The Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed a widespread shift to remote work. With this shift, we often hear people say “I’m going to work from home today” when they are sick, rather than taking the day off. While this is a personal choice, we can’t help but wonder - what happened to the sick day?
Many employees have feelings of guilt about taking sick time and apologizing - even when it's an included benefit. And for contractors and gig workers, concerns about job security contribute to a lower likelihood of calling in sick. For those living with disabilities and chronic illnesses, there are even more factors to consider, including the structural ableism that shows up in workplace cultures and policies.
How do you feel when your colleagues take sick days? If your workplace offers work from home flexibility, how do you feel when your co-workers work from home when sick versus take a day off?
For employers, what are your attitudes towards employees who are “sick” more often than employees with “perfect attendance”? What are the costs and benefits of having an “always-on” workplace culture vs. encouraging employees to rest?
Here's some food for thought about this issue.
Pros & Cons:
Remote Work as a Sick Day
Pros: You have more days to use for something planned (assuming your employer offers general Paid Time Off that covers sick, personal and vacation days).
Cons: Working while you are sick can prolong your illness and your work quality may suffer.
Pro/Con: Rest as a Sick Day
Pro: Faster recovery. Produce better quality work.
Cons: You may lose pay (if you have no access to sick leave), fewer days to use for planned time off (vacation, visits to family, etc.), you may experience guilt or stress from fear that taking time off will impact your job security.
Things to Consider:
When we log in while sick, we may not be as productive. It can take us longer to do the same amount of work, as well as negatively impact the quality of work that we do.
Team morale can also be affected, as working remotely while sick can contribute to a culture of presenteeism, including normalizing showing up even when we don’t have the full capacity.
Most of the time, leaving time for true rest is better in the long haul for the employee and the employer, our projects, and for our bodies and minds to fully recover from feeling unwell.
Disparities
Disparities in access to paid sick leave not only illuminate the prevalence of widespread attitudes about public health and overall personal wellness, but also highlight existing structural inequities.
Not having the ability to take a sick day due to needing the pay affects lower income earners more than higher income earners.
Statistics
In a March 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, 79 percent of civilian workers had access to paid sick leave. Access to paid sick leave was available to 95% of civilian workers in the top 10% of average hourly earnings, versus only 35% of those in the bottom 10%.
In a March 2022 BLS report, 51% of part-time employees vs 86% of full-time employees in the private sector had access to paid sick leave. There were also disparities in access to paid sick leave based on establishment size - 70% of those at smaller establishments had access vs 91%of employees at larger establishments.
McKinsey Report: 58% of U.S. workers (92 million people) report having the option to work from home for all or part of the week. 35% of job holders can work from home full-time, and 23% can do so part-time. And - when offered the option to work flexibly, 87% of workers choose to do so, and work from home an average of 3 days per week. (in intro? )
Ableism & Inequity
When workplace culture encourages remote work over taking sick leave, this fails to consider the needs of employees who live with disabilities and chronic illnesses - both those that are visible and those that are invisible.
Some of those employees may take true sick days more frequently, and be less likely to opt for working from home while sick. Negative attitudes about making this choice contribute to existing ableist inequities in our society and workplaces that advantage people who do not currently have disabilities. We need to make sure that our policies support all employees’ diverse needs, especially regarding accessibility.
Direct Actions:
Employers: Implement a sick leave policy that encourages rest and recovery (and mean it!).
Train supervisors to consistently follow workplace leave policies. It can also make a big difference for employees when leaders model and normalize taking leave when they need to.
Have a back up plan for how you will handle duties for employees who are sick or are on medical leave.
Bigger Questions:
What do our practices around sick leave and remote work say about our cultural values about public health, personal wellness, and regard for accessibility?
How can we continue to reframe workplace attitudes about productivity and presenteeism in ways that prioritize the full humanity of our employees?
What steps can you take to address structural inequities pertaining to public health and access to equitable leave policies in your community or workplace?
Sources:
Adams, M., & Bell, L. A. (2016). Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (3rd ed.). Routledge.
https://time.com/6217476/paid-sick-leave-changes-since-pandemic/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/economy/paid-sick-leave-covid-retail-restaurant-workers/index.html
コメント