Why Restaurant Employees Should Be Allowed Sick Leave

Many of us have had the feeling where we start to feel a bit of a bug coming one evening before a shift at work. We might gobble some fruit or gulp down some juice to try and ward off the impending illness, but nevertheless, we wake up the next morning sick. Normally, we can stick it out and get through a day or two with a head cold, but sometimes we’re so sick and virtually incapacitated that our ability to be even remotely productive at work is compromised along with our immune system; sometimes we feel that we really can’t make it.

Still, financial and vocational pressures yank us out of bed and make us get ready for a miserable day at our jobs. We might think, “I really need the money today,” or, “My boss will surely think that I’m faking it”, and we decide to neglect a healthy recovery in exchange for our daily wage. These are the complaints of many workers today, and with flu season just barely behind us there are probably some less-than-healthy employees inhabiting the places that we regularly come into contact with. In particular, restaurants offer some of the most inflexible schedules for their employees since the absence of one employee could impact the entire restaurant’s productivity and success for the night. Because of this, managerial staffs impose heavy pressures on employees to attend a shift regardless of their workers’ health conditions. Obviously, this poses risks to not only other employees, but to paying customers, as well. Let’s imagine how one worker’s presence could affect a dining establishment on a typical day:

One day a server manages to make it to work, despite having contracted what he or she believes to be the flu. They would like to stay home and recover, but rent is due in just a few days and their manager notoriously feigns compassion toward illness among his employees. The server shows up to work and clocks in on an available computer at the hostess’ stand – without having had time to wash his hands on the way to work, he transmits traces of the virus onto the screen that all subsequently arriving employees will use as they arrive at and leave the restaurant. He then moves to the back of the house, where all the food in the entire restaurant is prepared. He manages to use small dollops of hand sanitizer as often as possible to avoid contaminating the food, but an accidental wipe of the face or scratch of the nose potentially introduces bacteria or a virus to his fingers, which still manage to probe the outside of each dish that he serves.

As he arrives at each table he attempts to appear gregarious and charming, despite his noticeable weakness and fatigue. Every time he speaks loudly or musters a laugh around the customers his mouth ejects undetectable saliva that carries the sickness, along with traces of his bile (if he has been vomiting) into the air that surrounds each customer. One table claims it is finished, the meal was to its liking, and that it would like the final check as soon as possible. The server makes his way toward another register – maybe the one he clocked in on, maybe not – and submits the information to print the table’s check, poking the touch screen used by all the other servers in his area with his potentially unclean fingers. He hastily returns to the table, reveals his waiter’s twofold with the check slid discreetly inside, politely sets it on the table and warmly assures them that “there’s no rush” to pay. The customers reach for the twofold that has been sitting in the pocket of the server’s apron all day, and which has likely been marinating in air of his apartment.

A few hours in and the server is having difficulty making it through the shift with his persistent nausea. He makes frequent trips to the restroom to splash water on his face, wash his hands, and take a break from the agony of waiting tables while ill. His movements are more sluggish, and the contrived charm that he managed for the tables at the beginning of his shift fades into a sunken despair – he knows that there are a few hours left to go.

Attribution: Velovotee

Management begins to notice that the server isn’t his normal self, and that his productivity is waning as the shift goes on. The manager fears that there will be complaints and that the customers’ discontent will prevent things from running smoothly. He considers sending the visibly ill server home, but that means that his entire section will be in need of a competent employee, and, considering that it’s a weekend dinner shift, the current wait staff can’t afford to take on any extra tables. The manager tries to decide who would be able to come in on such short notice to replace the worker and even calls a few of his servers: “I’m busy tonight”, “I’m working at my other job”, “I’m feeling sick”. Sure you are.

The server’s shift finally ends as he rings up the final table for the night. In pain from the illness, but somewhat cheerful that the day is over, he informs an available manager that he needs to leave quickly so he can to get started on his recovery as soon as possible. Although the server would be forgoing his typical end-of-shift duties with an early release, the manager agrees, and suggests that he go check the schedule for his next shift. The server has already removed his apron as he moves briskly toward the hostess’ desk—he takes a quick glance at the laminated schedule just beside the telephone, scans the calendar, and despairs as he discovers that he works the next day: opening shift.
This is what far too many employees have to experience whenever they fall ill with some kind of—often serious—disease. You can see that not only is it severely unpleasant for the employee, but customers, other employees, food, and productivity are all at risk whenever this person is required to appear at work despite his or her condition. It’s a business’ responsibility to enforce measures aimed at eliminating the possibility of disease spreading from employees to customers, especially at service establishments.


Since restaurant jobs are typically paid hourly, employees must forfeit a day’s wage if they intend on improving their condition. Many are proposing that even these types of jobs should offer sick leave to their employees; when employees can expect at least some kind of compensation (a server’s hourly wage is usually only around three dollars an hour since they receive tips) they will be less likely to attend work, therefore eliminating the possibility of spreading of their illness. Others are suggesting that managerial staffs be required to reform their policies regarding sick leave or sick days to accommodate the people who are truly ill. Understandably, employees could begin to take advantage of this new leniency on attendance, but employers need to decide whether indiscriminately requiring attendance is worth jeopardizing the health of the rest of their staff, and paying customers.