Managers reviewing an hourly employee’s call-out should verify five specific items before approving the absence.
Key takeaways for what should managers check for sick leave call outs?
- Confirm whether the employer meets the size threshold for paid leave requirements. Employers with fifteen or more employees must provide paid earned safe and sick leave, according to Maryland Department of Labor. This specific employer-size threshold defines the coverage rule for that jurisdiction.
- Check accrued hours against the required rate. An employee must accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked, according to Washington State Legislature. Confirm the recorded balance reflects this minimum accrual standard for the hours actually worked.
- Review the reason for the call-out against jurisdictional closure rules. Employers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees must allow employees to take paid sick and safe time when their place of business has been closed for any health or safety reason, according to Seattle Office of Labor Standards. Distinguish this business-closure provision from other absence reasons during the review.
Sick leave call outs: the checks for an absence review
These checks ensure the leave entry aligns with applicable jurisdictional rules and internal records. The five checks are:
- Employer coverage checks: For example, Maryland requires paid earned safe and sick leave for employers with 15 or more employees, according to Maryland Department of Labor.
- Accrued hours checks: Verify the employee’s current sick-leave balance against the accrual rate. Washington State requires accrual for all hours worked at no less than one sick-leave hour for every forty hours worked, as noted in the Washington State Legislature’s provisions.
- Carryover balance checks: Distinguish carried-over hours from new accruals. Washington State rules treat carried-over hours additively to subsequent accruals, according to the Washington State Legislature.
- Closure reason checks: Identify if the call-out is due to a school or care closure. Seattle’s paid sick and safe time covers any family member’s school or care closure, according to the Seattle Office of Labor Standards.
- Pregnancy leave checks: Flag pregnancy-related considerations for accommodation review. Childbirth recovery is a pregnancy-related leave consideration.
Before recording leave: identify the employer coverage rule
Start by identifying the applicable leave provision before recording any absence. See Time off rules: 8 settings that keep rosters fair for related roster settings. For employers in Maryland, the coverage rule depends on the number of employees. Employers with 14 or fewer employees are required to provide unpaid earned sick and safe leave, according to Maryland Department of Labor. This threshold distinguishes the unpaid-leave requirement from the paid-leave requirement for larger employers. When reviewing a call-out, verify whether the employer falls into this smaller category to determine if the leave is unpaid.
Accrual rules also vary based on hours worked during specific pay periods. An employee is not entitled to accrue sick and safe leave during a 2 week pay period in which the employee worked fewer than 24 total hours, according to Maryland Department of Labor. Additionally, an employee is not entitled to accrue sick and safe leave during a 1 week pay period if the employee worked fewer than a combined total of 24 hours in the current and immediately preceding pay period, according to Maryland Department of Labor. For employees paid twice per month, accrual does not occur in a pay period where the employee worked fewer than 26 hours, according to Maryland Department of Labor. These exclusions mean that not every pay period generates new leave hours.
Carryover limits also affect the available balance. An employee is entitled to carry over up to 40 hours of earned but unused sick and safe leave from one year to the next unless it would provide the employee with more than 64 hours of total accrued leave, according to Maryland Department of Labor.
To apply these rules, confirm the employer size and the employee’s hours worked in the relevant pay periods. If the employer has 14 or fewer employees, the leave is unpaid. No accrual occurs for that period if the employee worked fewer than the specified hours in a pay period. Check the carryover balance against the 40-hour and 64-hour limits. Use these checks to determine the correct leave type and available balance before recording the absence.
During the balance check: separate accrual from carryover
When reviewing an hourly employee’s leave balance, distinguish between hours earned during the current period and hours retained from the previous year. Under WAC 296-128-620, employees accrue paid sick leave for all hours worked, according to Washington State Legislature. This accrual applies to every hour the employee works, not just scheduled shifts or overtime periods.
Carryover rules affect how you calculate the total available balance. WAC 296-128-620 requires employers to allow employees to carry over at least forty hours of accrued, unused paid sick leave to the following year, according to Washington State Legislature.
If an employee carries over forty hours of unused paid sick leave to the following year, accrual of paid sick leave in the subsequent year would be in addition to the forty hours accrued in the previous year and carried over, according to Washington State Legislature.
To verify the correct balance for a call-out request:
- Identify the hours carried over from the previous year.
- Calculate the hours accrued in the current year based on all hours worked.
