Paid Sick Days Is Smart Business

To The Editor:

In my fifteen years working as an employer-side attorney and human resources consultant in Connecticut, I’ve found that a reasonable workplace standard for paid sick days isn’t just good for public health; it’s smart businesses too. The Connecticut legislature should pass the paid sick leave bill under consideration.

I often advise businesses to establish paid sick leave policies and always see a positive return on investment. Some employers estimate the cost by multiplying an employee’s wage by total hours of paid sick time earned. However, this narrow view neglects important fact. What an employer misses from an absent employee is productivity.

Yet, all of the available research indicates that providing paid sick leave actually increases productivity and ultimately saves business money. In the end, it enhances employee morale, retention, profitability and bottom-line success.

Consider that employees who lack paid sick leave often come to work sick. Employees working sick cost more than paying them to stay home. Sick employees are never at full productivity and make more errors. They recover more slowly and infect coworkers.

This ‘presenteeism’ accounts for a whopping $180 billion annually in lost productivity for businesses nationally and absenteesim accounts for only $70 billion, according to the Center for Worklife Law. No wonder 56 percent of HR personnel say ‘presenteeism’ is a problem for their business, according to the CCH Unscheduled Absences Survey.

After San Francisco enacted paid sick leave legislation, job growth was better than nearly every other county in the Bay Area. Even opponents have changed their tunes. Kevin Westlye, director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association said, “Sick leave, especially for people who handle food for a living, is an important public policy.”

In addition, the data shows employees with seven sick days per year take under three, on average. And the bill ensures employers can discipline employees who abuse an employer’s sick policy.

This bill is not a one-size-fits-all mandate, but a reasonable threshold that only applies to busnesses with 50 or more employees, most of which already provide more than the amount of leave the bill requires. Savvy employers realize that providing paid sick leave is win-win. The proposed legislation actually would be good for business.

Scott Macdonald

HR consultant

Human Resources Consortium, New Haven