Philadelphia City Council should pass the Promoting Healthy Workplaces and Families bill

WHAT'S the greatest asset to employers in this (or any) economic climate?

The answer doesn't involve the latest technology, best ad budget or even its product. The answer is much simpler: The greatest asset that employers have is their workforce.

Savvy employers know their workers are the lifeblood of their business and do their best to provide a safe, healthy working environment that maximizes productivity - and that should include the opportunity to earn paid sick days so an employee can take care of himself or a family member when they get sick. But 40 percent of workers in Philadelphia don't have the ability to earn sick days, forcing them to go to work sick, send their children to school sick or forgo a day's pay or potentially lose their job for taking a day off.

But City Council has an opportunity to pass legislation that will increase workplace productivity, worker health, and business stability and economic security. It would provide a minimum number of paid sick days to the 200,000 workers who don't have access to any paid leave.

Research shows that employers who offer paid sick days have higher productivity and employee loyalty. These employers also avoid costly searches and training to replace workers who leave or are fired for using sick time. According to Vicky Lovell (in Everyone Gets Sick, Not Everyone Has Time to Get Better, published by the National Partnership for Women and Families), by implementing a paid sick-days policy, employers save $3.50 more per employee-hour than what they spend. There is also a decrease in health-care costs as workers receive preventive care instead of relying on the emergency room.

Access to earned sick days is also critical to public health. When an ill employee is forced to choose between staying home and paying the bills, we are all at risk. Public-health expert Dr. James Plumb told Council that 40 percent of workers contract the flu from a co-worker and that of the 18 million stomach-flu infections nationally, half come from ill food-service workers.