1. Florida’s Section 741.313 mandates employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to three working days of leave for employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence, or members of the same family or household of a victim.
2. Eligible employees must have been employed for at least three months. The employer may decide whether the leave is with or without pay.
3. The leave can be used for seeking injunctions for protection, obtaining medical or counseling services, seeking help from victim services organizations, securing homes or seeking legal assistance related to the violence. Employees must exhaust their annual, vacation, personal, and sick leave before taking leave under Section 741.313, unless the employer waives this requirement. 1. Employees seeking leave under the act must provide advanced notice to their employer and sufficient documentation of domestic violence or sexual violence, unless they are in imminent danger.
2. All information related to an employee’s leave under the act must be kept confidential by the employer.
3. Employers cannot interfere with, restrain, or deny an employee’s rights to take leave under the act, and are prohibited from retaliating or discriminating against employees who exercise their rights.
4. The act provides a private cause of action for individuals claiming to be aggrieved by a violation of its provisions, allowing them to bring a civil suit for damages or equitable relief.
5. Employers must carefully train their managers on the act’s provisions and craft handbook policies to ensure compliance and support employees experiencing domestic or sexual trauma.
https://www.jimersonfirm.com/blog/2023/10/what-employers-need-to-know-about-domestic-violence-leave-protection-under-florida-law/
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