Healthy Living
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Should you get free sick days for swine flu?
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Among the issues cast into the spotlight by the prospect of
pandemic flu is paid sick leave, substantially
unavailable in the United States.
Opponents to new legislation that would require some specified
number of days of paid sick leave per worker per year -- 7 seems a
popular choice, for no particularly sound reason -- argue that such
legislation is anti-business. After all, businesses will be
paying for work that isn't being done by workers at home with
sick kids, or recuperating themselves. But that thinking seems
rather superficial to me. Here’s why:
- Employers are people, too -- and on some occasion, it might be
they or their kids who get sick.
- It would not be good for a small employer to have a sick worker
come in for fear of missing out on pay,
infecting everyone else, and perhaps all but shutting
operations down.
- The costs in question are on the books already and should
be accounted for in the annual budget of any business.
- Businesses that reward productivity while responding
compassionately to essential time away from work are apt to be
rewarded by employee loyalty.
- If this were addressed nationally, as proposed in
today's NY Times, no business would be at
a competitive disadvantage relative to any other.
- Since this relates to the willingness and ability of people to
follow the advice of national authorities in the advent of an
outbreak such as flu, it really is a matter of national
security.
Sick is bad enough. Sick, and unpaid -- or worse still, fired
-- adds insult to injury and is just plain
uncivilized. A balanced approach to paid sick leave in
the U.S. is warranted.
What do you think? Should the government make businesses pay
for your sick days?
More Ways to Stay Healthy and Flu-Free:
Related: swine flu, staying healthy, sick days, boosting immunity
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Posted by Courtney Tue May 5, 2009 9:49am PDT
Paid sick leave needs to be addressed nationally, somewhat akin to minimum wage. Not a lot more frustrating than when a coworker decides he can't miss work b/c he's out of sick days (we get two) so he's going to "soldier on" while exposing us to his germs! Nor should anyone have to worry about asking for a new server while at a restaurant while their server is coughing up phlegm and barely audible b/c she's sick (yes, this has happened, isn't this some sort of health dept violation? Seems like it should be)
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Posted by Disgruntled Tue May 5, 2009 11:43am PDT
I do not know what "paid sick leave" is. At my job, I'm expected to work 30 hours per week, no weekends off, no vacation time and no sick leave. Although I work almost as many hours as a full-timer, I'm a part-timer so I don't get any of these benefits. Thankfully, I have health insurance through my husband's job. They've also cut our meager benefits so no more paid holidays and no more mileage for traveling for work. The only thing my employer has done for swine flu is sent out an e-mail warning about symptoms and ordered us to use more hand sanitizer. Sick people equals less workers and that's all my employer cares about. We've been told that due to budget cuts, one of us could be fired at any minute and we're understaffed as it is. I'm a county employee too, so obviously the government, at least local, doesn't give a rat's @ss about the health of it's employees.
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Posted by Brianne Wed May 6, 2009 8:26am PDT
I'm sick right now and at work because I have no more sick time available. I feel so guilty for being here... but my fiance is laid off. How are we supposed to pay bills if i dont go to work and get every dollar possible?
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Posted by HawkeyeGirl Wed May 6, 2009 8:37am PDT
I TECHNICALLY get 5 paid sick days a year, but they are strongly discouraged. If I can stand, I'd better be at work or promotions and bonuses are at serious risk because I'm not 'dedicated.'
#2 on this list has already been seen by my sister. She is a claims representative for an insurance company and went to her weekly agency visit. She found her agency shut down with biohazard signs on the door-apparently 3/4 of the staff is seriously ill with various forms of the flu. That's what happens when you go to work sick!!
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Posted by Katie B Wed May 6, 2009 10:34am PDT
Wow disgruntled.. that is such a contrast from the municipality I work for... :/ we get 4.6 hours every two weeks that can accrue up to 1200 hours (then we lose them, which is a new phenominon, they used the "buy" them back from us every year if we didn't use any that year) and on top of that we have the three months job protection a year under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)...
I understand that employers are people too, but they too need to be understanding of their employees needs to be a more effective worker... I used to work for people that didn't allow you to call in sick and I got sick (I was working in food service too) and I finally demanded the day off to not only recover for myself but so I didn't get anyone else sick... People need time off to recover whether physically or mentally in order to be better employees.
Now whether I think that it should pay for sick days... I don't know, I have been on both sides of that fence and though it would have been great, but when you are hourly they pay you by the hour or the shift you work... and personally, when I myself am sick (with no kids involved so that's a different story in my book) I am going to call in sick regardless, I could usually make up that time at some point in the pay period and so either way it didn't really affect my overall pay. So I guess it would depend on what type of business it is and what their guidelines on if you can use comp time or not is.
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Posted by James Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:01am PDT
Giving 9 paid sick days per year, as is being floated as an idea in NYC, is easy to put into the budget of companys. All a company need do is reduce wages by 3.6%!!!
For someone making $11.00 per hr, just reduce there pay by 40 cents an hour. Wake up America. Be innovative, nobody ever said these people needed to make more money, for not working, they can still make the same per year, or per hour. just move the cost from the wages package, to the benifits package.
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Posted by James Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:04am PDT
PS...minimum wages should also be lowered to reflect this new government mandated Benifit
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