Why Employees Use Sick Leave

The Office of Personnel Management defines sick leave as “paid absence from duty”. An employee is entitled to use sick leave for personal medical needs, family care or bereavement, care of a family member with a serious health condition, or adoption-related purposes. There is no limitation on the amount of sick leave that can be accumulated. An employee should use sick leave whenever the employee is inhibited from performing their assigned duties due to any of the approved sick leave entitlement reasons. Failure to use appropriate sick leave leads to the spread of contagion, slower production, and leave abuse.

‘Presenteeism’ is a term used to define an ailing employee who goes to the workplace regardless of the employee’s current health condition. Employees with a contagious illness put their coworkers and customers at risk when the employee elects not to use sick leave. Not using sick leave leads to the acceleration of health problems at home and in the workplace. A sick employee may pass germs to coworkers who have infants or elderly relatives that have a compromised immune system due to chronic disease or a medical treatment.
Employees who chose not to use sick leave do not allow themselves enough time to recover; often leading to more severe illness and extended absences. Therefore, an employee who is feeling under the weather should make use of available sick leave and stay home to fully focus on recovery. Furthermore, the costs of hiring and training replacement workers can be a significant expense to