Virus reminder of need for flexible time off

Time to read
2 minutes
Read so far

Virus reminder of need for flexible time off

Fri, 05/22/2020 - 03:16
Posted in:
The growing threat from the coronavirus is a stark reminder of how America’s failure to give workers the flexibility to take paid time off puts public health at risk. One of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infectious disease is for people who are sick not to go to work. In fact, staying home is the No. 1 recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for preventing the spread of the flu and other communicable diseases in the workplace. But for millions of Americans, staying home means sacrificing income they cannot afford to lose. Expanding access to paid sick days is one important solution, but we also can’t forget that millions of workers still lack paid family and medical leave. The United States remains the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t guarantee its citizens the ability to take longer-term leave to care for a child or family member, or to treat a serious illness. Today, only 17% of civilian workers in the U.S. have…

Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or go here to purchase a subscription.