With business impacted by the spread of coronavirus and state and local measures to contain it, and customers practicing social distancing, the last thing you want is your employees coming in when they’re sick. But some of your workers may feel like they have no choice, if they can’t afford to miss a week, or even a day, of work.
As a business owner, it’s important to understand how to balance risk with reward. That means knowing when certain costs, though they don’t seem to create an immediate return on investment, are worth the expense. One of these challenging costs is paid sick leave for your employees. As more and more employees become concerned with their long and short-term health, this investment can serve to make your company more attractive to potential hires.
Though this can seem like an unnecessary benefit, the truth is that this simple investment can transform your business. It provides a way for you to create a strong and healthy company culture and to show your employees that you care. Keep reading for five reasons that your business should offer paid sick leave.
It Attracts and Retains Talent
In an environment of low unemployment, you’ve got to do all you can to attract and retain the very best talent. Offering paid sick leave is a great way to help your company stand out from the crowd. Since more and more companies are seeing this perk as an optional add-on, if you take steps to make it widely available, you’ll be on the top of many people’s list of desirable companies. This is one of the biggest reasons to offer paid sick leave.
It Helps Families
If you want to promote a strong family culture in your workplace, then offering paid sick leave is one of the best things you can do. Paid sick leave ensures that your employees’ families are provided for even if an employee is out for an extended period of time. This will, in turn, lead to happier families that help regulate the emotional and mental health of your employees.
It Can Lessen Sick Time
If someone is facing a serious medical procedure, such as chemotherapy treatments, the last thing they need to worry about is whether or not they’ll be able to pay their bills. Paid sick leave also helps employees with chronic conditions or severe illnesses requiring extended hospital time to retain their jobs and potentially boost your company’s performance when they return. If someone needs cancer treatment at a hospital or other provider like Clermont County Cancer Center, then paid sick leave will actually ensure that they get the treatments they need and recover faster, allowing you to retain a valuable employee. If your employee does have to worry about retaining their job and paying bills, it could lead to increased stress that makes their healing time longer. If they have the benefit of paid sick leave, though, it could help to reduce their recovery time so they can return to work sooner.
It Can Help Improve Productivity
Loyal and happy employees tend to be the most productive employees. By offering paid sick leave, you can be sure that your employees will be happier than if this benefit wasn’t offered. Since your employees will have the added security of knowing they’ll be provided for if they become ill, they will be happier at work and more willing to go the extra mile for your company.
It Can Help Increase Business
Happy and fulfilled employees are some of the best advertisements for potential customers of a business. If your employees take ownership in your company because you treat them well, you can be sure that they’ll recommend your company’s services anytime anyone brings up a possible need. Since word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful and effective advertising methods, paid sick leave can almost be seen as investing in advertising for your business.
It’s the Right Thing to Do
As a respected business owner, it’s important to operate your business in a way that helps to make the world a better place. Though paid sick leave is just one small contribution to this goal, it is an important contribution, nonetheless. For a comparatively small investment, you can make a big difference in the lives of your employees and help to leave the world better than you found it.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan