Wash your hands. Stop touching your face. Avoid large crowds. This past week, we’ve been inundated with advice for stopping the spread of COVID-19. In her February 28, 2020 essay, Amanda Mull argues that pandemics like this one could be contained more easily if we addressed an underlying structural issue inherent in the American workplace: the lack of paid sick leave.
Amanda Mull, “The Problem with Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home,” The Atlantic, 28 February 2020
- Mull makes a comparison between two categories of American workers: those with good health care and paid sick time, and those without such benefits. Which industries are the least likely to provide their workers with paid time off? What kinds of work do these workers do, compared to those who have paid time off? Why might they be most at risk for contracting and spreading disease? Mull mentions the rapidly growing “gig economy.” What is the gig economy, and why aren’t those workers protected by the same labor laws as everyone else?
- One-third of Americans don’t have paid sick leave. But even those who do are often reluctant to call in sick. According to Mull, why don’t people take sick leave, even when they have it? What do you think of these reasons? How sick do you need to be to miss class or work? Has this current pandemic changed how you feel about staying home if you’re sick? What could those in charge – managers, leaders, professors, administrators – do to change this culture within American schools and workplaces?
- Mull argues that the spaces Americans work in can contribute to the rapid spread of diseases like COVID-19. What evidence does she give to make this claim? Respond to her argument using a template from Chapter 4. What are other spaces that might also be vulnerable for these reasons? Should we think about pandemics in the design of our work, school, and communal life? Why or why not? In your response, use clear voice markers, discussed in Chapter 5, to signal who is saying what.
- Mull identifies another way the U.S. is vulnerable to pandemics: our health care system. Read this op-ed from The Washington Post. Summarize its argument with a template from Chapter 2. According to this article, what about our current health care system deters people from going to a doctor if they are sick? How are these reasons similar to and different from the reasons Mull gives for why some people feel they can’t stay home if they are sick?
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According to Mull, the people who do not get sick time paid off and that do not have medical insurance are the people working in the service industry. These people are the ones working in stores like Wal-Mart, or in restaurants like McDonald’s. They do customer service and are in constant contact with other people or surfaces other people might touch. They can spread the disease to co-workers or clients easily. People working in the gig economy also have a hard time obtaining sick time paid off and paid medical insurance, since they work on limited-time contracts (gigs) or are independent workers or contractors. They aren’t protected by the same labor laws as everyone else because they are their own bosses. They manage their own salaries on the profits they make. The have to pay themselves on sick days and pay their own medical insurance with their companies profits, if not with their own salaries, but most of their profits are not enough to cover that on top of every other necessary expanses.
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I totally agree with you Charlotte. In fact, majority of workers who don’t have access to health insurance or paid sick days are usually the ones who have jobs were a degree isn’t necessary, for example, in stores, restaurants, cleaning industry, etc. They usually come from a poor background where college was maybe not an option or wasn’t considered important. Furthermore, those people may have physical condition that limits their job choices. I think that these workers are the one who cannot benefit from a good health care and paid sick time off, because they are partly easy to replace, in other words, their boss can easily find someone else to take their place. These people are usually paid at minimum wage and that salary kind of oblige them to live in unsanitary places where diseases are less managed and access to clinics and hospital are really limited. Also, the gig economy is formed of independent workers, like Uber drivers, contractors and many more who aren’t protected by paid-leave laws, because they have to manage their own income and expenses as well as their company, so if they take a few days off, they are only harming themselves.
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According to Mull, people who actually have paid sick leave don’t take it because they fear that, in the future, there will be a more urgent event, such as loved ones being sick or themselves having a more serious illness. Some are also hesitant to even ask their employer for a paid sick leave knowing that they will probably refuse by wanting their workers to be efficient. I think it is outrageous that not only some people don’t even have access to paid sick leave, but the people who have it need to prioritize the illness of others over their own. Workers should be protected and have the right to take a paid sick leave in order to take care of their children because no one chooses to get sick so it is not even close to a luxury. We should not have to work or go to class if our body is telling us that it needs to rest just because our absences are limited. We usually ask ourselves if we are able to stand up and concentrate in order to choose if we should stay home or not, but the current pandemic proved that it is not just about how we feel, but also about the others who we could contaminate. Those in charge should focus more on the well-being of everyone and less on the performance of their business or institution. They should also try to put themselves in their employees’ shoes.
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According to Mull, the wealthy people in America are often the ones who have higher paid jobs and are the ones who have health insurance and paid time off. However, for the vaste majority, they are employees with an hourly salary, no paid leave and more dangerous working conditions. These jobs are often the ones that don’t need a high level of education and where the employees can get easily fired and replaced for causing a little trouble (Fast food industry, as an example). For these people, asking for time off means missing an hourly wage that is used for food and rent, or again risking their jobs. It is therefore impossible for them to ask for time off, forcing them to go to work, even when they are sick. In my opinion, these people are the ones who should have access to health care and paid leave, as they are the ones who directly interact with customers and who are more exposed to viruses. The same principle applies to people in the ”gig” economy, which is based on independant workers. Indeed, they are not protected by paid-leave laws, considering they manage their own companies, expenses and income. Once again, they cannot afford taking a few days off.
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In her article, Mull argues that people do not take sick leave even though they have the possibility to do so. This is because they put others’ needs before their own. They save their sick leave for emergencies or to take care of others (in most cases, family members). These people could be considered unselfish for their noble act. However, I strongly believe otherwise. People need to put their own health first to be able to take care of others. On a plane, flight attendants instruct passengers to first put on their own oxygen masks and then assist the other person. There’s a reason for that. If you cannot save yourself, how are you supposed to help others? Why should it be any different when someone sick needs to take time off to gain strength and health? If you do not stay home when sick you endanger others. Continuing to work when sick poses a real threat to society. It is unfair to others and is clearly illogical. The current pandemic has definitely changed how I feel about staying home when sick. COVID-19 is a violent virus that has killed many people and keeps spreading viciously. It is frightening that a virus with flu-like symptoms could have such a huge impact worldwide! Obviously, any smart person would stay home from now on when they are sick. I totally agree with Noemie about her opinion of how people in charge should react. Leaders should put themselves in other people’s shoes. People in charge should be more comprehensive and fair in such cases. People need to start considering the well-being of those around them. It impacts you, but everyone else too!
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I think Noémie had a good point saying that sickness is never a luxury and that we should listen to our body. A lot of people depend on these few hours of work to pay their rent and students have to go to class in order to get good grades. Therefore, it isn’t in their best interest to miss a week of work or school and risk losing their job or getting expelled, they simply can’t afford it. Also, everybody reacts differently during an illness, some may need a few weeks to get better and antibiotics while others may only need two days of rest. You are the only one who knows your body and your limits, a manager shouldn’t argue with his employees on whether they are “sick enough” to be paid while staying home. It is very unfair to think that sick leave is said to be an option, while in reality it’s almost always their last choice, even if they get paid. Workers have to think about the impact that these few days at home could have on their career, but also on their family in case they need them in the future. It is very sad knowing that workers are ready to endure full days of pain in order to keep their job. Those in charge should be more considerate and think in the long term how their decisions could affect other employees as well as their business. By allowing workers and students to stay home when sick, they prevent so many people from getting ill and having to stop working or going to school. What is worse for a manager, losing one cashier for 3 to 4 days or 4 employees because they got contaminated?
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According to Mull, the symptoms of the majority of healthy people who contract Coronavirus, like a head cold or mild-flu, aren’t enough of a good reason to take a day off. There is culture surrounding the toughness of going to work disregarding your mental or physical condition that discourages people to take a leave of absence when they get sick. Furthermore, the American average for paid sick leave is seven days, but many have less than that. If a worker has a mild-flu, he might want to wait for a more severe sickness to take his leave of absence. He may want to keep it to take care of a close one when they get sick. I believe these reasons are extremely valid especially when the symptoms of COVID-19 are usually mild, you never know is something that seems worst will happen in the future. If I was pressured by my boss to come to work knowing it could interfere in my work afterwards or even get me fired, I would definitely go. Personally, I need to be very sick to miss class because I get stressed out about missing a surprise evaluation, an important lesson, etc. I only skip classes because of sickness when I actually can’t get out of bed. I think those in charge would take advantage in providing a better options for these kind of events, especially during a pandemic. They have much more to lose if all of their employees can’t work because they are sick or their families are, than if they take measures to avoid the disease spreading.
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According to Mull, people are reluctant to take sick leaves because of the office culture that promotes people to go above and beyond, which is applauded by many American companies. Furthermore, people often do not to take sick leave when they actually should since they sometimes want to keep these days for when they are really ill and need them, or for when loved ones might get sick. Lastly, people are often not asking for it, since it could give a bad impression of themselves to their boss and some do not want to lose their job. In the case of the Covid-19, its symptoms, such as experiencing headaches and a sore throat do not seem like enough to justify their sick leave, and they would rather keep these days for more “important” matters. I have rarely stopped working because I was sick. In fact, I never really stop unless I physically cannot. This situation has changed my opinion, mainly because I am now more aware than ever on the risk it could create for others. However, it would depend on what kind of sickness I have. Finally, bosses and managers should simply realize the risk they are taking, since their entire staff could get contaminated, and that could be a disaster for their company or organization. The best way to make them realize that is by continuing to raise awareness, and by hopefully having a president that does not only think that the Covid-19 is “just a flu”.
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According to Mull, even people who have paid sick leave don’t always take a day off. Indeed, most Americans have between three to seven days off each year when they are sick. Even if they don’t feel well, they would rather go to work and save up these days in case they caught a more serious illness or to take care of a family member in need. Also, America’s office culture is based on productivity which could lead managers to force their employees to go to work. I think that Sarah made a good point by saying that it isn’t in the interest of people to miss school or work because of the consequences that could happen. I think that leaders should be more concerned by the well-being of the persons working for them and encourage sick people to stay home instead of going to work. Even if that means paying your employees while they are home recovering. It would be more profitable for the manager to do that than giving a salary to a person that is not able to give his 100% to do their job and will probably contaminate his colleagues. As a matter of fact, by staying home the person doesn’t only protect herself, but also the person around. The current pandemic really changed the way I feel about staying home when you’re sick. Before, even if I was sick, I would still go to class in fear of missing something important, but now I realize how my decisions could have a big impact on someone else life.
