Hawaii Workplace Compliance
News & Resources
Business moves differently in Hawaii. From bustling Honolulu to businesses operating across the islands, employers face unique challenges, including geographic isolation, diverse worksites, and weather and environmental hazards. To succeed in the Aloha State, businesses need resilience, adaptability, and a strong commitment to keeping their people safe.
That commitment includes navigating Hawaii’s workforce laws and regulations. Employers must stay on top of requirements related to workplace safety, wages and hours, leave, discrimination and harassment prevention, and more. Falling out of compliance can result in costly penalties, litigation, and reputational risk. Learn what you need to know to protect your employees and stay compliant with Hawaii law.
Stay on top of safety and compliance the right way with this Hawaii-specific information, but be sure to seek legal counsel when evaluating how these regulations may directly impact your business. Wherever available, KPA products are updated with the latest government notices and posters for employers.
Hawaii HR News
Who: Hawaii employers with 100 or more employees
When: Effective immediately
On May 19, 2026, Hawaii Governor Josh Green signed Act 13 (formerly SB 3082) into law, expanding the Hawaii Family Leave Law (HFLL) to cover “qualifying military exigencies” effective July 1, 2026.
The HFLL applies to employers with 100 or more employees and to employees who have worked for at least six months. Those employees can now take up to four weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per calendar year for a qualifying military exigency, on top of the law’s existing leave for the birth or adoption of a child or for caring for a family member with a serious health condition.
The definition mirrors the federal FMLA’s military exigency provisions at 29 C.F.R. § 825.126, and includes things like short-notice deployment, military events, arranging childcare or school activities, financial and legal arrangements, counseling, rest and recuperation, post-deployment activities, and parental care needs.
The exigency must relate to active-duty service by the employee’s child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, sibling, grandchild, or parent.
Employees requesting this leave must give advance notice and provide a copy of the military orders supporting the request.
Many Hawaii employers already provide FMLA military exigency leave to eligible employees. Because HFLL’s eligibility rules (100+ employees, six months of service) differ from the FMLA’s, employers should map out how the two laws interact for employees who may qualify under one law but not the other.
How:
- Update your employee handbooks, leave policies, forms, and processes to include military exigency leave.
- Train HR, managers, and supervisors on the new leave category, including how it interacts with the federal FMLA.
Additional Resources
29 C.F.R. § 825.126 (Leave because of a qualifying exigency)
Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations: Hawaii Family Leave
