Page 248 - Washington Nonprofit Handbook 2018 Edition

Seattle

Seattle also amended its Paid Sick and Safe Time (“PSST”) ordinance after the

state law was implemented, effective January 14, 2018. As in Tacoma, non-exempt
employees in Seattle are entitled to accrue paid sick leave. A major difference
between the Seattle and Washington laws is the rate of accrual. Under the Seattle
ordinance, employees accrue paid sick leave at different rates based on the size of
the employer or “Tier size,” as outlined in the chart below. For further guidance on
Seattle’s PSST ordinance, see http://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/
paid-sick-and-safe-time.

General Small (Tier 1) Medium (Tier 2) Large (Tier 3)
Information Employer Employer Employer
Full Time Equivalents One employee and 50–249 FTEs 250 or more FTEs
(FTEs) up to 49 FTEs
Accrual of PSST per 1 hour per 40 hours 1 hour per 40 hours 1 hour per 30 hours
hours worked
Carry over of unused 40 hours 56 hours 72 hours
PSST (per year) *108 hours for
employers with PTO

Note that the Seattle PSST ordinance requires leave for any employee who
works within Seattle city limits, even on an occasional or part-time basis—
regardless of where the employer is located.

CHAPTER 66. Employee Handbooks

a. Should You Have One?

An employee handbook is a compilation of policies and procedures that an
employer decides to use in running its business and wishes to communicate to its
employees. There are many positive reasons to have an employee handbook and
few negative ones, provided the handbook is properly written. An employee
handbook allows you to communicate policies and procedures in a comprehensive
and consistent way and helps to ensure that all employees receive copies of
important policies such as those prohibiting sexual harassment. Having employees

sign a receipt for the handbook provides an efficient method to document
employee receipt of all pertinent policies and procedures.

There is one significant concern about having an employee handbook. In
Washington, unless otherwise agreed by the employer and employee, employment

WASHINGTON NONPROFIT HANDBOOK -237- 2018