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In Mull’s article “The Problem With Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home”, she stated that most people who have the possibility to take sick leave do not want to waste it on an insignificant little flu. They actually want to save it for more critical occasions. For example, when their children are sick and need to be taken care of. Unfortunately, I would probably do the same. Therefore, we need to open our mind and think carefully about the consequences. Here is another thing, what about the employees that do not hold this choice such as Uber drivers or other organizations that work independently? “These jobs are also the kind least likely to supply workers with health insurance, making it difficult for millions of people to get medical proof that they can’t go to work.” indicated Mull. Exactly how do you expect them to stay safe on this horrific pandemic if they cannot ask for days off and cannot afford health insurance? They are already vulnerable with their living habits. What we are forgetting here is the real danger of not staying at home when we are sick. We probably are presented with mild symptoms, but if we are contagious like having the COVID-19, others can die from it. This pandemic really proves us that, whenever you are sick, it is best for you to take days off to help your immune system and to avoid spreading it to others around you. To answer the last question of #2, I agree with what Noémie shared about what those in charge should do. They need to look after their employees. The one employing you also need to be conscious. They should suggest you to stay at home if they see you are not in the right state of mind to complete your work and make sure that you feel better. Let me remind you that we are human beings, not machines. We do get sick times to times.
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Mull states that people go to work and put others at risks with or without paid sick leave. Either you are being forced to go to work because you don’t have health insurance with your job or if you do, you’d rather stay home to save the paid days you can get. Those who don’t have the same privileges as the richer population are the ones with the jobs that involve the more contact with others. Sometimes their pay is the rent of the month, some of them live on the edge and they need to go to work even if they are ill. They don’t get the chance to stay home and get better when they get sick. People in good health show symptoms of the virus but are not as pronounced as someone that would have diabetes or breathing problem to start with. They should be allowed to take time off to get better and not risk giving others the virus. Sometimes those people won’t even show symptoms but can still carry the virus and give it to others. In this case, they are more dangerous. Even if some preventions are taken like keeping your distance with others, the better way to avoid the spreading of the virus is to stay home and the ones that do not have access to paid leave can’t allow themselves to take a break or try to work from home. I think Mull is right when she says that Americans put others in danger by not staying home when they could and should. People who have access to paid sick leave and health care should take advantage of that in this time of crisis. They say they are keeping those days in bank for when something worse happens but what we are living is big and all the precautions we can take should be taken.
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Amanda Mull, a writer for The Atlantic, a magazine with a typically liberal political opinion, explains in her article titled “The Problem With Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home” that there’s a concerning problem with the average Americans work ethic. So much so that even people who are entitled to paid sick leave don’t use it. She feels as though the people that are a part of the ever-growing “gig economy”, meaning those that choose to work for app-based platforms that dole out work in bits and pieces such as Uber and Airbnb aren’t being fairly treated. As I’m reading through the opinions of fellow readers, I’ve come to the realization that the debate seems to be extremely one-sided. “Everyone should be entitled to paid sick leave!” “The world would be so much better!” It really isn’t that simple. In my opinion, the lack of paid sick leave in the “gig industry” is a non-issue. Think of it from a business standpoint. Literally, anyone can sign up right now and become an Uber driver or a Postmates delivery person overnight. If you declare yourself sick within the first day, without even having completed a gig, how could you possibly expect anyone to pay you a single penny? At its core, the “sharing economy” is extremely unstable, that’s what gives it its charm. Anyone that thinks that working as an Uber driver can be a replacement for a stable cubicle job must be deemed delusional! This debate about paid sick leave is intrinsically related to the country’s economic identity. If you work in the United States, you must expect a capitalist system where you are rewarded according to the number of hours you put in. If you wish to work in a country where you work, not for you, but for the motherland and where pay is (theoretically) equal, may I suggest using a time machine to go visit the Soviet Union. The correlation between a lack of paid leave and the proliferation of the pandemic is shaky at best. If you really want to avoid the spread of COVID-19, perhaps a more radical approach would be to adopt free healthcare for all and possibly electing a president that knows how to appropriately navigate a country through a crisis of this scale next time around. In summary, if you choose, out of your own free will, to work in an unstable industry, you should accept the possible consequences.
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I agree with Ms. Mull. The majority of work conditions require more contact and psychical bodies than the CDC is allowing at this trying time. But you must take into account the actions taken place thus far. All companies and that aren’t necessary for human survival is shut down until further notice. Making the places open essential.
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According to Mull in the article The Problem With Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home, some people do not take sick leave, even when they have it, for many reasons. Firstly, numerous do not have a lot of days of sick leave. Hence, they are hesitant to use them as they want to save it for something more serious, or to look after their family if they get sick. Secondly, even the minority that has ample sick leave is reluctant to ask since America’s office culture encourages workers to come into work even though they are sick, as the workplace is very competitive. In my opinion, I think that this is very troubling. The fact that some people simply do not have the right to protect themselves and to slow down a global pandemic without having to risk losing their job is truly unfair. At my school, you need to be sick enough that your instructions would be obstructed. A simple flu will not do it, and you need a doctor’s note to support your claim, contaminating more people on their way to the hospital or clinic. Before this pandemic happened, I never once skipped a day of school because I was sick. However, I now understand the dangers I can put people in by coming to school sick. Regarding the crisis America is facing, the government could for instance implant a human number of paid sick days and put labour protection law in place.
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I think you are right Alexandra when you say people are reluctant to take paid sick leave because of the society we live in. It’s all about making money and showing up every day to work, whether we are sick or not. In our situation, people should think of others and stay home if they present any symptoms.
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Like Coralie said, the people working in jobs which have no health insurance or paid sick leaves are easy to replace. Their bosses don’t mind firing them because they have no trouble finding new employees. Since these jobs are mostly for people without a full education or for students, they always have new people coming to these companies for a job. This can be very beneficial for these particular companies because most students won’t claim medical insurance and paid sick leaves since they don’t need their job to live, they only have it on the side.
