3 Paid Days

You get sick. Or your kid gets sick. You come into work anyways. It's no choice, really, you can't afford to give up a day's wages (and most or all of your overtime, if you did any), not to mention the unexcused absence it would be marked as by your boss.


Imagine you have excellent job security. As a toy example, think of a hospital with only one doctor. As that doctor, you're desperately needed at all times, and can never take a vacation. You'll also never be fired.

Alternatively, imagine that you have all the time off you want. That just means they don't need you, and can fire you at any time. Try to sleep at night with that thought.


Imagine there's a middle, somewhere. A tiny, token amount of slack in the noose. Enough to slip out, but only after dangling for long enough that the executioner was already satisfied. 3 paid days off. Per year. Just barely enough to deal with your sick kid or sick self or a funeral or a weekend trip (plus one day) to somewhere five hours outside of town.

There's funny psychological properties in regards to the difference between very small numbers, and zero. Comparing 28 days off to zero is difficult. Comparing 28 days to 3 is easy. It's a foot in the door. But it's also a door in the face, to the people who (like the labor standard board or what have you) say 'there is no obligation to pay for time not worked.'


3 days is nothing. But it's simultaniously everything.

horror

This was a warning I got for missing work.