Four out of ten workers do not have paid sick leave. This unique phenomenon has a great impact on public health. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has identified paid sick leave as one of the three most important ways to reduce the spread of illness in the community along with handwashing and proper food handling. Paid time off from work allows a person to seek medical care, recover from an injury or illness faster, and care for a sick child or adult family member without jeopardizing the family’s financial security.

Paid sick leave promotes better public health by eliminating the spread of disease when sick workers are at work. They are clearly less productive, make more mistakes and are unable to maintain high quality services. Research shows that the disease is frequently spread by workplace contact from worker to worker in all industries. This is particularly poignant in service industries, particularly food services, where both workers and customers are at risk. One in six Americans gets food-related illnesses resulting in 125,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year. At least 20% of these cases can be traced back to a sick food worker.

Most people who don’t get paid sick leave work part-time or lower-paying jobs that don’t provide benefits. The short-term economic impact of time lost from work causes people to go to work when they are sick. They cannot afford to care for a sick child or take them to a health care provider. Children are more likely to come to school sick, leading to additional negative impacts on the health of the community. There is an economic and social impact on family income, children’s education and school performance. The CDC recommends keeping children home for 24 hours after their fever subsides to limit the spread of illness and allow adequate time for recovery. Research confirms that sick children get better faster with a parent present. Adults recover faster when they can access medical care and get adequate rest. Return to work in less time and more productive lives are the dividends.

Paid sick leave changes the dynamic in important ways. Promotes public health by slowing the spread of disease by keeping workers and businesses healthy. The return on investment by any metric is a positive economic and social benefit that far outweighs the alternative. Three municipalities have passed mandatory sick leave standards, including San Francisco, Milwaukee and the District of Columbia. After several years of experience with minimum sick leave standards, two-thirds of employers support them and tens of thousands of workers have benefited. Job growth has been enhanced in these same markets by implementing these benefit standards. National data shows that workers who have a sick leave benefit gain an average of 9 days a year, but only use it 2-3 days a year. The fear that the abuse of a sick leave benefit is simply unfounded. Companies that provide paid sick leave report higher morale, higher productivity, and fewer employees who actually come to work sick.

The lack of paid sick leave is a serious public health problem with many economic and social implications. There are many existing models for sick leave and its associated benefits. Policies that promote a better balance between work and personal health result in better employee morale, less turnover, and better public health.