The coronavirus pandemic has placed clear pressure on people’s economic wellbeing as well as their health. Government’s urge people to limit their movements and reduce contact with others, but the pressure to earn money to support oneself can create clear conflicts between the desire to preserve one’s health and the desire to keep financially solvent.
Governments around the world have implemented furlough schemes to subsidize the income of those workers who might otherwise have been made redundant by their employer, but an equal challenge is the sick leave available for those who are still working but struck low by the virus.
New research from Georgia State University highlights the crucial role paid sick leave is likely to pay in the battle against the virus. The paper highlights that several state and local governments across the United States have enacted laws mandating the provision of paid sick leave in the last decade or so.
Staying at home
The research examined the impact of these new laws, both in terms of the number of organizations offering paid sick leave, and the change in behavior among workers. The analysis revealed that provision of paid sick leave generally grew considerably as a result of the laws, with this growth especially high in low-wage industries. Women and ethnic minorities were also found to benefit disproportionately.
“These mandates reduced the number of people attending work while sick, which is similar to an earlier study showing influenza-like disease rates decreased after employees gained access to paid sick leave,” the researchers say. “If paid sick leave helps stop people from attending work while sick and prevents the spread of disease as a result, this has important policy implications in today’s fight to contain COVID-19.”
The new rules were found to reduce the number of people working despite being sick by nearly 5%, with this growth particularly strong in sectors that employ a lot of women, who were found to be using the new benefits to care for a sick child or perform other family obligations.
“What are the policy implications? The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which went into effect April 1, is the first congressionally passed bill that provides paid sick leave for employees in medium- and small-sized businesses with coronavirus issues,” the researchers conclude. “We believe that the bill will reduce people attending work with COVID-19 because it pays for them to stay home and recover. This bill is, therefore, an important component in COVID-19 containment efforts.”
