For this discussion I have decided to focus on a scenario where
employee benefits are minimal; there is little paid time off or sick
time available. For a business to not offer many benefits including
PTO or sick time could simply be a matter of cutting costs. Small
businesses in particular may not be able to afford to pay for the
insurance plans they would have to offer to employees. However,
with larger companies they may be trying to change their bottom line
financially, so having little PTO or sick time available is one less thing
they have to pay for.
By offering employees paid time off, sick leave, and other benefits
the company is showing that their employees are truly a priority.
Which will in turn increase productivity by creating a healthy and
encouraging work environment. By offering benefits such as sick
leave if gives employees the ability to stay home when they are not
well without the threat of not getting paid because they got sick.
When employees come to work sick, regardless of the work
environment, they spread it. Particularly in the service industries, the
illness can be spread to both coworkers and customer alike, which
then can be spread throughout the community even more. "In a CDC
study, 49 percent of food workers who had worked at least one shift
while suffering from vomiting or diarrhea in the last year said that
knowing they would not be paid if they stayed home influenced their
decision to work while sick" (Michel, 2017). Employees working sick
do not reach the level of productivity they could if they were well
which in turn costs the business they money they could have
potentially made off that productivity. " Paid sick days help to reduce
the productivity lost when employees work sick . . . which is
estimated to cost the national economy $160 billion annually or
about $234 billion when adjusted for inflation, surpassing the cost
of absenteeism" (NPWF, 2020).
Listed within the negative impacts of not offering specifically sick
leave benefits I already noted what could be turned around by simply
offering a positive amount of sick leave. By offering great benefit
packages you can attract more talented applicants. You would also
minimize employee turnover because you're creating an environment
where employees want to stay and not jump ship to a competitor
with better benefits. Offering benefits also encourages a healthy
work environment where employees are happy to work and be
productive. (Goodshore, 2021)
If there is anything we have learned from this pandemic in a business
setting at the very least, I hope that it is that no matter what the job
is, having sick leave is a minimum. People get sick, and helping
people get better when they're unexpectedly sick, helps our
community and places of work stay healthy.
Goodshore, C. (2021, February 25). Top 5 reasons to offer employee
benefits. Business.org. Retrieved January 13, 2022,
from https://www.business.org/hr/benefits/top-reasons-to-offer-
employee-benefits/
Michel, Z. Z. (2017, March). Business case for HFA - clasp. Clasp.org.
Retrieved January 13, 2022,
from https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/public/resources-
and-publications/publication-1/Business-Case-for-HFA-3.pdf
NPWF. (2020, October). Paid sick days are good for business. National
Partnership for Women & Families. Retrieved January 13, 2022,
from https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/econ
omic-justice/paid-sick-days/paid-sick-days-good-for-business-and-
workers.pdf
