The role of paid sick leave benefits on employees and public health

Abstract

There is growing momentum toward mandating paid sick leave benefits in countries without comprehensive social insurance programs. The goal of these mandates is to protect public health and provide employees with ways to manage health and caregiving responsibilities. In an effort to inform the discussion this article reviews all the scholarly evidence on the role of paid sick leave benefits on employees and family health and public health concerns. A systemic review of the literature was conducted identifying 29 relevant articles. The research falls into four broad domains: impact on employment, work/family conflict, public health and worker health. It is clear more research is needed to evaluate the impact of paid sick leave as policy makers and employers contemplate expanding access to this employee health benefit.