26 Feb Paid sick leave is good for business

by Marilyn Askin, AARP New Jersey Chief Legislative Advocate

I get really tired of the knee-jerk reactions of special interest groups against any new idea. But such is the state of our system of democracy today. What we need are solutions to problems that such organizations can accommodate—give a little.

Business organizations should support an earned, paid sick leave law because it is the right thing to do and it will be good for business.

Witness in a recent National Public Radio report, the owner of the Pond House Café in Hartford, CT (with fewer than 50 workers) has offered paid sick time for a decade. The owner noted that providing paid sick leave hasn’t been a large cost impact on his business and that it has helped with the retention rate of his employees. According to NPR, he noted that “his competitors don’t poach his employees as easily.” I’m sure he is not alone.

And of course sick workers make lousy workers. Sick workers spread disease. Perhaps business owners who oppose providing sick leave should have to pay a healthcare tax as an alternative because they are spreading sickness!

Marilyn Askin is the Chief Legislative Advocate for AARP New Jersey. She can be reached at  .

This story was first posted in February 2015.

This is a sponsored section. The advisors have paid a fee to post their commentary here. Their sponsorship doesn’t influence any editorial decisions we make at NJMoneyHelp.com, or give them more or less exposure in our stories. Their posting does not constitute an endorsement by NJMoneyHelp.com.