This Law Firm Publication by Foley Hoag LLP discusses a recent annoucement by the Massachusetts Attorney General regarding a "safe harbor" for employers covered by the new Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Act (the Act). During the first six months the Act is in effect (July 1st up through December 31, 2015), employers will be deemed in compliance with the Act if they had a paid time-off (PTO) policy as of May 1, 2015 that provided employees at least 30 hours of paid time off during calendar year 2015, and if the employer treats all paid time-off as job-protected leave subject to the non-retaliation requirements of the Act. During the six-month safe harbor period, employers can administer the remainder of their PTO policy the same way as they did previously. As of January 1, 2016, employers must implement PTO policies that fully conform with the Act.