Even employers with a single employee are obligated to implement a sick leave policy under the new law.
Next month, on July 1, 2022, the New Mexico Paid Sick Leave Law will take effect. The Healthy Workplaces Act of 2021 requires all private employers, no matter the size, to pay sick leave to all employees.
According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, a continuation of the public hearing to obtain input and public comment on proposed regulations for implementing and enforcing the Healthy Workplaces Acton was held on May 24, 2022.
With only thirty days left before the law takes effect, it is noteworthy that the proposed rules of the Healthy Workplaces Act have still not been finalized.
New Mexico will be joining the southwestern states of Arizona, California, and Colorado as well as eleven other states throughout the country in adopting mandatory paid sick leave.
There is no more well-intentioned-sounding policy than mandating employers to pay sick leave for employees.
Does the force of government in making employers provide mandated sick leave benefits achieve the desired results for employees?
According to a report from the Freedom Foundation, the actual data and conclusions of studies by proponents of sick leave do not support the assertions of labor activists.
While promoters of paid sick leave mandates assure policymakers, business owners and the public that forcing firms to provide mandatory paid leave is not only cost-free, but universally beneficial, the research they frequently rely on says just the opposite.
Maxford Nelsen, The Effect of Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Policies; Reviewing the Evidence
Pending no delays in the adoption of finalized rulemaking, will New Mexico become another data point in the costly failures of good intentions?