Objective: To profile the sick leave landscape in the United States.
Data sources: The 2011 Leave Supplement of the American Time Use Survey.
Study design: Bivariate and multivariate analyses to identify (i) employees without sick pay coverage and (ii) employees who attend work sick.
Principal findings: Sixty-five percent of full-time employees have sick pay coverage. Coverage rates are below 20 percent for employees with hourly wages below $10, part-time employees, and employees in the hospitality and leisure industry.
Conclusion: Each week, up to 3 million U.S. employees go to work sick. Females, low-income earners, and those aged 25 to 34 years have a significantly elevated risk of presenteeism behavior.
Keywords: Paid sick leave; U.S. sick leave landscape; low-income worker; medical leave; presenteeism; sick pay.
© Health Research and Educational Trust.