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As Amanda Mull mentions in https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/02/coronavirus-could-hit-american-workers-especially-hard/607213/ , the people working in contact with others are often not covered by medical insurance and they are not eligible for sick pay day. In this time of crisis, we realize that a lot of stores that stayed open are the ones with people who doesn’t have medical insurance and this kind of protection and I think the government must act to protect them because they are essential to our society.
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According to Mull, workers with good health care and paid sick time are people who work in a big firm or large company and those without are usually people working in stores and restaurants. These people in general don’t receive or demand paid time off because they need their hourly wage to pay the rent or the groceries which is very understandable. Since they always work surrounded by people, they can easily pass the virus from one person to another. This leads to a rise of COVID-19 cases. Another group of people who aren’t protected by the same labor laws are the gig workers who are people with independent contracts such as Uber drivers.
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I agree with Yujie who said that the people who actually have paid sick days and access to good health care are the ones who are less vulnerable and that the people who don’t have these advantages are people that are the most exposed to the virus. I think that this situation shows how our society favors more rich or middle class people than the less fortune ones. It creates a bigger gap between the wealthy and the poor in a crisis that is out of everyone’s control.
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Amanda Mull writes in her article that a lot of Americans don’t have paid sick leave. She also states that those who have, don’t usually ask for it as they don’t want to be seen as problematic. According to her, employers can fire someone for asking for sick leave because they are too much trouble and less efficient. In addition, people prefer to keep their few sick leave days for more important reasons, such as when their loved ones are sick. I think that this is wrong as no one should fear taking a day off to take care of themselves. We sometimes forget to prioritize ourselves or our health and this is not acceptable. In my opinion, if going to school or to work will worsen your symptoms and it could affect the health of others, you should definitely stay home. This current pandemic has thought me that we shouldn’t take any risks about health. Covid-19 might not be very dangerous for our age group, but it could be fatal for older folks. That’s why we should all stay home to protect ourselves and mostly others. This pandemic has changed our lives . Therefore managers and leaders should mitigate and change their laws and standards to be more flexible and promote a culture of health and wellbeing.
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The article, “The Problem with Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home,” by Amanda Mull really grabbed my attention. One of the biggest ways a virus can spread is through going to work when sick. According to Mull, people that need to take time off of work due to sickness often do not due to fear of not having days to take off later. Furthermore, many jobs only allow around four days a year for sick leave. As much as I hate to admit it, I can agree with this as in my most recent job, I was afraid to miss work when I had moderate flu symptoms. Mull mentioned that some people simply can not stay home because they need their paycheck to get groceries. The reason this is such an issue with the virus is because oftentimes these jobs are the ones that are on the front lines of spreading viruses. It is often servers, store workers, or people in close office spaces.
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In her article, “The Problem with Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home,” Amanda Mull describes the situation of sick workers who have to stay home in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading faster. According to Mull, many workers won’t take sick leave, even when they have it. They prefer using these sick days later, for a more serious situation in which their family or themselves would be seriously ill. Indeed, many hesitate to use their sick days for something they think is minor. I understand these reasons, it is normal to prefer using sick days only in case of a serious illness. However, I also think it is important that people stay home if they feel sick because it is a way to prevent the virus from spreading. Personaly, I have to be very sick to miss class or work, because it takes me more energy to catch up later. The pandemic changed how you feel about staying home if I am sick, I realise today how important it is to stay home if I really feel sick. It is important for your body to rest, but staying at home is also a way to protect more vulnerable people from being sick too.
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I agree with you Kimia. Even if the virus does not cause a lot of health problems for your group age, it surely does for older people. It’s also important to mention that even young people can have important complications du to the virus if they suffers from diseases such as diabetics. As Mull wrote in the article, unfortunately about one third of Americans workers dont’t have a good health care insurance and paid time off. Therefore, they can not afford to take time off if they are sick or have mild symptoms. These people are a big risk for everyone else especially because these jobs are part of services and the gig economy(https://youtu.be/oQfTJy0sRVs), These jobs are places where there is often contact with a lot of people. This makes the spread of germs very easily. These workers are not protected by the same labor laws because they are not completely considered as a full-time employe.
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I agree with you Sabrina when you say that one of the best ways to spread a virus is by going to work when we are sick, especially in this time of crisis. Unfortunately, according to Mull, there is still one-third of the population who doesn’t have paid sick leave and she’s still right about the reluctancy of the rest of the workers about using these days off. Let’s imagine we’re not in a situation of crisis. Besides the fact that everybody need to pay their bills, what push workers to go to work may also be the impression that they are afraid to let behind them by taking a day off. In this society where image comes first, we are afraid to be seen as a weak or lazy person, never knowing how sick we must be to skip work for a day. That is why many people chose to go to work instead of staying gently home until the illness passes. I am asking you, how many times do we hear judgments when a person have chosen to stay home when feeling sick? I think that one of the best lessons we could get from COVID-19 is to let this idea of bad impression behind us and to be more tolerant and empathetic towards people around us now that we know how big can become the symptoms of a simple flu.
