Why Sick Shaming Is a Lose-Lose Scenario For Workers and Why You’re Owed More Than Your Paycheck
Written by
Cameron Diiorio
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Flu season is here, and workers across the country are becoming ill from colleagues, their kids and even strangers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that society views illness. Three or four years ago, quarantining would be the most obvious course of action if you were sick. Opinions around working through sickness have changed, however. According to The Wall Street Journal, office workers are coming into office at the highest rate in four years — even when they’re ill.
So what is sick shaming, why is it causing harm to workers and why are some workers not being paid for sick days?
Sick Shaming
Bosses often encourage employees to come to work, even when sick. With hybrid work becoming the norm, bosses will now ask if employees are well enough to work from home.
If workers try to come in, they will be positively acknowledged by their bosses but potentially looked down on by their colleagues.
Additionally, coming into work sick runs the risk of spreading illness to others, and in the long run, this could halt productivity beyond just one person calling out sick for a few of days.
Paid Sick Time
Surprisingly, many U.S. workers are not compensated for their sick days. “Almost 1 in 4 workers–23 percent–do not have even a single paid sick day,” the Center for American Progress reported.
Paid sick time includes sickness, injuries, medical treatments and even caring for an ill family member. But as of this writing, there are no federal paid sick time laws that cover employees and paid sick time legislation varies from state to state. Additionally, many annual salaries do not cover paid sick time due to this lack of federal regulation.
Advocacy organizations across the US are petitioning for fair compensation. Organizations advocate for workers who do not receive paid sick leave, so these employees can be fairly compensated beyond their paycheck for something such as sickness, which they have no control over.
With people working on-site in high percentages in 2024, it may be necessary to reevaluate the need for a standard of paid sick time throughout the country.
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