The prospect of offering paid sick leave to staff members might make some company officials ill. But there’s new proof that it can actually benefit firms.
Employees who have paid sick leave are 28% less likely to suffer nonfatal work injuries, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The most likely to benefit from paid sick leave: workers in high-risk industries like construction, health care and manufacturing.
Researchers say that’s because paid sick leave will result in fewer people working when they’re sick, thereby increasing safety and reducing injuries.
Other benefits researchers cite for offering paid sick leave:
- shorter recovery times
- fewer complications from health problems, and,
- less of a chance of employees spreading illnesses.
