Study links paid sick leave to lower infection risk

Home service workers-those who provide care, inspections, or repairs inside private homes-can often lack paid sick leave, making illness a direct financial risk. New research from George Mason University College of Public Health suggests paid sick leave should be understood not only as an employee benefit, but as a preventive health intervention. 

In the study led by assistant nursing professor Suyoung Kwon, paid sick leave was linked to lower perceived infection risk, reduced job stress, and higher job satisfaction. During the early months of COVID-19, the research team surveyed more than 1,600 home service workers in South Korea, including home nurses, childcare workers, appliance repair technicians, and gas meter inspectors. 

Notably, workers reported that their highest level of stress was not after a confirmed diagnosis of COVID, but during the window when workers are deciding whether to show up sick or stay home. 

"Paid sick leave can function much like personal protective equipment or vaccination for workers in high-contact roles," said Kwon. "It reduces exposure before harm occurs." 

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 

Study findings 

• Workers with paid sick leave reported significantly lower perceived risk of COVID-19 exposure than those with unpaid leave or no leave at all. 

• Higher perceived risk of infection was associated with greater job stress, which in turn predicted lower job satisfaction. Paid sick leave interrupted that chain. 

• Workers with no access to sick leave experienced both direct and indirect drops in job satisfaction, suggesting compounded harms when workers lack any safety net. 

Why it matters 

Many home service workers enter multiple private homes each day. When paid sick leave is available only after a documented diagnosis (like a positive test for COVID-19), workers face a high-stakes choice during their most contagious period: lose income or risk exposing others. 

The researchers contend that paid sick leave should be treated as a preventive mechanism that allows workers to stay home when symptoms first appear-before diagnosis or transmission. As policymakers revisit pandemic lessons and prepare for future public health emergencies, this study suggests that expanding paid sick leave is not only a worker protection, but a population-level prevention strategy.