MRSC Insight Blog

About Our Blog Our Authors Our Advisors

MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Leave Policies

Elected Officials and Benefits Programs

May 8, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , Leave Policies

Are elected officials covered by various state employee programs? This blog post answers that simple—and complicated—question.

Pop Quiz: Family Leave and Sick Leave Edition

January 14, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Take a short quiz to test your understanding of the Paid Family Leave and Sick Leave for employees.

Paid Family & Medical Leave Act: What does finance/payroll need to do?

November 27, 2018 by Toni Nelson
Category: Leave Policies

With 2019 on the horizon, local governments must begin to comply with new Paid Family & Medical Leave requirements. Finance Consultant Toni Nelson looks at what steps the finance department should take, beginning today.

Year-End Personnel Topics Pop Quiz

January 9, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , Termination , Leave Policies , Minimum Wage

Take a short quiz to test your memory of some common, personnel-related legal issues as well as new employment laws that came in to or remained in effect in 2017.

Legislature Enacts Paid Family Leave

September 13, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies , New Legislation and Regulations

The state legislature has adopted a bill that provides most employees in Washington State with paid leave to care for their health conditions, the health condition of a family member, or for the birth or placement of an adopted or foster child. This post summarizes the new legislation and some of the differences between it and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Paid Sick Leave Starts January 1

September 5, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Starting January 1, 2018, all employers in the state, including all local government agencies, must provide paid sick leave for their employees. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan responds to some possible questions about the new paid sick leave requirements.

Paid Sick Leave and Initiative 1433

March 27, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Initiative 1433, approved by the voters in November 2016, sets the minimum wage for most employees (currently $11.00 per hour). But the initiative does more than that. Starting January 1, 2018, every employer in the state, including local governments, will be required to provide its employees with paid sick leave. This blog post will explore how this new requirement will affect local governments in Washington State.

Three Things You Should Know about FLSA and the MWA (but Maybe You Don’t)

March 2, 2016 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies , FLSA , Minimum Wage

Although the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state Minimum Wage Act (MWA) are not new, they still raise questions. Here are a few issues you may not be aware of.

Transitioning Back to Work After Baby

November 12, 2015 by Flannary Collins
Category: Leave Policies

My most recent blog post covered the different types of parental leave available to care for a new child. While parental leave is a bit of a maze, once the initial newborn stage has passed and the new parent returns to work, that is when the real juggling act starts. Being a mom to two young children myself, I am well aware of the new set of challenges parents face when they return to work after having a baby. If their babies are anything like mine, most new parents returning to work may be a bit lacking in the sleep department; sorting through these new challenges can be especially daunting when you are sleep-deprived. Maybe these tips will help clear some of the cobwebs.

Parental Leave for Local Government Employees

September 9, 2015 by Flannary Collins
Category: Leave Policies

My recent maternity leave (my second child was born in March) got me thinking about the confusing mix of laws that governs a local government employee’s right to maternity disability leave and to parental leave to care for a new baby, a newly adopted child, or a recently placed foster child.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees, Part 4: Establishing Clear Policies

August 18, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

Part 4 in this series provides some review, guidelines for establishing clear policies, summation, and attempt to wrap up the subject for now.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees, Part 3: Some Recommendations

June 10, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

MRSC HR Advisor Cabot Dow continues his series on sick leave with some policy recommendations for going forward.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees, Part 2: Framework for Issue Assessment

April 10, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

This is part two of a four-part series on the subject of sick leave benefits for local government employees, focusing on identifying issues to think about and questions to discuss regarding paid sick leave benefits.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees Part 1: An Overview

March 2, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

Recently, there has been a surge of interest on the West Coast in the pros and cons of paid sick leave benefits for employees. This issue was hotly debated in 2014 by both the California and Washington State Legislatures. In Washington State, the bill that would have required businesses with more than 5 employees to provide paid sick leave (from 40 to 72 hours per year) was passe...

"Employers Must Accommodate Religious Beliefs," Says Washington Supreme Court

September 1, 2014 by Nate Bailey
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

The Washington Supreme Court recently announced that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) requires employers to accommodate employees' religious beliefs. The Court's recent decision in Kumar v. Gate Gourmet, Inc. marked the first time Washington's high court has directly...

New Bill Gives Public Employees Two Unpaid Religious Holidays Per Year: What Does It Mean for Employers?

July 1, 2014 by HR Advisor
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

On March 31, Governor Inslee signed into law a bill giving public employees two unpaid religious holidays per calendar year. SB 5173, which passed with overwhelming support, was designed to provide flexibility to employees of faiths like Islam or Judaism whose holy...

OFM Defines "Undue Hardship" for Newly Required Unpaid Holidays

June 4, 2014 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Chapter 168, Laws of 2014, which goes into effect on June 12, entitles state and local government employees "to two unpaid holidays per calendar year for a reason of faith or conscience or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization." The Office of Financial Management (OFM) was given ...

Two New (Unpaid) Holidays for Government Employees

April 23, 2014 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Legislation (SSB 5173) passed during the 2014 session entitles local (and state) government employees to two unpaid holidays per calendar year “for reasons of faith or conscience or for an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization.” The legislation goes into effect on June 12.
A local government employee may select the...