Legal Updates in Colorado for 2022 & Beyond

Provided by BBSI

Are you ready for the new year? Here’s a preview of the CO state laws employers must prepare for.

CO Wage and Hour (Effective January 1, 2022):

Minimum Wage for Hourly Workers:

• Denver: $15.87 (2021: $14.77)
• Statewide (Proposed, not yet final): $12.56 (2021: $12.32)

Minimum Wage for Salaried Workers:

• $45,000 (2021: $40,500)

CO Paid Sick Leave- Healthy Family Workers Act (HFWA) (Effective January 1, 2022 for ALL employers):

• Employees receive 48 hours per year (either anniversary or calendar). No waiting period – employees begin accruing 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, and INCLUDES OVERTIME. . . And more!
• 2022: All employers with 1 or more employee(s) must offer HFWA. (2021: Minimum employee count is 16)
• Employers should have their PTO/Sick Leave policies spelled out in an employee handbook.

Colorado Secure Savings Program (Effective Date TBD)

• A state-run auto IRA program
• Applies to employers with 5 or more employees
• The program will be up and running soon, then employees can sign up for pre-tax deductions to deposit into the plan
• BBSI offers a 401(k) option for clients

Colorado Paid Family & Medical Leave

• Voted into law in 2020, employees can access January 1,2024
• Applies to employers with 10 or more employees
• Available to employees who earned at least $2,500
• Provides 12 weeks of paid medical leave and job protection
• New Government Agency will manage the plan
• Taxes to fund the plan will be 0.9%, with a 50/50 split between the employer and employee, starting January 1, 2023

No More Vacation “Use It or Lose It” Policies

• CO’s Wage Claim Act clarified through a CO Supreme Court ruling that “earned, vested, determinable” vacation can’t be taken away through a “use it or lose it” policy, and employees are entitled to all accrued but unused vacation at the time of termination.

Equal Pay for Equal Work

• Requires job postings include pay ranges
• Required promotion opportunities be posted
• Every employee should have a job description in their personnel file
• And more!

Need help? Let us know!

Knight Hinman, Area Manager – Denver, CO
knight.hinman@bbsi.com

303-893-1850 ext 24660