Finance experts discuss Earned Sick Time Act changes with UP businesses
ISHPEMING, Mich. (WLUC) – Finance experts helped U.P. businesses better understand the Earned Sick Time Act in Ishpeming Tuesday.
The Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) joined Flagstar and Paychex to host a learning session. OK Industrial Supply Business Operations Director Mandy Nelson says she wants to make sure her business is up-to-date.
“I was feeling pretty good until last week,” Nelson said. “There was talk about all of the changes, so I just wanted to come here today to make sure I’m aware of what those last-minute changes are and if there’s anything we can do to make changes on our end.”
Experts discussed what businesses should do now like deciding how to track earned sick time. Now, businesses with ten or fewer employees must provide paid sick leave for all paid employees, whether full-time, part-time or seasonal. Employees now earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Ishpeming Flagstar Branch Leader Katelyn Gage hopes to clear up compliance issues.
“We’ve heard some businesses saying, ‘Oh, I’ll just add an extra column to our Quickbooks,’” Gage said. “Well, that doesn’t handle all of the aspects, and we want to make sure these small mom-and-pop businesses are hitting the mark.”
Gage says a typical mom-and-pop business needs to come up with an extra ten thousand dollars to cover the costs of the act, and she wants to help people grow their business, not just run it.
“Our biggest asset is, as a financial advisor to our community, is to educate and help them understand and help us to empower them, to take charge,” Gage said.
Nelson says she handles everything herself within her company and likes the outside support.
“To meet with other small businesses and hear kind of how they are approaching these things, just to make sure that we are doing the best for ourselves and growing in the right ways.”
Nelson recommends that other business owners attend as many webinars as possible to learn more.
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