NEW YORK (AP) – Rod Holmes opted for simplicity when Chicago’s paid sick leave law took effect.
He wanted to avoid the headache of calculating how much sick time staffers at his digital marketing company earned for the time they worked, and there was the question of what do about his employees in Cincinnati.
Holmes had previously given his staffers three weeks of paid time off, to be used for whatever they wanted. But with the law requiring sick leave, he added a week of sick time for all 14 staffers. It increases his costs, but he wants to retain employees and attract new ones.
In this Monday, July 30, 2018, photo, Rod Holmes, bottom left, speaks to members of his team at his business Chicago Style SEO in Chicago. Running a small business can be more expensive and complex for owners subject to the growing number of state and local laws that mandate paid sick time. Owners with staffers in different cities or states must decide how much sick leave to give all their workers. With the law requiring sick leave, Holmes added a week of sick time for all 14 staffers. It increases his costs, but he wants to retain employees and attract new ones. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)“We’re in a fairly competitive market for people, and that was the deciding factor,” says Holmes, co-owner of Chicago Style SEO.
Running a small business can be more expensive and complex for owners subject to the growing number of state and local laws that mandate paid sick time. Owners with far-flung staffers like Holmes must decide how much sick leave to give all their workers. They also have the administrative costs of complying with the laws. And, if they have staffers who do shift work, they often must pay substitutes when someone is sick.