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As Amanda Mull explains in her article, not everyone in America is lucky enough to get paid sick leave and good health insurance in this critical time. What is even more controversial is that the people who normally don’t have these privileges are majorly working in the service industry, a type of work that is necessary in this pandemic. These workers should be protected since they provide essential needs and they are the most likely to be in contact with a large number of people. For this last reason, they are the ones that are the most at risk to catch COVID-19, but also to pass on this disease because they can’t afford to take sick leave. It’s not only that taking sick leave is frowned upon in their work environment, but it’s also because they can’t afford to miss work. Another type of workers that can’t spare to skip work and normally doesn’t have health insurance are the ones working in the “gig economy”. The employees of this new work sphere, such as Uber drivers, are paid by gigs and have the liberty to work whenever they want. However, this last privilege can also be a disadvantage since they don’t have paid sick or holidays leave. Many Americans are left unprotected in front of COVID-19 and consequently Amanda Mull’s affirmation, about protecting everyone with paid sick leave, should be taken in serious consideration.
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According to Mull’s article, the industries least likely to give their workers paid time off which are also the same jobs least likely to give their workers health insurance, are the service industries and the gig economy. These workers are the ones that are the most exposed to people and have contact with them (indirectly most of the time) like waiters or people working in stores. They are generally tight on money and therefore don’t ask or receive paid time off to maximize their income. They are most at risk of spreading the virus since they come in contact with other people mostly by touching stuff that multiple people touch directly as well like plates, payment terminals, objects in stores, etc… Gig workers don’t receive the same treatments as others since they are independent workers and therefore don’t have a “boss” they don’t work for the state and therefore aren’t subsidized by it.
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In her article, Amanda Mull points out that American workers tend to not make use of their paid sick leave, even thought one could be considered lucky to have days off on the condition that you are sick. The author mentions that some of them are thinking about saving for an ostensible emergency, rather than “waste” them on a seemingly minor flu. She also mentions that some people, like parents, might be saving them in case those they are taking care of, for example their children, get sick and would need more attention than they would if their health is at risk. Those two excuses are fairly similar and remind me of hoarding in video games. When playing video games, people tend to save up their stronger weapons, spells and items for a later time, telling themselves that whatever troubles them at the moment is nothing compared to what awaits them later. Throught out their entire playthrough, they keep the same mentality and once it is over, their inventory is full of items they could have used to make their life easier. The same thing is happening here. Because deciding to use your sick days/ultimate items right now is a commitment and that choice can never undone, people would rather do nothing instead of being responsible for their failure later on. That is the omission bias, thinking that hurting by doing nothing is preferable to hurting by acting. What those who hoard their sick days fail to notice is that they saved them up for that very occasion, the day that they get a bad flu and can’t afford to contaminate all of their coworkers. If this were a game, I would tell those people that the don’t and won’t need those bonuses later, so they might as well use them while they are struggling. In this case however, some of their fears are justified, because being blind-sided by an unforseen accident or illness sucks and Mull also mentions that the capitalist system doesn’t encourage not working, which explains why she says that taking sick days is poorly viewed. This conception is understandable, as having slackers who misuse that privilege by skipping work whenever they feel like it isn’t desirable because it reduces efficiency and credibility. However, the reason for the poor reputation of sick days can be and is distorted and it is believed that anyone who does so is lazy and/or weak-willed. This is false of course and if it were up to me I would say that anyone sick enough to contaminate others should take the day off but considering how often that happened to me in the past I wouldn’t be able to keep a job for very long and besides, the business wouldn’t be very efficient. Thanks to this article though, I was able to relieve myself of some of the guilt I had for taking liberties with my sick days during this semester, at least before COVID-19.
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Like Victoria said, I hope that this pandemic will bring people closer and make people more tolerant when it comes to paid sick leave. We should trust the workers and make the workplace a non-stressful environment in which they don’t have to hide an illness in order to avoid judgment from their peers. Furthermore, leaders should put themselves in their worker’s shoes and consider the circumstances surrounding this pandemic. They should offer paid sick leave for everyone since a lot of the workers are very vulnerable in these times. Some are single parents and others struggle to provide for their family members at home. We need to urge the American government to take paid sick leave more seriously since good health at work shouldn’t have to be a luxury. I also agree with Melina when she says that in the context of COVID-19, we can’t afford to have contaminated workers that continue to work simply because they don’t have the money to do otherwise. This is a big reason why the pandemic is growing so rapidly in the United-States. The priority should be to avoid contamination by giving workers the freedom of staying at home when they feel sick.
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In her article, Amanda Mull is saying that a very large part of workers in the United Stated don’t get paid sick leaves. She says that this puts everyone in danger, because sick people coming to work can contaminate their coworkers or the clientele. She says everyone would benefit from paid sick leaves, especially during this scary pandemic situation. Although this is true, people going out of their house while showing clear symptoms helps spread the virus, many sick people won’t even show signs of sickness. The thing is, like Amanda said, about 80% of the cases are asymptomatic or the people only show very mild symptoms, so even if the world was perfect and everyone was entitled to two-week paid time off, it probably wouldn’t have a strong impact on the number of cases detected. Sick but asymptomatic people can be anywhere, they could be working, grocery shopping, taking a walk… I feel that the more urgent problem is the healthcare system in America. Many people don’t go to the hospital even when they’re clearly showing symptoms, because they are worried they won’t be able to cover the medical bill. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has covered many bills for individuals being tested, since at first, the testing was done in their labs only. Now, many hospitals are testing individuals and the hospitals are charging the insurance companies of the individuals, the problem that a lot of people don’t have health insurance: they can’t afford it, so they probably can’t afford the medical bills being sent either.
