Is Your Organization Ready for Paid COVID-19 Leave?

Like most public emergencies do, the pandemic has had a direct and immediate impact on workplaces and employment law. When it first began, provinces enacted legislation giving employees unpaid leave for time missed due to COVID-19. The idea was to ensure that getting sick, slammed into self-isolation or shut in to care for a homebound child didn’t cost employees their jobs.

A year later, the dynamics have changed. The current order of the day is to ensure that employees get the vaccine and stay home when they’re sick. The problem is that employees must sacrifice vacation days or paid work hours to obey these imperatives. And that’s a luxury many employees simply can’t afford, especially in these tough economic times.

Consequently, governments have shifted tactics by adopting paid leave so employees can get vaccinated during work hours without losing pay. And now some provinces are upping the ante by providing full days of paid sick leave covering not just vaccination but other COVID-related missed time. Go to the HRI site for a rundown of what’s happening, including a Know The Laws summary of the state of paid leave in every jurisdiction.