The story of the ‘great Australian sickie’ made it around the world this week, spreading the fallacy that half a million Aussies faked sore throats and tummy bugs to get a long weekend.
Direct Health Solutions – apparently a ‘leader in Positive Absence Management and Corporate Wellness Solutions’ (what the?) – was given a massive free kick with their Australia Day absenteeism ‘estimate’.
Then the Retailers Associations’ Scott Driscoll really got the headlines pumping, labelling the sickie-takers ‘unAustralian bums’.
Reports disregarded the fact most employees taking the day off did so by using legitimately earned annual leave, during what’s a traditionally quiet time of year in many industries. Many employers are happy for employees to use up as much annual leave as they can over January.
Sick leave is an established and important right in Australia.
But for many working Australians, it’s getting harder and harder – in some cases nigh impossible – to access a day of paid leave when they’re sick.
For a start, fewer of us have the permanent, secure jobs that offer leave entitlements. The biggest growth in jobs in the last 15 years is in casual and otherwise insecure arrangements.
And while we all hate that sweaty, coughing guy spreading the viral love on the morning bus – there’s a good chance he’s a casual and needs the day’s work.
Australia Post, where most of my members work, traditionally offered secure, full-time jobs. But mail is now increasingly delivered by casuals and contractors. You don’t turn up for whatever reason – including illness or injury – you don’t get paid.
We’re also witnessing the growth of new industries that offer to save corporations big bucks through reducing absentee rates.
Direct Health Solutions is a case in point, offering its customers a 10% absentee reduction rate or your money back.
Similarly InjuryNet, a network of company doctors that contracts to big employers including Australia Post, guarantees a reduction of ‘Lost Time Injuries’ to cut workers comp costs.
Our experience is that the quest for Lost Time Injuries hasn’t been driven by a workplace safety approach – rather a system that gives incentives to managers and company-paid doctors not to allow time off work for recuperation; and places almost unbearable pressure on sick and injured workers not to stay on the job.
These are some of the things Australia Post workers have experienced when they’ve tried to take time off work for illness or work-related injury.
• sent back to work by company doctors, even with broken limbs
• told they won’t be paid workers compensation if they don’t see a company doctor
• been made to sit in a room alone with no work to do
• suffered verbal abuse
• had their pay docked for injury-related absence, even when time off was recommended by their GP.
The ‘injury management’ system in Australia Post is currently the subject of a Senate Inquiry.
While we like to share a joke about ‘chucking a sickie’ – Aussies aren’t the work-dodging slackers we’re made out to be.
It suits businesses like Direct Health Solutions to present us as a nation of bludgers waiting to be whipped into shape – but with average absenteeism at about 8 days a year we’re in line with some countries and well below others.
I’m not suggesting we all start calling in with our best croaky voices. Sick leave is for sick people.
But I am saying sick and injured workers deserve a fair go and should be able to take the sick day they’re entitled to without being harassed, abused, drowned with excessive paperwork or having their pay docked. Any employer who does it is an unAustralian bum.
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