Soon employers of all sizes will have to make some changes. The Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program takes effect January 1, 2019.

Employers/business owners should have gotten an letter about this but many seem to be clueless as to what this is.

The Program is a mandatory insurance program that will give eligible employees in Washington access to up 12 weeks of paid leave if they need to bond with a child, recover from a serious illness, or care for an aging parent.

As an employer you will need to either withhold premiums or cover them yourself. There is a calculation you can do to determine the premium.

For more information visit www.paidleave.wa.gov/employers.