5 ms·

The concept of "paid sick days" baffles me. It implies that when the doctor says you're too sick to work and hands you a certificate, you won't get paid by defa

The concept of "paid sick days" baffles me. It implies that when the doctor says you're too sick to work and hands you a certificate, you won't get paid by default or that it should even be legal to not pay you. No wonder Americans are so reluctant to see the doctor, if both the doctor is expensive and also they won't get paid if they're sick. In most EU countries you are not allowed to work and your employer will get into trouble if he lets you work when you've got a sick cert. Your employer obviously also has to pay you and is not allowed to fire you for getting sick[1]. If this outbreak causes the US to update its workers protections for the 21st century, at least something good will come out of it. [1]: in some countries you can receive a reduction in pay after being sick for X months in a row, usually to ~60%.

penagwin 7y ago
The service industry such as fast food has virtually no "paid sick days", and conveniently are jobs with lots of people interaction, poor pay, and poor if any health insurance. So you "might" have the cold or coronavirus - do you go to the ER (costs hundreds even with insurance) and lose out on your pay? (Not to mention you'll likely have your hours cut as "punishment"). Or do you tough it out and keep making money that you need to pay for your rent?
- downerending 7y ago
  Once worked for a Wall Street firm that had a "no sick days" policy. I came in every single day, sick as a dog or not, and as far as I can recall, everyone else did, too. It's not just the poor--some of this really just is our (crazy) culture.
  - mjevans 7y ago
    If that's the case, make sure you make the coffee / drinks / etc for as many decision makers as possible so they get the gunk from the glass.
vageli 7y ago
As someone who has worked in the service industry as a server, manager, and eventually part-owner, why should we burden the business owner with the responsibility to pay when someone is sick and unable to work? This is compounded by the fact that service industry often requires physical presence, which translates to the business having to pay both the sick worker and the worker's temporary replacement. Doesn't this fall to the government to create some kind of aid? At the very least, the gov could offer a tax break for wages paid sick workers.
- inetknght 7y ago
  > why should we burden the business owner with the responsibility to pay when someone is sick and unable to work? Is it really such burden to the business owner to see to the well-being of their employees? > At the very least, the gov could offer a tax break for wages paid sick workers. I like this idea, tbqh.
  - sokoloff 7y ago
    Wages paid are deductible business expenses already.
    - inetknght 7y ago
      > Wages paid are deductible business expenses already. Up to how much? I can't imagine wages paid are 100% deductible. Otherwise nothing's stopping people from starting businesses and paying wages to friends to reduce tax burdens...
      - sokoloff 7y ago
        Up to any amount, provided they are: Ordinary and necessary, Reasonable in amount, Paid for services actually provided, Paid for or incurred in the tax year. And the "any amount" has a limit beyond which you are found to not be operating a profit-seeking business. (Those are the fairly standard tests for all business deductions, only the third is at all specific to wages.) There's no way to "make money" by incurring additional expenses and deducting them. If you have $100 in deductible business expenses and your marginal rate is 35%, you are paying $100 in expenses and getting back $35 on your taxes, so you're still out of pocket $65.
perl4ever 7y ago
In this thread about Japan, why are you ranting about the US? I think most people (at least Americans) have heard this before, and it would be more relevant and informative to describe the situation in Japan rather than the US or EU.

penagwin 7y ago

The service industry such as fast food has virtually no "paid sick days", and conveniently are jobs with lots of people interaction, poor pay, and poor if any health insurance. So you "might" have the cold or coronavirus - do you go to the ER (costs hundreds even with insurance) and lose out on your pay? (Not to mention you'll likely have your hours cut as "punishment"). Or do you tough it out and keep making money that you need to pay for your rent?

downerending 7y ago
Once worked for a Wall Street firm that had a "no sick days" policy. I came in every single day, sick as a dog or not, and as far as I can recall, everyone else did, too. It's not just the poor--some of this really just is our (crazy) culture.
- mjevans 7y ago
  If that's the case, make sure you make the coffee / drinks / etc for as many decision makers as possible so they get the gunk from the glass.

vageli 7y ago

As someone who has worked in the service industry as a server, manager, and eventually part-owner, why should we burden the business owner with the responsibility to pay when someone is sick and unable to work? This is compounded by the fact that service industry often requires physical presence, which translates to the business having to pay both the sick worker and the worker's temporary replacement. Doesn't this fall to the government to create some kind of aid? At the very least, the gov could offer a tax break for wages paid sick workers.

inetknght 7y ago
> why should we burden the business owner with the responsibility to pay when someone is sick and unable to work? Is it really such burden to the business owner to see to the well-being of their employees? > At the very least, the gov could offer a tax break for wages paid sick workers. I like this idea, tbqh.
- sokoloff 7y ago
  Wages paid are deductible business expenses already.
  - inetknght 7y ago
    > Wages paid are deductible business expenses already. Up to how much? I can't imagine wages paid are 100% deductible. Otherwise nothing's stopping people from starting businesses and paying wages to friends to reduce tax burdens...
    - sokoloff 7y ago
      Up to any amount, provided they are: Ordinary and necessary, Reasonable in amount, Paid for services actually provided, Paid for or incurred in the tax year. And the "any amount" has a limit beyond which you are found to not be operating a profit-seeking business. (Those are the fairly standard tests for all business deductions, only the third is at all specific to wages.) There's no way to "make money" by incurring additional expenses and deducting them. If you have $100 in deductible business expenses and your marginal rate is 35%, you are paying $100 in expenses and getting back $35 on your taxes, so you're still out of pocket $65.

perl4ever 7y ago

In this thread about Japan, why are you ranting about the US? I think most people (at least Americans) have heard this before, and it would be more relevant and informative to describe the situation in Japan rather than the US or EU.