All play and no work
Zachary Faria
Tired of working? Want to not work and get paid? Illinois has the plan for you.
The state is poised to join Nevada and Maine offering paid time off for any reason. We are not talking about paid parental leave or paid sick days. They aren’t even really paid vacation days. They are paid anything days, allowing you to take time off work for any reason or no reason at all and get paid for it.
Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
Illinois decided to take its measure much farther than Nevada or Maine dared to do. It would mandate companies to give workers these free days, regardless of the size of their business. That means small businesses, already wrestling with the effects of inflation for the last two years, will be on the hook for these free ditch days. During the pandemic, 35% of Illinois small businesses shut down, the seventh-highest mark of any state.
The result will be great for workers who are employed by big businesses, though perhaps less so for those employed by small businesses that are barely treading water as is. Then again, workers would have as many days off as they want if those businesses went under. You must always find the silver lining.