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According to Mull’s article describing the dilemma people face on going to work or not during the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers who have a paid sick leave will rarely take it. Furthermore, almost a third of American workers don’t have access to such an option as well as support from a medical insurance that could help proving they need to stay home. With only a few days of paid sick leave, most workers prefere to save those in case of an emergency or if they situation gets worse. There is also a social pressure to keep working when slightly sick to keep an appearance of dedication to the job someone has. Personally, I will only miss class if i can’t get out of my bed or if I am not able to focus properly. However, the pandemic has made me realise the speed of propagation of a virus and all the people I could affect if I came to be sick. This will probably affect my decision in the future on whether or not to stay home, as I will think more about the people I can contaminate and the seriousness of the situation. In retrospection to Mull’s article, I believe it is obvious that a cultural change as to be made, led by influent people (manager, administrators, teachers, etc.), to allow people to take care of themselves and their close ones. People should not have to risk their lives because they are scared of loosing their job, especially during the times we are facing.
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According to Ms.Mull, a majority of workers of America don’t use their paid leave scared to need to use it another day, in case of a bigger emergency. I agree with Veronica and Sabrina. The best way to not spread the virus is by not going to work. Unfortunately, most jobs cannot allow themselves to not work such as the doctors,nurses and researchers working to contain and dissolve the cure. Furthermore, the American laws regarding work and paid/unpaid leave massively disadvantage workers. If they decide to use their paid leave and a misunderstanding or a dishonest accident by the company happens, the workers will have no money and no easy way of making it and if they do want that money they will have to go through gruesome courts dates and fees that are simply not always worth it.
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I agree with Leili when she says that workers who have jobs that don’t require particular degrees should have some sort of protection when it comes to health care and paid leave since bosses are more incline to fire them for insufficient reasons. I feel like a considerable amount of minimal wages workers depends on every work shift they can get to pay their bills and provide of their family. Therefore, it is unfair that they have no protection sickness since they are probably the ones that need it the most.
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Amanda Mull states that higher end people who have call-in sick days, health insurance, and a reasonable boss are in the best state during this crisis. When it comes to the everyday workers such as restaurant, drive in, grocery store, or even package handlers that come in direct contact with people or things that could have the virus on it and could easily spread. are the ones we need to worry about. This is also stated in the article as the “gig economy” people who are in direct contact with mainly people but also other things that could possibly contract the virus. These workers are whom everyone relies upon during times like these and politicians around the country are publicly thanking these workers for their work during these challenging times for our country.
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I agree with Mehdi on the situation concerning people working in the gig economy and the service industry. Most of these workers won’t take time off because it will be difficult for them to sustain themselves, especially for people in the gig economy who don’t have a stable income. Of course, they still work in a situation of global emergency due to the COVID-19. Having to be around people all the time, they can spread the virus quicker which can be deadly in a massive society.
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In her comment, Eléonore argued that the authorities in place should encourage their sick employees to stay at home, even if it means continuing to pay them while they are home, not only because they are a danger for their coworkers, but also because someone who has contracted some illness will not be as efficient as they would normally be. I think she is very right, and that this argument is precisely why government should put in place more accommodations for workers for when they get sick, like more sick days.
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Alexandra’s personnel experience was very refreshing and it proves that people rarely call in sick these days. She says employers should realize the risks they are taking by forcing employees to come to work despite Covid-19. I agree with this statement because managers should look at the bigger picture. I am sure they would suffer less by closing their establishment for a small period of time. I also think that Alexandra made a good point when she said that we have to raise awareness right now. Not everyone is taking necessary precautions and it could get out of control. It is not a coincidence that the United-States is the country with the most cases of Covid-19. In the following article, https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/white-house-warns-americans-arent-doing-enough-to-flatten-the-coronavirus-curve-in-some-states/, the coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr.Deborah Birk warned on April 2nd that Social distancing works but not enough people are following the restrictions. She also stated that more outbreaks could happen and it would be harder to get the virus in check if people don’t listen to the president’s guideline. In my opinion she explained the situation very well and I think that Americans should start listening to her. I also hope that this situation teaches them a lesson and that after this crisis they will change their way of living and doing business. If there isn’t a healthy workforce the economy will continue to suffer.
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I agree with Alice. I think this pandemic should bring a reconsideration of culture and way of thinking. People should be able to prioritize health over work. It’s not normal that in 2020 you could lose your job if you are not willing to sacrifice your health. Every American should be able to feel safe and provides food at the same time for their family.
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According to Amanda Mull, someone with good health insurance or paid time off from work gets sick will be beneficial for them becasue not everyone have the privilege to get Paid time off instead they get fired for breaking the rules for not coming to work which forces them to work even when their sick because thats the only way they can make money and afford to pay for their daily expenses. i personally think that situations like this often leads to the spreadof the disease such as COVID-19 which impacts not only themselves but everyone in their surroundings which leads to the spread of virus such as Coronavirus as we all are experiencing right now. workers who don’t have enough Paid time off should not be penalized for taking off from work because they are sick instead they should be given few sick days to recover so it doesn’t affect anyone else. On the other hand, all the employees should offer with a good health insurance so that if anyone of the worker are sick can go to the doctors and get better quickly instead of sitting home and waiting for their body to recover through the Virus just because their insurance wouldn’t cover the expenses. it is our responsibility to give our body a break and rest to recover and make sure we are not getting people in our surroundings sick too
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The ones who don’t have sick days paid off, and don’t have medical care, according to Mull, are the ones who work in the service sector. Such people are the ones who work in supermarkets such as Wal-Mart or restaurants such as McDonalds. They do customer service and may be in direct contact with other persons or surfaces that other people can reach. We can quickly spread the disease to coworkers or clients. People working in the freelance economy are often struggling to get paid vacation days and paid medical care, because they operate on limited time contracts or are independent employees. We are not covered, since they are their own employers, by the same labor laws as anyone else. We handle the money they earn on their own income. The continue to pay themselves on sick days and fund their own medical benefits from income from their businesses, if not from their own wages, but most of their earnings are not adequate to cover this in addition to all other required expanses.
