Effective from 1 January 2021, amendments to the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act come into effect. These changes include employees being allowed to take leave to care for a sick or injured child/family by the hour.
Currently, employees can request leave by the half-day to care for a sick child or family member, and employees who work four hours or fewer per day are not allowed to request time off to provide such care. Under the new amendment, employees are allowed to request time off by the hour at any time during working hours to care for a sick or injured child or family member.
To take advantage of this increased flexibility, employers must amend their rules of employment.
Please note: Employers in specific industry sectors will be allowed to refuse hourly leave requests — for example, due to the nature, location of the work, or provisions included in labor-management agreements.
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