Frequent Employer Questions About California’s Paid Sick Leave

Regularly, our members have questions about California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families (HWHF) Act- better known as the mandatory paid sick leave law - including how to control abuse of the leave and enforce their existing attendance policies.

In Episode 239 of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel for Labor and Employment Matthew Roberts, CalChamber General Counsel for Labor and Employment Bianca Saad, and CalChamber Employment Law Counsel Vanessa Greene help guide employers through managing paid sick leave and applying its legal requirements to their everyday operations and policies.

Listen to a discussion on:

• The key provisions of California's paid sick leave law, including employee rights and job protections, such as limits on denying paid sick leave use and the presumption of retaliation when adverse action occurs within 30 days of paid sick leave use.
• How employers can enforce their attendance policies by applying them flexibly and confirming whether an absence involves protected leave before taking adverse action.
• How employers should handle a typical call-out scenario, including what questions they may ask and what to avoid asking.

Employers can still maintain their paid sick leave policies, but they need to do so in a careful and compliant manner. An effective approach involves a lot of communication between employers and employees, including why the employee is taking leave, how much leave time they have available and which bank of leave they are using.

Live Webinar

Still unsure how to properly manage California's mandatory paid sick leave? On Thursday, March 19, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., CalChamber's Navigating Paid Sick Leave and Time Off Requirements in California live virtual webinar will break down what's required, what's optional, and how to design compliant policies and practices that support your workforce.

Attendees can submit questions during the webinar and have them answered in real time. Register now!