If you’ve been reading the news the past few days, you know that this year’s vicious cold and flu season is drawing a lot of attention to the issue of paid sick leave (or lack thereof) in the United States.
It is estimated that 80% of full-time employees get paid sick days, while only 25% of part-time employees do. (Note: These numbers do not include those who are self-employed or work entirely on commission.) When all is said and done, it is estimated that approximately 1/3 of American workers are not given any paid sick days.
But perhaps the most disturbing statistic is the one that says 79% of food service workers don’t get any paid sick days. In other words, it is quite likely that the food and drinks you order at any given restaurant during flu season have been touched by at least one person who is sick but can’t afford to take time off without pay. Euw.
Why do employers discourage employees from taking sick days? One reason is fear that employees will “abuse the system” and pretend to be sick when they’re really on vacation. The other reason is that some employers honestly think they can’t afford it – either financially or in terms of productivity. With so many companies downsizing over the years and “doing more with less,” it’s not surprising that they may not have enough employees to cover for someone when he/she is out.
So what’s the solution? Some are calling for local governments to start mandating that all employers offer a certain number of paid sick days per year. It’s not unheard of; after all, such a policy already exists in most other countries. If passed, a sick pay mandate could be a huge relief to anyone who has had to sacrifice their health – or their children’s health – for work.
Still, I have to wonder… If an employer refuses to offer even one paid sick day per year without a government mandate, how will they treat their employees after they’re forced to do so? Could they retaliate by cutting hours, wages, or other benefits? Or will they just guilt their employees out of using sick days in some other way, like setting strict deadlines or threatening termination?
(Keep in mind, “at will” employees can still be fired for any reason.)
What are your thoughts?
My company does offer full time employees sick time, but I don’t like to take them. I suppose part of that is because I am still in college mode where if I take a day off from classes or from my part time job(s), I don’t get paid. Vacations were planned around when you did not expect to be paid, and the day did not end until homework/projects/papers were complete. I find that even three years after grad school, I have trouble relaxing and taking advantage of the benefits of having a full time job. My vacation days are not planned around doing nothing, but taking advantage of the extra time to get errands done. I also find that taking one day off = two days of catch up. I am not discouraged from taking vacation, it just means extra work before and after the fact, and that is stress that I don’t need unless I have a special excursion planned.
I think food workers should be allowed to take paid vacation. Doctors and nurses are allowed to when they are sick, and they have to work directly with people everyday. If they are not feeling well, then they should not be interacting with people.
I don’t get any sick pay since I’m just under full-time (30 hours/week) at one job and a contractor for another. Sometimes I can make up the hours later in the week, but many people don’t have that option. If we’re really busy, I have to suck it up and just go into work anyway – no matter how miserable I feel.
I agree with you that sick pay requirements should depend on the field you’re in. If your job is very interactive, it would be in the company’s best interest (and the public’s best interest) to keep sick people home. However, I’d rather educate employers on the issue and help them come up with a reasonable solution than force everyone to provide the same benefit.