Peaceful Revolution: Let Sick Workers Stay Home

Last week the Centers for Disease Control released its new toolkit, Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers, which includes recommendations from the CDC, and a letter cosigned by the Secretaries of Commerce, Health and Human Services, and Labor.

Their advice? Plan ahead and "encourage sick workers to stay home without penalty." You'd think this would go without saying, right? What employer would want someone with the swine flu to show up at work?

As it turns out, lots of them.

Today, nearly 1/2 of the workforce doesn't have paid sick days. And, to make matters worse, the people who are most likely to interact with the public, like restaurant employees, hotel staff, and home health providers are the least likely to have paid sick days (roughly 74% in these industries have no paid sick days at all). When illness strikes, people without paid sick days have a tough choice: go to work sick and put their own health and their coworkers at risk, or stay home to recover and lose pay -- and maybe even their jobs.

The CDC does right to tell employers that by not having paid sick days, they are putting both their businesses and public health at risk. Commerce Secretary Locke says it himself: "If an employee stays home sick, it's not only the best thing for that employee's health, but also his co-workers and the productivity of the company."

But while educating the public that they should stay home if they get sick is important, education alone isn't enough. The CDC and the Secretaries of Commerce, Health and Human Services, and Labor should publicly support the Healthy Families Act (H.R.2460/S.1152). This bill, introduced in the House by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and in the Senate by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, simply ensures that employers allow all workers to earn a minimum of 7 paid sick days per year.

Without a law in place that sets a standard for earning paid sick days, we will never achieve the kind of economic and public health safety net that we need to combat outbreaks like the H1N1 virus. We've encountered flu pandemics before, and we certainly will again, but businesses have not, on their own, adopted paid sick days policies despite the clear case for their benefit to businesses and the public alike.

It's not rocket science. The simple standard proposed by the Healthy Families Act is necessary for addressing this, and future, public health and economic needs. It's time for our leaders to speak out, and help bring our laws up to speed with common-sense public health practices.

A Peaceful Revolution is a blog about innovative ideas to strengthen America's families through public policies, business practices, and cultural change. Done in collaboration with MomsRising.org, read a new post here each week.

Comments

[jennluv]

I have spent almost 10 years in foodservic­e... as a barista, waitress, and bartender I have worked for at least 8 companies, some corporate, some private owned, some restaurants, some cocktail bars...

What every single one of these jobs had in common is there is no such thing as "calling in sick". If you are sick it is YOUR responsibility to get in your car, drive up to work, obtain the listing of employee phone numbers, and call around and beg someone to work for you. If no one will you must work or risk being written up or fired. Unless you are in the hospital, being sick has nothing to do with it.... there is literally NO difference between an employee who has the flu and one who wants a day off to go to the beach. Paid time off is beside the point, the issue is being allowed to not come to work. I already expect to get the flu this year... and give it to many others. My co-workers will never call in sick and by the time I come down with it there will be enough of us sick it will be too late for me to get my shifts covered.

[andrewsmarilyn]

I am not familiar with the bill listed in the article, however, unless the bill mandates that the mandatory sick time is IN ADDITION TO already existing PTO (paid time off) or vacation allowances, companies will just adjust the benefits package and reduce the current allowances and then call 7 of the PTO days "sick days." The company I currently work at provides a total of 7 PTO days for the first 6 months of employment, then "vacation days" are added with seniority. I have been at the company 4 years and am just now at a total of 4 weeks vacation + PTO days off. So, if anybody is concerned about getting sick here, they must hold back some of their time in case that happens. However, the time off doesn't roll over from year to year, so if you ever have a serious medical crisis -- too bad! no accrued time off. The current system does not encourage individuals to take time off when truly sick.

[medicontheedge]

You can "legislate" all the paid sick time you want. even if you HAVE paid sick time, if you use it, you will be punished.

I work in the healthcare industry. which one might assume is savvy about this.We are exposed to bad stuff all the time. Our hospital spouts memos about "stay home if you are sick. protect your patients and co-workers". but you do so at your own peril. Stay out more than once, and you will get a warning, you get a bad eval, which equals no raise.

[Pippen]

They don't want employees they want slaves. It's not a mystery it's about money. Those who have money and power abuse and oppress those who do not. Then they go to church pat themselves on the back for being church going community contributors and then pay lobbyists to ensure the laws benefit them specifically and no one else. They are at war with the middle class and they're winning can't you tell ? The results are in and it's confirmed, the middle class doesnt have a clue.

The only way to get this bill passed would be to convince large corporations that it would cost small businesses more money. Which it wont in the long run but the short run is what can make or break small business. The demise of small business is a goal of any large corporation.

Slaves, they want slaves. You don't count. You don't matter. You're nothing. Until you band together and stop allowing them to divide you on stupid child like issues, race, abortion, healthcare etc....

Divide and conquer, the first casualty of war is the truth.

[janeycat]

i used to work at a company that 2 women would come to work if they were falling down sick...nee­dless to say everyone else in the office got sick too....it never stopped untill the boss got sick then he would tell people to stay home if they were sick.....w­hen the boss was sick ( at home ) these 2 would say all day long " what a pity " they were serious too. everyone of us would snub them for doing this.....w­e always heard them saying,"i cant afford to stay home", they were the 2 higest paid there.....­.brown noesiers..­..

i didn't like them......­....oh....­....we didnt have but 3 sick days a year......­..hope the boss can get over the flu in 3 days

[PhilipB]

This is the culture of the American workplace
Many people in management actively deride someone who takes a sick day. Snide comments and common assumptions are made to infer that the person taking a sick day is letting down the team, are not a team player; a slacker.
To be sick is to have something "wrong" about you, your lifestyle or genetic makeup. There is something intrinsic about the sick person who is a "loser".
The idea that you should not come to work when you have a contagious illness is not ever considered.
Many people who have worked up the corporate ladder know that if they are away, someone will take their place. This was true in good times and is even more true now.
The whole culture to get ahead is to come first in the morning, leave last at night and work weekends. That is how you get ahead, and your diligence is rewarded.
God forbid you should ever take a sick day, even though you have sick days as part of your compensation package.
Now, for may who work without these benefits, missing work is unthinkable if you can barely pay your own expenses for you and your family. Naturally anyone who works hourly would come to work ill in this case: They have to.
This whole conversation is important for corporations and business with any size of employees when we have a highly contagious and fatal disease in our midst.

[Sinick]

This is indeed a great concept. However, Wall Street and todays' businesses large and small tend to view things from pay period to pay period. Unless somebody has concrete evidence that paid sick days will reap immediate benefits (increased profits), most companies will not be interested.

Todays' workers are like pawns that companies sacrifice for profit by the kings and queens. Interchangeable and disposable--there are plenty more pawns available where they came from--and by the way, at a lower cost.