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According to Mull, the individuals who aren’t offered paid time off when sick or obtain health insurance are those who work in the service industry. You will find these workers stocking shelves in stores, preparing and serving food in restaurants, driving people from point A to point B, etc. The individuals who have jobs in this industry are in constant contact, directly or indirectly with large numbers of people, in which puts them at high risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19. As Mull mentions in this article, “Doorknobs, coffee makers, toilets, common-use refrigerators, sinks, keyboards, [can all] be a source of transmission if contaminated with the agent.” These workers encounter these objects daily when completing tasks, which puts them at risk. Like Anne-Sophie, I think it’s important for workers who are feeling under the weather to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus. I would add that, someone can have the virus and not show symptoms right away. This can pose a serious health risk not only to the individual who has the virus, but everyone that person interacted with. These individuals who are a part of the service community or gig economy, rely heavily on their hourly wages in order to pay off expenses and take care of their families. The gig economy is made up of independent workers and contractors who manage their own income, expenses, along with managing their own companies. These workers aren’t protected by labor laws because they are considered their own employers, where they are responsible for supplying their own benefits.
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According to Mull, when people get a specific amount of days of sick leave the don’t take it. People believe that it’s not worth missing a day for a slight cold. The coronavirus pandemic is starting to slow down now but, it spreads rapidly due to so much contact with each other. People don’t have direct contact with one another. Although, between the surfaces being touched by many people it won’t be hard to catch something from someone that sneezes in their hand. People rather not miss a day of work or school because they wouldn’t be benefitting from it. They can get their health back to par but, they won’t be making money or getting credit. From personal experience there has been times where I chose not to miss work or school so I wouldn’t have to miss a lesson or miss out a day from working. People could take regular safety precautions but still not realize when they contaminate something with their slight cold.
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Amanda Mull is voicing her thoughts on the coronavirus in relation to paid or unpaid sick leave. She says that the ideal scenario would be to have good health insurance, paid time off, and a reasonable boss. Obviously that isn’t the case in our modern day America. Many jobs don’t have paid sick leave therefore, people are continuing to work and spread the virus. She also discusses that the workers that are doing food deliveries or working in a grocery store fall outside of the paid-leave laws, so even if they weren’t feeling too great that would still not be a good enough reason to call out of work. People without paid sick leave need their hourly wage to pay rent, get food, and the important necessities. She also mentions that even if someone isn’t feeling sick themselves, they still might have been in contact with someone who is feeling sick. She concludes the article saying that work culture and the health care system will probably make the COVID-19 outbreak more fatal than it already is.
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Malik Bass
Response to Article: “Call in sick: Amanda Mull on protecting everyone with paid sick leave” by Amanda Mull
COVID-19 has forced Americans to stay at home and transition to an online school and work setting instead of traditional in-person interactions. However, some people fail to understand that transitioning to a remote setting for work or school is not always easy. In some cases, many Americans who cannot afford to come to work or remote working is not an option; they have to use their sick leave. Amanda Mull points out that not every American has the option of having paid sick leave or proper health insurance. “For all but the independently wealthy in America, the best-case scenario for getting sick is being a person with high-grade health insurance, paid time off, and a reasonable boss who will not penalize for taking a few sick days or working from home.” Therefore, all Americans can do to stay safe is to stay home and stop the spread of the virus.
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Mull makes an interesting point that most of the time, people who are working the “front lines” or at a job that is in close contact with people, don’t get paid sick leave. Wouldn’t it make the most sense to give them this though? Restaurant workers and grocery store employees are just a few examples of this. These people are in close contact with the general public on the daily so that could suggest they have a greater risk of getting sick. To me, it would make more sense to give these people paid sick leave than maybe other jobs where you are more secluded.
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According to Mull, people in the service industry have a hard time getting paid sick time off. This could allow for disease to spread more rapidly as opposed to a job that has paid sick time off. I think people in the service industry do not get paid sick time off because most of the time these jobs do not require a degree and are usually a minimum wage job. This means that their managers and bosses will easily replace them if they miss work for being sick. This forces workers to come in even when they feel sick because they are afraid of losing their job. This is a problem and could lead to the unnecessary spread of sickness.
