Corresponding with proposed state legislation on time off, a study conducted by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association has found that holidays in the Constitution state are fairly easy to come by.
The bill remains in committee. It seeks to codify the number of vacation and sick days in workers”™ schedules.
“As a general proposition, the business community supports pro-worker legislation,” said Kia Floyd Murrell, assistant council at CBIA. “However, we believe that Senate Bill 217 AAC Paid Sick Leave will significantly increase labor costs and administrative burdens for employers.”
The study found that more than one third of businesses give their employees five days of paid vacation after six months on the job, and more than two-thirds give two weeks of vacation after two years.
Of the companies with a paid time-off policy, an average of 10 days paid time off was given to workers with up to one year of service.
“The amount of sick leave given is definitely based on competition in Connecticut. Companies want to attract workers and the state wants to attract workers to the state,” said Tony Soegaard, president of Penmar Industries Inc. “Though I object to sick leave legislation and especially rollover sick leave because a lot of companies cannot handle that. I don”™t think that rollover, especially on the startup companies, should be forced upon them. Even if you”™re a company smaller than the requirement of 25 people, the legislation has indirect effects because companies have less money to purchase goods and services.”
The majority of employers, 69 percent, offer paid sick leave to their employees. More than a third of respondents offer their employees 56 or more hours of sick time during their first year of employment.
Thirty-one percent of employers offer 80 or more sick hours after two years of service.
More than half of businesses allow workers to carry over or be paid for their unused sick days.
“Competition is taking care of the amount of sick leave, and right now sick leave is very liberal,” said Soegaard. “Each company should be able to set aside the policies they can live with.”
The study also found that 29 percent of employers give workers sick leave immediately upon hire and 14 percent of respondents offering the benefit within the first 90 days. Of all Connecticut employers, the survey found 97 percent give off New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“The survey results make it clear that there is no need for this type of legislation because many employers are already offering generous paid time-off benefits as way of recruiting and retaining a talented workforce,” said Murrell. “One-size-fits-all policies don”™t work for every employer and workplace. Particularly for seasonal industries, businesses based on tourism or companies that utilize a part-time workforce, paid time-off mandates are unworkable and will be detrimental to business operations and productivity. Many employers would incur great expense in increased payroll and benefit costs for employees whose compensation and hours worked may be far less than the cost of their paid time off.”
