As 2025 comes to a close, the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity wants to remind all affected Michigan employers to display the newly created Earned Sick Time Act poster. The department replaced the previously required Paid Medical Leave Act poster with the recent Earned Sick Time Act notice. Michigan employers must place the poster in a conspicuous area where employees can access it during the workday.
What Is the History of the Earned Sick Time Act Poster?
If Michigan’s Earned Sick Time poster sounds familiar to some employers, it should! In 2018, the state legislature passed the Earned Sick Time Act, which imposed new employer responsibilities to provide sick time to workers under various circumstances. One of those responsibilities was to display an Earned Sick Time Act poster. Over the next few years, however, multiple amendments were made to the 2018 Earned Sick Time Act, resulting in its renaming as the Paid Medical Leave Act. New notice responsibilities were added in those changes, including a new Paid Medical Leave Act poster, which replaced the previous Earned Sick Time Act notice.
Everything changed again, though, when in July 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court overturned the amendments that created the Paid Medical Leave Act. The original 2018 Earned Sick Time Act was then reinstated. As such, the Michigan Department of Labor rescinded the Paid Medical Leave Act poster requirement this year and replaced it with a poster informing workers of their rights under the restored Earned Sick Time Act.
What Important Information is Included in the Current Earned Sick Time Act Poster?
Under the recent version of the Earned Sick Time Act, employees accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. The law permits employees to use up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year if they work for a business with 10 or fewer employees. Businesses with 11 or more employees must allow workers to take up to 72 hours of paid sick time per year, including any carryover from the previous year.
Employer Takeaways
With the many changes and reinstatement of previous laws and regulations, it’s understandable that Michigan employers might be confused over what they need to post in the workplace. The Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity wants employers covered by the Earned Sick Time Act to check if they are displaying the most recent poster titled “REQUIRED POSTER, GENERAL REQUIREMENTS – EARNED SICK TIME ACT*.” The very bottom of the poster states “WHD 9911” with a 2025 revision date. This notice should have replaced the Paid Medical Leave Act, which was also required to be displayed. Failure to display the Earned Sick Time Act poster could result in fines, penalties, and lawsuits by employees who were unaware of their rights.
Labor Law Posters Online's revised 2026 Michigan State & Federal Labor Law Poster now includes the newly issued Earned Sick Time Act poster. Our all-on-one compliance poster solution is guaranteed to include all recent updates to any required state and federal posters. Existing Michigan Labor Law Posters Online customers who purchased our poster update program will automatically receive the revised notice at no additional cost as part of their annual service.