2020年经济学人 巴托比职场专栏--重新思考如何对待生病的员工(2)（在线收听）

The problem may be that sick-pay rules are too strict for employees, not too generous. Given the need to pay the rent, many low-paid workers may feel they have to work unless they are so sick as to be physically incapable of leaving the house. But things may be changing. In America the Democrats have long proposed statutory sick leave. President Donald Trump now talks of emergency relief for sick workers.

问题可能是病假工资规定对员工来说太严格了，并不太慷慨。考虑到付房租的需要，许多低收入的工人可能觉得他们必须工作，除非病得很重，出不了屋。但情况可能正在改变。在美国，民主党人早就提议法定病假。唐纳德·特朗普总统现在谈到了对生病工人的紧急救济。

British policy has also shifted. Statutory sick pay will now be payable on the first day of absence, rather than the fourth. In its budget on March 11th the government removed a minimum income requirement that kept many part-time workers from qualifying for sick pay. It will also allow workers to get a sick note online rather than travel to a clinic and risk infecting other patients. Further change may still be needed. The statutory weekly rate, at ￡94.25 ($123), is less than 20% of average earnings, and may tempt more workers to turn up when feeling iffy.

英国的政策也发生了变化。法定病假工资将在缺勤的第一天支付，而不是第四天。在3月11日的预算中，政府取消了一项最低收入要求，这项要求使许多兼职工人没有资格获得病假工资。它还将允许员工在网上获得病假条，而不是去诊所，冒着感染其他病人的风险。可能还需要进一步的改变。每周的法定工资为94.25英镑（123美元），不到平均收入的20%，这可能会吸引更多的员工在感到不确定的时候来上班。

At some stage in their careers most people will have turned up to work when they were feeling under the weather, be it because of a looming deadline or for fear of displeasing their boss. The health of fellow citizens, whether at work or on public transport, tends to be treated as collateral damage.

在职业生涯的某个阶段，大多数人都是在感觉不舒服的时候去上班的，可能是因为临近的最后期限，也可能是担心会让老板不高兴。同胞们的健康，无论是在工作中还是在公共交通上，往往被视为附带损害。

In a world where global travel is common and easy, and diseases have the scope to spread quickly, social norms may therefore need to change. That means not just washing hands, or indeed forgoing the handshake as a greeting. It could also require a shift in attitudes towards workers who turn up while sick and potentially infectious, from plaudits for their diligence to scorn for their lack of consideration.

在一个全球旅行普遍且容易的世界里，疾病有可能迅速传播，因此社会规范可能需要改变。这意味着不仅仅是洗手，或者实际上放弃握手作为一种问候。它还可能需要改变对那些在生病和可能有传染性的时候出现的员工的态度，从对他们勤奋的赞扬到对他们缺乏考虑的轻蔑。

Countering pandemics requires all sorts of public action, from forging new social norms to devising vaccines that authorities have the duty to supply. Ensuring that workers do not have a financial incentive to spread disease is another example. That requires governments to guarantee a decent level of sick pay, and rules on sick leave that do not punish responsible citizens.

抗击流行病需要各种各样的公共行动，从建立新的社会规范到设计政府有责任提供的疫苗。另一个例子是确保工人没有传播疾病的经济动机。这就要求政府保证合理的病假工资水平，并制定不惩罚负责任的公民的病假规定。