Mandatory Sick Leave in Ohio?

Does your company offer sick leave? If you have employees in Ohio, you may soon not have a choice. In November, a new sick-leave mandate is expected to be on the ballot. This bill would require businesses with 25 or more workers to provide an annual sick leave of seven days for employees working 30 or more hours a week.

Many businesses are spending millions fighting this legislation claiming it will increase business costs and create a greater burden on employees. But will it really?

On the one hand, you do have the extra burden of keeping track of employees, along with individuals who tend to take advantage and use the sick time as vacation time. On the other hand, many studies have shown that employees who don’t receive sick time or are discouraged from using it will show up at work sick, rather than lose pay or risk getting fired. This leads to decreased productivity, not just from the sick individual, but from others who may get sick as a result of being exposed to the sick individual. So then where are the savings?