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According to the Washington Post, a “touch of the flu” kills up to 646,000 people worldwide each year, sometimes as many as 56,000 of them in the United States. Millions of American have been exposed to the flu, and yet many are unable to take the necessary time off of work in order to recover and prevent the spread of the disease.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 22: Vials of the Fluvirin influenza vaccine are displayed at a Walgreens pharmacy on January 22, 2018, in San Francisco, California. A strong strain of H3N2 influenza has claimed the lives of 74 Californians under the age of 65 since the flu season began in October of last year. People are being encouraged to get flu shots even though the vaccine has been only 30% effective in combating influenza. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
According to Pop Sci, nearly 20 million Americans go to work sick each year. The toxic idea that work should always be prioritized certainly contributes to this trend. Another influencing factor is the absence of adequate paid sick leave. Even though evidence shows that staying home when sick helps prevent the spread of many viruses, many people simply cannot afford it.
The Centers for Disease Control is insistent that people stay home when sick. They say, “For those who are already sick, please stay home from work or school. That is such an important recommendation to follow. Otherwise you run the risk of spreading the virus to others—and what may be mild symptoms to you could be deadly to someone else.”
Many employers ignore the science and penalize workers who need sick days.
Despite the scientifically valid logic, taking unpaid time off from work is not an option for many Americans. The United States is the only wealthy nation in the world that does not guarantee paid time off in the event of illness. In fact, no federal law mandates paid time off. Basically, it is left to a company’s discretion as to whether to extend paid time off (PTO) benefits to its employees. Often, low-level employees are left without proper PTO; unfortunately, this is the group who needs it the most.
According to a 2009 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, an estimated 40 percent of Americans who work in the private sector are without PTO for illnesses like the flu. This number increased to an estimated 60 percent under Obama’s administration and still lags well behind many other developed nations.
What can we do? Clearly, we need a systemic change to American work culture. The idea that people should continue to work when sick, all to promote a business's bottom line, is dangerous at best. The lack of work-life balance contributes to the spread of disease, which is particularly worrisome when considering the deadly nature of the flu. Like many viruses, the flu is spread only through person-to-person contact. Staying home minimizes the spread of the flu and we, as a society, need to support staying home. A little PTO would really go a long way.