More Sick People Go To Work (But Not If Congress Can Help It)

NPR's Morning Edition corespondent Joanne Silberner posted (7/28/08) a news article entitled "Why Do Sick People Go To Work? Unhealthy Fear"

Basically, she reports that more people are coming into work sick, according to a new poll conducted by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. The article goes on to explain that they arrive at work ill because of increased financial pressures that have occurred in the first half of this year, or the pressures from their employer to be there.

Valid point I'd say, with consumer retail prices on the rise we're all feeling the pinch. If you're part of a management team you're also feeling the pain with decreased guest counts, smaller guest checks, and maybe sweating to make your numbers.

Speaking of numbers the NPR post says that, "San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have recently required many employers to offer sick leave. And federal legislation has been proposed."

The California Chamber of Commerce fought against the San Francisco regulation. Marc Burgat the vice president of government relations at the California CoC says in this economy, businesses can't afford to offer sick leave. "If we start mandating these benefits, some of those entry-level positions will either find reduced benefits, reduced pay or simply find the jobs eliminated," Burgat says. The best way to deal with sick leave? Leave it up to the marketplace, Burgat says. Employers compete among one another for good workers. "When an employee comes in to look for a job — whether it's an entry-level job or a higher job — they're not looking at just the salary, but the entire benefits package," he says. "Sick leave and medical insurance and those sorts of things are part of that total package, and that's what allows one business to attract employees over another business."

Good HACCP ALOP practices demand that an employee can't work if they are suffering form diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, fever, or a fever accompanied by sore throat. The only exception is when a medical provider has confirmed the condition will not cause food-borne illness (pregnancy for example).

So what do you do? If the federal legislation called the Healthy Families Act is passed (currently H1542 [110] w/92 cosponsors & S910 [110] w/24 cosponsors, both active) as it now stands the act will provide employees working 30 or more hours 7 paid days off a year for businesses that have 15 or more employees. Money carried an article in which a restaurateur weighs in on this subject.

How do you handle ill employees showing up to work and begging not to be sent home? Do you allow PTO? If the federal legislation passes how will you handle this in the future?