Employers should be revisiting and rethinking their sick leave policies, experts say.
“Traditional employer paid-sick -leave policies are likely to have holes when it comes to continuing income for coronavirus-related absences,” Fuerstenberg says. “First of all, for employees who are expected to use accrued sick or vacation, that may not be adequate based on how long they will be out and how much time they have accrued.”
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Meanwhile, the CDC advises employers to “ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies.”
Several employers have expanded paid leave benefits to more employees; others rolled out specific COVID-19 policies. Amazon, DoorDash, Instacart and Lowe’s, for instance, said they would provide up to 14 paid days off to any employee quarantined or diagnosed with the coronavirus.
