California Court Clarifies Sick Leave Pay Calculation for Outside Sales Employees

In a recent decision, a California appellate court provided important guidance for employers calculating paid sick leave for outside sales employees.

The ruling in Hirdman v. Charter Communications, LLC affirmed that outside sales employees are properly considered “exempt employees” under California’s paid sick leave law, meaning employers may calculate outside sales employees’ sick pay based on how they calculate pay for other forms of paid leave time. Hirdman v. Charter Commc'ns, LLC (Cal. Ct. App. Aug. 4, 2025) No. D084304, 2025 WL 2205862.

The case originated when a former outside salesperson, Bradley Hirdman, filed a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) lawsuit against Charter Communications, claiming he was misclassified for purposes of sick leave pay. Hirdman argued that altho