{"id":17330,"date":"2025-07-28T09:47:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T13:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/?p=17330"},"modified":"2025-07-28T09:47:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T13:47:26","slug":"new-york-covid-sick-leave-ending-employee-handbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/new-york-covid-sick-leave-ending-employee-handbook\/","title":{"rendered":"New York COVID Sick Leave Ending: 5 Employee Handbook Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"112\" data-end=\"188\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17332\" src=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-shvetsa-3987152.jpg\" alt=\"new york covid sick leave ending employee handbook\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-shvetsa-3987152.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-shvetsa-3987152-980x653.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-shvetsa-3987152-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"112\" data-end=\"188\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Effective <strong data-start=\"10\" data-end=\"27\">July\u202f31,\u202f2025<\/strong>, New York\u2019s COVID\u201119\u2013specific paid sick leave mandate will officially sunset. As of August\u202f1,\u202f2025, employers will no longer be required to provide the separate COVID\u201119 sick leave that has been in place since March 2020. Depending on size and income, employers previously had to offer 5 or 14 days of paid leave for isolation or quarantine orders tied to COVID\u201119.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"190\" data-end=\"266\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Employees still retain the ability to use standard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ny.gov\/programs\/new-york-paid-sick-leave\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York State Paid Sick Leave<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/site\/dca\/about\/paid-sick-leave-law.page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York City\u2019s Earned Sick &amp; Safe Time<\/a>, for COVID\u2011related care, falling under general communicable illness protections. They also remain eligible for <a href=\"https:\/\/paidfamilyleave.ny.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paid Family Leave<\/a> or disability benefits in applicable scenarios<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"190\" data-end=\"266\">COVID Sick Leave and Your Employee Handbook<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"321\" data-end=\"358\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">If your handbook or policies currently reference the COVID\u201119 leave law, it\u2019s time to update them. This change can affect:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"362\" data-end=\"399\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"25\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Scope and eligibility<\/strong>, especially for leave tied to mandatory quarantine or isolation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"402\" data-end=\"439\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"25\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Procedural guidelines<\/strong> for requesting leave and documentation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"442\" data-end=\"479\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"24\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Benefit interactions<\/strong> between pandemic leave and other leave types, like Paid Family Leave or NYPSL.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"481\" data-end=\"518\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Without updates, employees may be confused or have outdated expectations, which increases exposure to compliance risks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"481\" data-end=\"518\">Employee Handbook Updates<\/h3>\n<h4 data-start=\"566\" data-end=\"648\">1. Remove or revise any references to \u201cCOVID\u201119 quarantine or isolation leave\u201d<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"651\" data-end=\"690\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Eliminate sections describing the separate COVID\u2011specific sick time requirement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"693\" data-end=\"773\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Replace it with a statement that the requirement expired on July 31, 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 data-start=\"775\" data-end=\"825\">2. Clarify available leave under NYPSL &amp; NYPFL<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"828\" data-end=\"867\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Explain that employees can still use paid sick leave under the broader state or NYC laws for illnesses, including COVID\u201119.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"870\" data-end=\"950\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Note eligibility to use Paid Family Leave when caring for an ill family member, including COVID\u2011related conditions that qualify as a serious health condition;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 data-start=\"952\" data-end=\"1006\">3. Streamline procedure and documentation sections<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1009\" data-end=\"1109\">If previously detailed how to document COVID\u2011specific leave or testing, clean up those requirements.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1112\" data-end=\"1186\">Reference only general leave forms and reporting procedures going forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>4. Address transitional messaging<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1228\" data-end=\"1308\">Provide a clear effective date (e.g., \u201cAs of August\u202f1,\u202f2025\u201d) to avoid confusion.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1311\" data-end=\"1421\">Consider including a brief employee FAQ section: \u201cWhat changed?\u201d, \u201cWhat stays?\u201d, and \u201cWhere do I go for help?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 data-start=\"1423\" data-end=\"1473\">5. Update internal and external communications<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1476\" data-end=\"1529\">Send a company-wide notice to explain the change.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1532\" data-end=\"1603\">Train HR and managers to effectively answer questions and guide employees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Employer Action Steps<\/h2>\n<h3>Audit your handbook and leave policies<\/h3>\n<p>Remove outdated COVID\u2011specific provisions and adjust language to reflect current law.<\/p>\n<h3>Issue clear employee communications<\/h3>\n<p>Set expectations and avoid confusion about leave entitlements.<\/p>\n<h3>Educate your managers<\/h3>\n<p>Ensure consistent leave handling across teams and reinforce compliance.<\/p>\n<h3>Update forms and internal systems<\/h3>\n<p>Remove obsolete documentation prompts and align with standard leave workflows.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2819\" data-end=\"2839\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2841\" data-end=\"3131\">The end of New York\u2019s COVID\u201119 sick leave mandate marks a transition back to standard statutory leave frameworks, but it doesn\u2019t eliminate protections. Remaining laws, such as NYPSL, NYC Earned Sick &amp; Safe Time, and Paid Family Leave, still offer robust coverage for illness and caregiving needs.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3133\" data-end=\"3325\">By proactively updating your handbook and leave procedures before the August 1, 2025, deadline, you\u2019ll help avoid confusion, support employee trust, and reinforce your compliance readiness.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"3133\" data-end=\"3325\">Get Help Updating Your Employee Handbook<\/h2>\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s this COVID leave law ending or a multitude of other updates that need to be made to your handbook, it can be a daunting and time-consuming task, especially if you don&#8217;t have the HR staff or resources to do it internally. That&#8217;s where GTM can help. Our HR consultants are experts at creating and updating employee handbooks to ensure compliance with the latest labor laws. They will work with you to ensure that the updates are effectively communicated to your staff.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/what-we-offer\/employee-handbook\/\">Learn more<\/a>, then fill out the brief form below to get a free consultation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn what New York COVID sick leave ending means for your business and what updates you need to make to your employee handbook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[266],"tags":[79,194,107,6],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-17330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consulting-services","tag-compliance","tag-covid-19","tag-employee-handbook","tag-new-york-employers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17330"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17339,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17330\/revisions\/17339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17330"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=17330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}