On May 13, the City of Philadelphia’s Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Law, also known as the Philadelphia Sick Leave Law, went into effect. The legislation requires employers in the city to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours an employee works.

Penn, the city’s largest private employer and one of its largest taxpayers, has long provided time-off benefits for regular full-time and part-time staff and faculty that far exceed the provisions of the city’s new sick leave law—and the University has enhanced its sick leave policies even further to assist employees.

“We took the opportunity to update Penn’s existing sick-leave benefits to support faculty and staff, and provide greater flexibility as they care for themselves and their families,” says Sharon Moorer Aylor, executive director of Human Resources-Staff and Labor Relations.

The Division of Human Resources (HR) policy updates include providing paid sick leave benefits to eligible temporary employees working in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, increasing the number of sick days in a calendar year that regular faculty and staff may take to care for family members, and expanding the definition of “family member.”

Penn’s paid-time-off policy has also been updated to cover cases of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking experienced by faculty or staff members, or to enable faculty or staff to support a relative addressing these issues.

The number of sick days in a calendar year that regular faculty and staff may take to care for family members has increased from three to five days. Regular full-time staff and faculty receive 12 or more sick days per fiscal year, which start accruing upon their hire date and can be used as they accrue.

Temporary employees who work for Penn in Philadelphia or the surrounding area for six or more months in a calendar year now accrue paid sick leave at the rate of one hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked. Temporary staff employed by an outside agency are covered by that organization’s time-off programs. Penn staff covered by collective bargaining agreements are not affected by the provisions of Philadelphia’s sick leave law.

A staff member appointed as of May 13 or afterwards for six or more months of service as a temporary worker begins accruing sick leave upon hire and may use accrued sick leave beginning on the 90th calendar day after hire. Temporary staff may accrue a maximum of 40 hours of paid sick leave in a calendar year. Unused sick leave may be carried over into the next calendar year, but a temporary worker may not use more than 40 hours of sick leave in a calendar year.

For more information, visit the HR website or call the HR Staff and Labor Relations Department at 215-898-6093.