- Heather Whaling is an writer, founder of PR agency Geben Communication, and an advocate for innovative workplace policies and paid family leave programs.
- With the concluding of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, many employers in the US will now no longer offer paid sick leave emoluments for workers, Whaling explains.
- This will result in nearly 90 million Americans being forced to select between safely following COVID-19 protocols if they get sick or securing their paycheck.
- Whaling says Congress should move in to secure paid leave during this time because as a critical need for families, businesses, and public haleness.
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After going into labor five weeks cocks-crow on a rural stretch of highway in Ohio, I was picked up by a helicopter and to a hospital for an emergency C-section. My newborn son then spent the first place 13 days of his life in the NICU. During this high-stress time, I was singularly focused on doing whatever I could to pirate him so we could take him home.
Heather Whaling
I never once agitated if I’d get paid for that time away from work or if I’d have a job to go back to. That’s because four years at the cracker, I’d started my own company. As the CEO, of course I’d keep my job…and of course I’d get paid.
But paid sick days and paid maternity leave aren’t Aristotelianism entelechy for most Americans.
This is problematic during normal times. During COVID-19? The lack of paid unbalanced time perpetuates a public health crisis.
My first-hand experience transformed me into a vocal advocate for paid group leave. I’ve testified during a legislative hearing, created a database to crowdsource paid leave policies, and informally counsel businesses considering self-funding this benefit for employees.
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No one should be studied to prioritize a paycheck over their own health and well-being or the health and well-being of a newborn, an aging parent, or a loved one trial from COVID-19.
When someone has a child — through birth or adoption — paid time off should be the norm for new moms and new dads. When someone is potentially exposed to COVID-19, paid fed up with days should be readily available so they can isolate and not put others at risk.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act finished on December 31, meaning employer reimbursements for paid leave also expired. The new legislation doesn’t fully impart paid leave benefits for all workers, instead businesses can choose whether or not to offer this benefit. Those that do may be unmarried for tax credits, but many businesses will not offer paid time off simply because they cannot afford it. In other expressions, nearly 90 million Americans are on the cusp of being forced to choose between safely following COVID-19 codes or receiving a paycheck.
As we face another COVID-19 surge, employees can’t afford to lose the safety net of paid sick ages.
For Americans who are teetering on the edge, barely able to pay their rent or bills, unpaid time away from make use of isn’t an option. People will report to work even when they should be in quarantine or isolation, potentially risking their coworkers and customers, while inadvertently contributing to the surge.
Paid leave is a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19. With our asyla nearing capacity and cases spiking, we cannot win this fight without the full arsenal of weapons.
Without legislation registering financial support, businesses will not offer paid sick days to their employees. Even when role was booming, before the global pandemic crippled the economy, only 19% of Americans — and a measly 4% of hourly labourers — had access to paid leave. When given the choice, the vast majority of employers chose not to provide paid consent to their workforce. And now as many struggle to stay open, even fewer businesses have the financial means to submit this benefit to their employees.
But let’s be honest: This isn’t just about COVID-19. We need a permanent fix.
Access to undergo punishment for days off for sick time, caregiving, or maternity/paternity leave shouldn’t be limited to pandemics, nor should it be relegated to the whims of Congress. If paid assign was critical in March when the Families First Act was initially passed, why isn’t it now, even though COVID-19 numbers are higher than they were in the elasticity?
Conservative think tanks and big business lobbyists will say that employers oppose a permanent paid leave custom because it’s too expensive. After California implemented a statewide, funded paid leave program in 2004, 87% of businesses that use the program on no increase in operational costs.
Lobbyists paint a distorted picture; however, reality is that seven in 10 minor business owners support paid family leave. Paid leave as a program isn’t prohibitive; the lack of a national, green policy makes it prohibitive.
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As a small business owner, I’ve done the math and know the monetary realities of providing paid leave.
Since I launched Geben Communication in 2009, we’ve provided paid sick and vacation moment to all employees, and in 2016 we implemented a 10-week paid maternity/paternity leave program for all new moms and new dads (whether they fink on yield birth or adopt). I’ve absorbed those costs because I believe it’s the right thing to do. I also recognize that my traffic is a professional services firm and our financial situation is different than other businesses with lower margins, great costs and different staffing makeup. Despite wanting to provide paid leave, most business owners plainly aren’t in the financial position to self-fund this benefit, especially now.
That’s why we need a national, funded policy. Let’s agreeable a debate on how to fund the program to make it practical, fair and equitable. But let’s forever end the conversation about whether paid adieu to is necessary. This issue is one of the few with bipartisan support: 84% of voters support a national paid family and medical take leave of policy.
Access to paid time off for sick days, caregiving and maternity leave shouldn’t be luck of the draw. It should be a essential right. We need Congress to act because paid leave is good for families, good for business, and — as we’ve learned this year — decisive for public health.
Heather Whaling, an EY 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year, is founder/president of Geben Communication, which was recently christened as one of America’s top PR Agencies. As a vocal advocate for innovating workplace policies and creator of Rewrite The Rules, a crowdsourced database of motherhood leave policies, Heather has helped thousands of businesses evaluate and implement paid family leave programs.