Business Minded, Results-Oriented Legal Services

What California employers should know about the new Miscarriage Law

On Behalf of | Jan 23, 2024 | Unfair Labor Practice Defense

Many employers may take every possible measure to promote compliance with all employment and labor laws. However, as these laws may be subject to constant change, staying up to date on such topics can seem a daunting task, but this can also be integral to protecting your company’s interests.

Recent reports highlight changes to California Miscarriage Laws that took effect on January 1 of 2024. Addressing these changes could prove essential to updating your employment leave strategies to improve compliance with such laws and there may be various topics to cover when preparing for this process.

Things to note

According to reports on the new law, employers will be required to allow workers who experience any type of reproductive loss to take up to five days of leave. Types of reproductive losses could include miscarriages, stillbirths, or even failed adoptions.  However, while granting leave may be mandatory, reports indicate that employers might not be required to provide pay during the leave.

Employers may also benefit from addressing the protections and rights that may be provided for reproductive losses via laws such as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and Federal Medical Leave Act. This can be a complex topic at times, as while these acts may provide protections for issues such as miscarriage and stillbirth, this might not be the case with failed adoptions or surrogacy issues.

It may also be helpful to note that this new law does not mention the topic of abortion and there is no indication of whether this would qualify as a reproductive loss. Since staying updated on similar topics can be integral to ensuring your workplace policies align with employment leave laws, it might be helpful to seek insight in addressing such factors and on what steps to take to protect your company.

Promoting compliance

When changes to employment leave laws arise, it could be helpful to seek guidance on what to know and what steps you can take to protect your company’s interests. Such a decision could help provide you with much needed insight on every vital topic to address regarding recent changes to leave laws. This could prove vital to helping you prepare to safeguard the future of your endeavor and promote continued compliance by taking the necessary measures to update your company’s employment leave strategies.