It's a fact of life. As humans, sometimes we get sick. Be it the flu, a stomach bug, a migraine or any other ailment, sometimes employees need to take time off work to visit a doctor and recuperate.
While a majority of employers across the nation offer paid sick leave as part of their benefits packages for full-time employees, some can't afford the option. It's a decision business owners make after weighing their costs to operate.
But President Obama wants to take that power away from business owners. He signed an executive order on Labor Day mandating federal contractors to provide sick leave benefits to employees. What's more, he's also calling on Congress to pass a nationwide paid sick leave law.
While Obama's desire is laudable - going to work sick can put coworkers and customers at risk and parents often have to choose between taking unpaid days off work or sending a sick child to school - paid sick leave policies should be something businesses decide, not the federal government.
According to a commentary in the Wall Street Journal, mandated sick leave benefits could be a detriment to employees and business alike.
A 2011 survey in San Fransisco by the left-leaning Women's Policy Research found that about one-third of workers experienced reductions in hours, bonuses, raises and benefits, or even layoffs, after the city mandated paid sick leave.
In Connecticut, meanwhile, a 2013 survey of affected businesses by the right-leaning Employment Policies Institute found that almost half reduced employee benefits, a quarter laid off workers or reduced pay, and about 20 percent raised prices.
Mandating paid sick leave will put too many struggling businesses in a bind. The company may cover the cost to offer the benefit by reducing other benefits, including pay, hiring fewer workers, or some may find the cost to stay in business too high, meaning all the company's jobs are lost.
Contrary to what the Obama administration seems to think, every business doesn't have an unending supply of revenue they can use to fund Obama's mandates, be it paid sick leave or Obamacare. That cost instead is often borne by workers and passed on to consumers.
While ill workers should have the time they need to care for themselves, the decision on why and how they take time off work should remain between employee and employer. The federal government should stay out of the way.