Between the rising costs of health care and employees not wanting to lose pay for staying home sick some believe to think that companies have placed themselves at greater risk.Is it really that helpful for sick employees to come in to work just so they don’t miss a day of pay?And as employers can you send an employee home from work, unpaid, if they are sick?
Advantages of having sick employees at work
- Well, some would say that there are none, but as employers we realize that when someone calls in sick, you need to find someone to fill their place and get the work done or productivity is compromised.If they come into work sick, at least you don’t have to spend the time hiring a temp.
- The biggest issue about employees not coming into work is that productivity is decreased, and as a business owner you understand full the effects that can have on sales.A decrease in productivity means a decrease in sales which means can cause delays in the entire company.You can see how maybe having an employee come to work sick might not be so bad.
Disadvantages to have sick employees at work
Many are obvious but we will still look at them for the purpose of this article.
- When sick employees come to work they can give whatever they have to other employees causing more employee absences.
- Sick employees pose a health risk to everyone especially if they are contagious.
- Although they are at work and you don’t have to get a temp, they are not working to full capacity and productivity might still be delayed.
As you weight the advantages and disadvantages you can see how both options are possible.But if an employee comes to work really sick and seems to be unproductive and spreading whatever they have, can you send them home unpaid?Recent surveys have discovered that many employees come to work when they are sick even if they know they shouldn’t.If you believe that the employee is placing other healthy working employees at risk you can ask them to leave and return when they are feeling well again.Many employees would then argue saying that they can’t afford a day off so unless they are going to be paid to go home they will stay and work.As an employer this too can be frustrating as you don’t want to risk the health of other employees so what can you do?Here are some ideas to help with sick employees who won’t go home.
- If it seems that the employee is continually sneezing or coughing and the threat of germs is apparent then you can ask your employee to move to a confined area where they are not in immediate contact with other employees.It needs to be a place where they can still be productive but where they do not compromise others health or work productivity.
- Although airborne germs can spread, the most common way of catching something form someone else is with your hands.Make sure employees keep their hands clean by washing frequently and trying to share things such as pens, or office materials.You can help by supplying some hand sanitizer for individuals or groups so they’re not constantly running to the bathroom.
- You can offer to spread out responsibilities of the sick employee which might alleviate the work load allowing them to get home sooner.
Yes you can send an employee home from work, unpaid, if they are sick but you need to weigh carefully the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.Will it cause more work load if you do send them home?Will it cost more money?If they stay how many other employees will end up sick?All things to consider with sick employees.