What Michigan’s new paid sick leave law means for caregivers and household employers
Joining six other states, the Michigan legislature recently passed the Michigan Time to Care bill, guaranteeing up to 40 hours of paid sick leave for all employees — including household employees like nannies and caregivers — starting in March 2019. Michigan follows the lead of Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Washington, who have also passed laws ensuring paid sick leave.
It’s a big move for employees of small businesses and households, whose employment rights and benefits haven’t always been guaranteed by law.
“This is a huge benefit to nannies, who are more likely to work when they are sick and save their precious PTO hours for vacation,” says Jaynie Fawley, owner of the Michigan Nanny Authority, a nanny placement agency in Kalamazoo.
Why is this new law important?
It guarantees benefits
Historically, many state and local laws have exempted small businesses, including families hiring a household employee, from paid sick leave mandates. This is not to say that families overwhelmingly sidestep providing their nanny or senior caregiver with paid sick leave, but this law will guarantee sick leave benefits to more workers. Employers who don’t comply could face penalty fees. Even if you don’t live in Michigan, you can look to this law as a good common standard to have.
It puts responsibility on the employer
“This new law removes the burden of responsibility from the nanny to educate parents on the benefits of sick time or to have to advocate to have this benefit included in their work agreement,” Fawley says.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average full-time employee working in the private industry enjoys 10 paid sick days per year if they have worked at least one year at a company. While household employers may not always be able to match this average, the minimum 40 hours of paid sick leave should be included in a nanny contract or senior care contract.
Employees have less financial worries
No worker should have to worry about their financial well-being just because they catch a cold or the flu.
“Knowing that they have this benefit, nannies will have the ability to take needed time off to rest and recover from an illness without causing themselves a financial burden,” Fawley says.
It promotes healthier families
No family really wants a sick caregiver around their loved ones; it’s not good for either the caregiver or the people they are caring for. So make sure you have a backup care plan in place for these paid sick days.
“It will be even more important going forward for parents who employ nannies to have a backup child care plan for when their nanny calls in sick,” Fawley says.
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