employee can use at one time.
He argues employers could also benefit from the change. “It allows smaller employers to compete better with larger employers who already offer sick time, it increases job satisfaction, loyalty, morale and productivity, it decreases turnover," he said. "There are a lot of advantages here for business as well.
The bill would allow employees to use the time off for more than just recovering from illnesses. “In every other state that has this, it allows this to be used for safety leave, which means using the sick time not just for sickness purposes, but also to deal with a domestic violence situation," he said. "You’re talking about a number of things, including filing police reports, meeting with attorneys, meeting with counselors, meeting with professionals to prepare an escape plan, and even actually moving”
Employees would not be required to show documentation of their reasons for taking time off unless they were absent for three or more consecutive days.
If Delaware passes the bill, it would be the seventeenth state to provide this protection to employees.
