“I get to cash out my sick pay next week!” Even though this hypothetical coworker is an annoying boaster, he/she probably made you stop and think.
Don’t you wish the above were true? You do if you’re one who eats well, reduces stress, exercises because if you do these it is likely that you rarely if ever get sick. At the time of this writing, I don’t know of employers that do this, but I’m sure a few exist. There certainly should be rewards for those of us who rarely need to use sick days due to our healthy lifestyle. That is one of my gripes during my time working trading hours for dollars, or hours for ten dollar bills to be more exact ha ha. Those few who rarely if ever called in sick due to their healthy and low risk lifestyle are given no rewards. There are no incentives. The one-size-fits all approach, which is all too prevalent is used. They are merely treated like everyone else.
There should be incentives up the wazoo on every level for those who VOLUNTARILY live a low risk, healthy lifestyle. Employees should be able to cash out their sick pay; of course they should! What’s more there is little reprimand (except the lovely guilt trip and interrogation from your supervisor) for those who call in sick frequently.
Yet, those who never use sick pay are scarcely noticed! Instead, they should be applauded and recognized. Others should be thankful for the healthy lifestyle that some voluntarily integrate into their lives; it saves money, work pressure and gives others a break.
I understand that nearly everyone gets sick from time to time and it’s a good thing we live in a modern world and in a (at least semi) forward-thinking country, where accumulated sick pay exists for when it is needed. But there should be incentives and rewards for those who rarely need it because they do the right things in taking care of themselves (diet, sleep, exercise and stress reduction). This is one area that I hope for the beginnings of change in the right direction toward a healthier nation and world. I was glad to see that minimum wage was recently raised. That was long overdue.
Food for thought for ye.
Related writings:
O