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Do employers have to give employees time off to get a vaccine?

On Behalf of | Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorized

It is common to get vaccinations not just during your childhood, but also as an adult. For example, you may get a flu shot every year or you may get a tetanus shot every 10 years. However, is your employer violating Illinois wage and hour laws if they do not let you take time off to get a vaccination?

Mandatory vaccinations

Recently, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) provided guidance on wage and hour rules with regards to vaccination. IDOL stated that if an employer mandates that an employee receive a certain vaccination has to pay the employee for the time it takes them to get the vaccine, even if they are vaccinated outside of their normal working hours.

Voluntary vaccinations

If a worker is voluntarily getting a vaccination, IDOL recommends that the employer should allow the employee to use sick leave, vacation leave or other paid time off to be vaccinated. If paid time off is not available, employers are recommended to provide flexible work schedules so workers can be vaccinated. Also, under the Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act, employers are required to offer voluntary paid sick leave to care for certain relatives just as they would use that same sick time to care for themselves.

Learn more about Illinois wage and hour laws

As this shows, the laws regarding paid time off and vaccinations vary depending on whether the employer is making the vaccine mandatory, or the worker is voluntarily getting a vaccine. This post is for educational purposes only and does not contain legal advice. Our firm’s website on wage and hour laws may be of interest to those who want to learn more about this topic.