NEW YORK–One irony of the pandemic: it has led to a significant reduction in workers’ sick days.
It’s what some analysts have dubbed an “epidemic of presenteeism.”
But that doesn’t mean people are healthier.
“Working through sickness and fatigue makes it harder for people to recover quickly and completely, prolonging the harm to their health and productivity,” Axios reported.
Contributing to the challenge is the lack of definition around sick days has long been a problem for America's workers.
“The problem was exacerbated by the pandemic and the recession — especially for those in frontline, low-wage jobs at e-commerce warehouses and fast food joints who feared they'd lose their jobs if they took sick days,” Axios reported. “And the pandemic has muddied sick days for teleworkers, too.”
Raising the Bar
The report went on to further note that remote work means you can't get colleagues sick, which has raised the bar for how sick is sick enough to take a day off.
“Plus, parents who telework may feel less comfortable taking time off to care for sick kids because they feel it would be possible — if stressful — to work from home while tending to their child's needs,” Axios said.
The report cited a survey conducted by OnePoll that found two in three Americans say they feel less inclined to take time off for sore throats and stuffy noses when working from home. And 70% say they've worked while sick during the pandemic.
“On top of that, half of respondents in the same survey say COVID-19 has made other illnesses seem ‘minor’ in comparison,” Axios reported.
What Can Employers Do?
What can employers do? Actively encourage workers to take paid vacation and sick time, Dan Schawbel, an author and managing partner at the human resources research and consulting firm Workplace Intelligence, told Axios reported.
"It's part policy, and it's part cultural," he told the publication. "And people don't really talk about the cultural part."
He went on to say firms can't just dole out paid sick time and expect employees to feel comfortable taking it, according to Axios.
“It's up to executives and managers to push employees to use that time — and to publicize when they take it themselves to set an example,” the report stated.