Potential Economic Benefits of Paid Sick Leave in Reducing Absenteeism Related to the Spread of Influenza-Like Illness

Details

• Personal Author:
  Asfaw A ; Pana-Cryan, Rene ; Rosa R
• Description:
  Objective: Most U.S. employers are not required to provide paid sick leave (PSL), and there is limited information on the economic return of providing PSL. We estimated potential benefits to employers of PSL in reducing absenteeism related to the spread of influenza-like illness (ILI). Methods: We used nationally representative data and a negative binomial random effects model to estimate the impact of PSL in reducing overall absence due to illness or injury. We used published data to compute the share of ILI from the total days of absence, ILI transmission rates at workplaces, wages, and other parameters. Results: Providing PSL could have saved employers $0.63 to $1.88 billion in reduced ILI-related absenteeism costs per year during 2007 to 2014 in 2016 dollars. Conclusion: These findings might help employers consider PSL as an investment rather than as a cost without any return. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Absenteeism Communicable Diseases Economics Influenza, Human Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Costs Economic Impact Future Of Work Infectious Diseases Influenza Lost Work Days Organizational Design Work Operations
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  59
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050358
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2017 Sep; 59(9):822-829
• Contact Point Address:
  Abay Asfaw, PhD, Economist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of the Director, Economics Research and Support Office, 395 E Streets, SW, Washington, DC 20201
• Email:
  hqp0@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dcb8207c49ba08a663a140ef964c0f11c7625542a5e50ce6f57dcfe271d7f96e9b94e8a982793df9a9397b61ebc42b118e614bbcd29117cc3f4ed3745c461a33
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210738/cdc_210738_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 156.65 KB ]