The Wall Street Journal

Bosses have a problem: staff are using their sick leave

Bosses have a problem: staff are using their sick leave
(Image: Rachel Mendelson/The Wall Street Journal, iStock)
The Wall Street Journal
By Te-Ping ChenThe bar for taking a sick day is getting lower, and some bosses say that’s a problem.US workers have long viewed an unwillingness to take sick days as a badge of honor. That’s a laurel workers care much less about these days. The number of sick days Americans take annually has soared since the pandemic, employee payroll data shows. Covid-19 and a rise in illnesses such as RSV, which can require days away from work, are one reason.Managers and human-resources executives also attribute the jump to a bigger shift in...

More Work

How sick days cost the economy $4.17 billion
Work

How sick days cost the economy $4.17 billion

Staff turnover has hit its lowest level in the latest Southern Cross Healthcare survey. 

From Invercargill to Airbus headquarters in France
The Life My Expat Life

From Invercargill to Airbus headquarters in France

How a Kiwi engineer landed a plum role and launched a global network for young leaders.

Cécile Meier 02 Nov 2025
CEOs furious about employees texting in meetings
Work

CEOs furious about employees texting in meetings

Some upset bosses withhold Wi-Fi passwords. Others are pondering “swear jar” penalties.

Freightways couriers park up over ‘unsafe’ practices
Law & Regulation

Freightways couriers park up over ‘unsafe’ practices

“I've cried in the van,” a courier tells the gathering of protesting drivers.

Maria Slade 28 Oct 2025