- Add the carried-over hours and the current-year accrual to determine the total available balance.
- Confirm that the requested absence does not exceed this combined total.
For hours on the timesheet, see Timesheet approval and edit rules for 5 apps.
During the reason check: closures and pregnancy-related leave
When an employee cites a closure as the reason for a sick leave call-out, verify the specific jurisdictional rule before approving the entry. For Seattle-based operations, the Paid Sick and Safe Time ordinance allows an employee to use PSST if any family member's place of care or school is closed, according to Seattle Office of Labor Standards. Because this provision covers family members broadly, managers need not verify specific relationships beyond the family connection. The law no longer requires that the closure be for a health-related reason or that a public official order the closure, according to Seattle Office of Labor Standards.
For call-outs related to pregnancy or childbirth, the review process shifts from leave entitlement to accommodation review. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act provides for reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants or employees who have known limitations, according to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This includes leave to recover from childbirth or other medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, according to Job Accommodation Network. When a shift lead reviews such a request, the focus is on whether the accommodation is reasonable and whether the employee has a known limitation that triggers the protection. The PWFA does not replace more protective state or local protections, so managers must check for additional local rules that may offer broader coverage.
To handle these reasons correctly, follow these steps:
Managers should record the specific reason code for the call-out to maintain accurate leave records. For Seattle closure cases, note the family member's school or care facility closure. Note the accommodation request and the known limitation for pregnancy-related cases. Such documentation aids the review process and ensures the leave entry matches applicable provisions.
Sick leave reference table by publisher and jurisdiction
The table below maps the five absence approval checks to the specific jurisdictional provisions named in the sources.
| Check | Jurisdiction/Publisher | Specific Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Employer coverage | Maryland Department of Labor | Employers who employ 15 or more employees are required to provide paid earned safe and sick leave. |
| Accrued hours | Washington State Legislature | An employee must accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked as an employee. |
| Carryover balance | Maryland Department of Labor | An employee is entitled to carry over up to 40 hours of earned but unused sick and safe leave from one year to the next unless it would provide the employee with more than 64 hours of total accrued leave. |
| Closure reason | Seattle Office of Labor Standards | Employers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees must allow PSST when their place of business has been closed for any health or safety reason. |
| Pregnancy leave | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | The PWFA does not replace federal, state, or local laws that are more protective of workers affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. |
Illustrative example of the five checks
An employer with 15 employees has one hourly call-out. On the coverage check, 15 is the paid-leave size and 14 is the unpaid size. On the balance check, 40 hours carried over stay in place, and accrual adds 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. On the reason check, ask whether a school or care site is closed, or whether an employer with 250 employees has closed for a health or safety reason. On the last check, ask whether the request is leave to recover from childbirth and whether a known limitation needs an accommodation review. These are separate jurisdictional checks. The figures only show how the five checks run in order.
Today, take one pending call-out and note employer size, pay-period hours, carried-over hours, the closure reason if any, and any pregnancy-related limitation before you record the absence.
FAQ: paid leave coverage and call-out records
What checks apply to sick leave call outs?
Managers should verify employer coverage, accrued hours, carryover balance, closure reason, and pregnancy leave considerations. These five checks ensure the absence aligns with specific jurisdictional rules rather than general assumptions. Each check addresses a distinct regulatory or operational component of the leave entry.
Does Maryland require paid sick leave when my employer has fourteen employees?
No, employers with 14 or fewer employees are required to provide unpaid earned sick and safe leave, according to Maryland Department of Labor. Paid leave is required only when an employer employs 15 or more employees, according to Maryland Department of Labor.
How does Washington treat new accrual when forty unused sick-leave hours carry over?
New accrual does not replace the carried-over balance but adds to it. This additive nature applies specifically to the forty-hour carryover scenario described.
Can Seattle paid sick and safe time cover a family member's school closure?
Yes, an employee may use PSST if any family member's place of care or school is closed, according to Seattle Office of Labor Standards. The provision explicitly includes closures affecting family members' care or school locations. Beyond the employee's own workplace or health status, this coverage extends.
Does the PWFA replace more protective state or local protections?
No, the PWFA does not replace federal, state, or local laws that are more protective of workers affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, according to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. More protective laws remain in effect alongside the PWFA. Managers should review applicable state or local statutes to determine which provisions offer greater protection.