Colorado Healthy Families and Workplace Act

In 2021, Colorado will join 13 other states that have mandatory paid sick leave laws with the “Healthy Families and Workplace Act”. This new regulation requires employers to offer up to 48 hours of sick leave per year to employees. Below is a summary of the rules and regulations.

To comply with this law, business owners must track hours worked, sick time accruals, and sick time usage. Additionally, employees must be made aware of their rights via a visible posting in the workplace. Unify has the solutions business owners need to comply with and understand this legislation and future labor-related legislation. In addition to payroll services, Unify offers a robust timekeeping platform, paid-leave tracking, labor poster compliance, access to HR tools, and more. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about any of our services.

Key Facts About the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplace Act:

• Effective January 1st, 2021, Colorado employers with 16 or more employees are required to provide paid sick leave to all employees. The sick time must be accrued at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year. (This is applicable for all Colorado employers regardless of size in 2022).
• In addition to the paid sick leave accrued by an employee, the act requires an employer, regardless of size, to provide its employees an additional amount of paid sick leave during a public health emergency in an amount based on the number of hours the employee works.
• Employers are required to retain records for each employee for a two year period, documenting hours worked, paid sick leave accrued, and paid sick leave used.
• Employers are required to notify employees of their rights under the act by providing employees with written notice of their rights and displaying a poster, developed by the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment, detailing employees’ rights under the act.

Additional Resources:
Interpretive Notice & Formal Opinion – Paid Leave under HFWA

Colorado General Assembly – Sick Leave for Employers

Healthy Families and Workplaces Signed Bill

Colorado Department of Labor Standards Contact Info: Website | 303-318-8441 |​ cdle_labor_standards@state.co.us