End of paid sick days in Ontario ‘wasted opportunity’

With recent news that the Ontario government is cancelling a temporary sick-leave program that was first implemented during COVID, some employers might want to rethink their own illness and time-off policies.

For some observers, the province’s decision is short-sighted.

“I feel like it’s a little bit of a wasted opportunity. A lot of people feel that paid sick days for staff is a valuable thing,” says Chris Lord, who is part of the HR team at Knifewear, a retail outlet in Ottawa.

“It’s disappointing to hear that they’re taking a step back. That program — in my experience using it — it was far from perfect but it was a step in the right direction.”

Offering employees 10 days off each year worked out well for one tech employer and sends a positive message to job candidates.

Temporary measure

The government launched a program in April 2021, in which workers in Ontario were provided with three paid sick days for COVID-19-related reasons. Those employees would be entitled to a maximum $200 per day of illness but it will expire at the end of March, according to various sources.

“I’m disappointed, disillusioned with this government. They had the perfect opportunity in their budget to be able to put forward permanent, paid sick days,” says Patty Coates, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) in Toronto.

“It’s important to have permanent, paid sick days for all workers in Ontario and now they don’t have access to any paid sick days at all, especially those that are in precarious work environments.”

A recent study showed that having access to paid leave was a matter of life and death.

While larger employers may be able to weather having workers take time off, for smaller companies, this new regime will have an even greater effect, says Coates.

“If I was a small business, as an entrepreneur, I think I’d be really upset as well because a lot of those had to bear the brunt of the government closing down establishments, businesses, and there’s been no real help. There’s been a little bit here and there but rent has gone up for businesses, cost of living has gone up, and [it would be good] to keep the three temporary days for the next year or two until these small businesses could get back on to a good footing following COVID.”

VP of people calls for permanent program

While it may save money for employers who don’t have to pay people not to work, there are more than just costs to consider, says another HR leader.

“I do believe people shouldn’t work sick: it’s not good for the employee and it’s also not good for the business. It would be great to see Ontario implement a more permanent, paid sick-day program or support for employees who need it,” says Stephanie Clarkson, vice-president of people at Intelliware Development in Toronto.

By allowing employees to take time off when ill, there are some real and tangible benefits that accrue to the employer, according to Clarkson.

“The ironic one is it works out to less absenteeism overall because people have faster recovery times at home; they’re not coming in and spreading germs to their whole team so it does work out to less absenteeism, and then the other one was just less presenteeism.”

As well, when workers fight through feeling poorly and show up at the office, this might backfire.

“People could come in when they’re sick but their productivity and effectiveness is going to be negatively affected and that recovery time is going to be extended. It’s not just that one-off day, it can be a longer duration, that’s where productivity takes a hit,” she says.

Best practices for HR

For HR departments looking to institute or boost the organization’s sick-leave program, there are a few things to keep in mind, such as “making sure to offer paid sick days to everyone company-wide, so not role- or level-based,” says Clarkson.

As well, let employees know that if they need to take a mental-health day, it’s available, she says.

At Knifewear, simplicity is key for Lord.

“We just call them personal days: if you need it because you’re sick, you can have it. If you need it because you just need a day, you can have it — and it hasn’t been a huge process. We’ve worked it into our payroll system that on Jan. 1, everybody turns up, and they all get their five [days].”

“I don’t think it needs to be complicated. It’s just a matter of, in whatever bookkeeping practices you have, keep track of it and don’t worry,” he says.

When employers have a robust sick-leave program, it sends a strong message to the workforce, says Lord.

“It allows you to show them that that they’re humans and that different people have different needs at different times and if they just have a paid sick day available to them or they just take personal time, it shows them that it’s okay to take care of yourself and we’re all better off if you do.”

For federally regulated workers, 10 sick days every year recently became a reality.

Abuse not a concern, say HR leaders

And employers shouldn’t worry about the days being abused, says Lord.

“If you’ve got a staff member who’s going to abuse the sick-day policy, you’re probably already aware of it; there’s probably other red flags and, if anything, we’ve got such a dedicated group of people [that] they need those reminders to be: ‘Actually, you have this available to you, why don’t you just take the day off if you’re not feeling great?’” says Lord.

Keeping track of who takes what time off is also a best practice to keep in mind, says Clarkson.

“In cases where somebody has higher numbers of sick days than normal, that would require a conversation to check in. At Intelliware, we do have an open and honest culture so people can share if there’s issues that could impact their attendance or work.”

“Generally, I’ve found people proactively reach out like in these situations, so sharing what’s going on and what they might need from us,” she says.