More than 600 District workers allegedly went for years without the paid sick leave guaranteed under D.C. law while working as concierges and front-desk staff at office buildings across the city. Now, Maryland-based First Impression Staffing LLC has agreed to pay nearly $400,000 to resolve an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General.
Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Wednesday that the staffing company will pay more than $250,000 to former employees who allegedly never received the paid sick leave they earned, provide retroactive paid sick leave to current workers, and pay nearly $150,000 in civil penalties to the District.
“We will not allow companies to illegally boost profits and undercut their law-abiding competitors by cheating their workers out of legally required paid sick and safe leave,” Schwalb said.
The settlement resolves allegations that First Impression Staffing violated the District’s Sick and Safe Leave Act and other labor laws between July 2022 and June 2025. The company, headquartered in Clarksville, Maryland, provides concierge, receptionist, and front desk personnel at commercial properties throughout Washington and other states.
According to the attorney general’s investigation, the company failed to provide paid sick leave to more than 600 District employees over a three-year period, despite operating as a large employer under D.C. law.
“So many people have to go to work sick (in a restaurant, hospital, airport, etc) because they can’t afford to miss the pay,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 2B04 Madison Crum wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
District law requires employers with at least 100 employees to provide workers with one hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 37 hours worked, allowing employees to earn up to seven paid sick days each year. Those protections apply to both full-time and part-time employees, and workers may use the leave after 90 days of employment. The law also requires employers to maintain records of accrued leave, prohibits retaliation against employees who use sick leave, and limits the circumstances under which employers may require medical documentation.
In addition to alleging the company failed to provide earned paid leave, investigators said First Impression Staffing did not give new employees written notices explaining their rate of pay and the basis for that pay, another requirement under District law.
Although the company agreed to the settlement, it denied the allegations contained in the attorney general’s investigation, according to the agreement.
Under the settlement, First Impression Staffing will pay $250,927 to more than 400 former employees who no longer work for the company. Current employees will receive retroactive credit equal to seven days of paid sick leave for each of the past three calendar years they worked for the company.
The agreement also requires the company to overhaul its employment practices. First Impression Staffing must notify all current and future employees of their paid sick leave rights, maintain accurate records of leave accrued and used, refrain from retaliating against workers who request or use paid leave, and provide required wage notices to new hires.
Six months after the agreement takes effect, the company must submit to an audit by the attorney general’s office demonstrating compliance with the District’s paid sick leave law. The audit will include the company’s sick leave policy, proof that employees received the required notices and leave credits, and payroll records documenting accrued and used sick leave.
In addition to worker compensation, the company will pay $149,072 in civil penalties to the District.
The District’s Sick and Safe Leave Act allows employees to use paid leave not only for their own illness or medical treatment, but also to care for family members or seek medical, legal or social services related to domestic violence, sexual abuse or stalking.
Schwalb said workers who believe their employer has violated the District’s wage and hour laws may file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General’s Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section.
“D.C. law provides these critical protections to almost all workers in D.C., and I encourage anyone who is not receiving paid sick leave to reach out to my office,” he insisted.
