As we have previously reported, effective July 18, 2018, employers in New York City are now required to grant employee requests for temporary work schedule changes when needed for certain medical and family care purposes. Employers are required to grant such requests either twice per calendar year for up to one business day per request, or once per calendar year for two business days for a single request. Reasons for temporary changes under the law include providing care to a minor child or to certain family or household members with a disability, to attend certain benefits-related proceedings, and for other reasons covered under the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act.
The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), which is the City agency tasked with enforcing the law, has launched a new informational website that includes a Frequently Asked Questions document, as well as information for employees on filing a complaint regarding violations of the law.
Notably for employers, the website also announces a new posting requirement for the law. Employers are obligated to post the notice You Have a Right to Temporary Changes to Your Work Schedule “where employees can easily see it at each NYC workplace.” The notice should be scaled to 11″ x 17″ size and must be posted in English and in any language that is the primary language of at least 5 percent of the workers at a workplace and for which the DCA provides a translated version. Currently, only the English version is available, but the DCA notes that translated copies will be available soon.
We will continue to report on new developments regarding this law as they develop.