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The staying home sick not all Americans are gonna follow some because of there situations. For the ones that don’t get paid for sick leave there gonna worry about money especially if they’re in poverty and work paycheck to paycheck. I was someone who was affected by Corona because I had it and at the time I had two jobs and both paid me from my time of will I was sick for the virus so there changing the way people get paid while there sick
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In Mull’s article “The Problem With Telling Sick Workers to Stay Home”, she stated that most people who have the possibility to take sick leave do not want to waste it on an insignificant little flu. They actually want to save it for more critical occasions. For example, when their children are sick and need to be taken care of. However, there are many problems with this. For one the person may be spreading their sick ess causing people who may not have a strong immune system to catch it. Another problem is why people are doing this, some are afraid that taking too many sick days may make them look like a neglectful worker, one who takes off as much as possible is easier to let go of. These workers can also feel that being sick is no as important as gettin g their work done, so they will do in with illness in order to not fall behind. Here is another thing, what about the employees that do not hold this choice such as Uber drivers or other organizations that work independently? “These jobs are also the kind least likely to supply workers with health insurance, making it difficult for millions of people to get medical proof that they can’t go to work.” indicated Mull. Exactly how do you expect them to stay safe on this horrific pandemic if they cannot ask for days off and cannot afford health insurance? They are already vulnerable with their living habits. What we are forgetting here is the real danger of not staying at home when we are sick. We probably are presented with mild symptoms, but if we are contagious like having the COVID-19, others can die from it. This pandemic really proves us that, whenever you are sick, it is best for you to take days off to help your immune system and to avoid spreading it to others around you. To answer the last question of #2, I agree with what Noémie shared about what those in charge should do. They need to look after their employees. The one employing you also need to be conscious. They should suggest you to stay at home if they see you are not in the right state of mind to complete your work and make sure that you feel better.
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1) In the article, author Amanda Mull discusses paid sick leave and talks about the disadvantages people go through that accumulate paid time off but are unable to use it, fearing that an emergency will arise or that they will fall ill. I feel like several working-class Americans might be most at risk for contracting and spreading diseases. In 2020 they became known as essential workers while everyone else was at home in quarantine or working from home. The food service industry or grocery stores are least likely to provide their workers with paid time off. I feel like they can offer reduced hours to avoid paying benefits. Their occupation requires fast-paced production and goals to meet. Sanitary conditions in the workplace can contribute to spreading the disease in the workplace. You are dealing with customers and touching items that multiple people have touched.
The gig economy is considered a short-term assignment. The workers that make up the gig economy may set their hours. They are not protected like everyone else because they have more independence and flexibility in their line of work.
2) According to Mull, People do not take their sick leave due to fear of the unknown. An emergency could occur at any time. Knowing you have accumulated paid time off at work can be considered a safety net. The reasons are valid but toxic. We should not have to work and work our whole lives and fully enjoy life at retirement age. I hate calling out; I have got to be running a fever or extremely sick to do so. It is almost as if I feel guilty when I am legitimately ill. When the pandemic first started, I encouraged everyone to stay home if they were sick, especially since information about the virus from the CDC was so inconsistent. I still feel the same; our health should come first.
3) Mull’s evidence supported her claim that Americans’ work can contribute to the spread of diseases, such as covid 19. She talks about how illness spreads when an employee comes to work sick. When a worker coughs, sneezes or blows their nose, which releases droplets that contain the virus to spread. I agree with Mull when she talks about the rapid spread of diseases and how they can spread at work.
4) Other spaces that may be vulnerable for those reasons are public spaces like churches or even transportation services. Yes, we should consider pandemics in the design of our everyday life. Sanitation and Disinfection protocols should be relevant in all social settings. Mull acknowledges that “in other places, employees bring their bug to work of their volition, brown-nosing at the expense of their coworker’s health.” There are many different locations that could be considered vulnerable for attracting the COVID 19 such as schools, churches, and even school buses. Every day we have to keep that little reminder in our heads that the world has evolved, and this is what we need to be adapting too. We had to consider proper sanitation and only be out in crowds at our own risk and keep it to a minimum.
5) According to the article, medical costs and bills deter people from going to a doctor when they get sick. The author of the article, Helaine Olen, suggests that the cost of healthcare in America puts us at a disadvantage, especially during a pandemic, similar to how Mull’s felt in her article. Amanda Mull thinks that everyone should feel protected with paid sick leave. The pieces are different because Olen’s article leans more towards the support of Medicare for all. The author Amanda Mull shows that she cares, not only for the money but for people to get proper care and make sure that they get sick pay while they are unable to work. On the other hand, Olen’s is more about insurance reasons and describes how one could go without and easily go back to work the next day because they simply just can’t afford it.
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It’s unbelievable just how the pandemic affected our lives in 2020. In 2020 when the pandemic was at an all-time high, some people worked through the pandemic and have not stopped because of the unfair sick leave required if a person is either sick or has to be quarantined. Also, I agree with what Amanda Hull writes in the article because I have been told the same thing and have one of the essential workers during the 2020 Pandemic. While working in 2020, I was an essential worker, and I was working at McDonald’s, and our owners were giving us the choice to leave or stay due to the pandemic. However, this soon would have been a better choice to go and collect unemployment because we would be working more and the pay was not even worth risking our lives each day we work from catching covid. The sad truth is we wouldn’t be allowed to have sick pay because we can only use 24 hours of sick hours per year, and that was all. Mull was very accurate and stated that people couldn’t afford to stay home and not work because we are losing more money if we don’t show up to work. This article was an absolute sad truth about how we cannot miss work in today’s society because we don’t get enough sick pay. Furthermore, these giant companies are so selfish that they are willing to pay their employees the same and put them at risk but not considering giving them sick pay or time off or being sick is unacceptable and the sad truth about today’s society. Finally, this article opened my eyes and that some people should be blessed that they do not have to go through times like this because they cannot afford to lose money, so they show up to work even if they are sick.
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