A Quarter Of Americans Go To Work When Sick No Matter What
▻http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/20/3312661/quarter-workers-sick/#
It’s not necessarily that they prefer to be at work; many of the reasons they give are economic. Nearly 40 percent of workers say they go to work sick because they can’t afford to miss a day. Another quarter say they have to show up because their boss expects them to come in no matter what.
Coworkers also recognize these barriers to taking a day off: about 60 percent think sick colleagues who come in just can’t afford to miss a day of work, while only 16 percent think they come to work because they don’t care about the health of their colleagues.
The data are unfortunately unsurprising in a country that doesn’t guarantee that all workers can take a paid day when they or their loved ones get sick. The United States is the only country out of 22 developed peers that doesn’t have policies that make sure workers can take paid leave for illness. That leaves 40 percent of all private sector workers, and 80 percent of those in low paying jobs, without access to paid time off for sicknesses.