Oregon Adds Evacuation, Smoke, and Heat to Sick Leave Law
Answered by the HR Experts
Employees are entitled to use their sick leave:
1. When their home or workplace is under a level 2 or 3 emergency evacuation order (‘SET’ or ‘GO’)
2. When a public official determines that the air quality index or heat index is high enough that continued exposure would be unhealthy (it’s too smoky or too hot)
3. This applies to all employers regardless of size, although emergency responders are not entitled to use their sick leave for the above reasons.
Action Item
Update your sick leave policy to include evacuation orders, air quality, and heat as covered leave reasons and ensure that both managers and employees are made aware of the changes.
To get a free Oregon Handbook that includes policies around this and more download our free Oregon Employee handbook.
