On January 1, 2018, the California Legislature enacted the New Parent Leave Act (“NPLA”). The NPLA expanded baby-bonding benefits to employees of smaller employers (20-49 employees), a benefit that had been previously available only to employees of larger employers (50 or more employees) under the California Family Rights Act (“CFRA”).
New Posting Requirement
Along with this expansion comes a new poster that discusses the NPLA, CFRA, and Pregnancy Disability Leave:
All employers with 20 or more employees must display the poster. The Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) requires that the posters be placed where they can be easily seen by employees and applicants for employment.
In addition, if 10% or more of the employer’s workforce at any given location speaks a language other than English, the employer is required to post the notice in such other languages. The DFEH published several translated versions of the poster at its website:
An employer must also incorporate a description of the NPLA in the next version of its employee handbook.
As an alternative to displaying multiple government-issued posters, some employers prefer to purchase and display an “all-in-one” poster from various sources. Employers should review the posters to ensure they are up to date.
Medical Certification Form
The DFEH also recently updated the form that addresses the certification of a health care provider for leaves under the CFRA and the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”):
