Why Aren’t US Workers Using Their Sick Days?

A substantial portion of workers in the US aren’t using their allotted sick leave even when they are genuinely ill, and are instead attempting to carry on with their work despite the medical issue. 

‍

It’s important to note as preface that this behavior is typically well-intentioned and in many cases admirable, especially when an employee has an important role of function that they don’t want to see neglected or burdening their teammates during their absence. Still, unless that work can be conducted remotely, there are negative consequences to showing up sick to work on site or around other people, and if the last few years have taught us one thing it should be the practical concerns involving disease communicability. 

‍

A recent study from BambooHR determined that nearly 9 out of 10 American workers have knowingly come to work sick just within the last 12 months, and nearly half of those employees who came to work sick did so on more than one occasion over the course of the year. 

‍

It should be made clear at the outset that one of the main factors involved here is a lack of adequate paid sick leave. About 25% of all workers in the US don’t get paid when they don’t show up to work regardless of their health status, which forces people to choose between sacrificing financially and potentially contaminating others while aggravating their own illness, which in turn often leads to worse financial and health-related outcomes in the long run. 

‍

Even for the 75% of employees who do have access to some form of paid leave, there are a number of other influences that are causing them to underutilize sick leave. For example, some people experience an array of negative emotions when they use sick leave, ranging from stress and guilt to embarrassment and fear that their coworkers or managers think they’re faking it. Further, that anxiety associated with calling in sick seems to be even worse now that working from home and conducting meetings via video conference have become so much more commonplace in the post-pandemic era, even though it’s becoming increasingly clear that having employees working while ill isn’t good for either the employees or their employers. 

‍

Of course, many of those concerns that employees have about utilizing their sick leave are very much justified, as the same study revealed that more than 3 out of 4 operational managers have suspected an employee was abusing their sick leave, and more than 8 in 10 HR managers have shared that same suspicion. To be fair, the suspicions these managers maintain are very much justified too, since more than 4 in 10 workers had claimed to be taking a sick day within the last year even though they were not physically sick, including more than half of HR professionals themselves. 

‍

In order to create a better system that better serves employees and companies alike, one advisable route is to reclassify sick leave under a larger category like ‘personal days’ or ‘wellness breaks’ or something that makes employees feel less pressured to meet a certain sickness threshold before utilizing them. The survey authors also recommend that employers set very specific guidelines about what managers can and can not ask employees regarding when, how, and why they are exercising their allotted leave. 

‍

A generous sick leave policy that isn’t enforced or that employees don’t feel free to use is no better than a bad sick leave policy, and any such policy that leaves employees reluctant to take time off to both their and the company’s detriment is clearly not working as intended, but company’s can certainly do better by ensuring paid sick leave is available and governed by transparent policies that reduce employee anxiety and managerial suspicion to everyone’s mutual benefit. 

‍

You can read more about this topic here. 

‍