With limited paid sick leaves, can employees afford to self-quarantine?

As health experts urge people to maintain social distancing, it remains to be seen how effectively Canadians can best practice this in the workplace.

As far as federal legislation goes, there is no law in place that “requires employers to provide workers with paid sick leave and only two provinces — Quebec and Prince Edward Island — offer paid sick leave,” National Post reports.

“These are tight times for the cannabis industry, but our people are our most important assets,” says Dan Sutton, CEO of B.C.-based cannabis cultivation company Tantalus Labs. The company is a frontrunner in the cannabis space in terms of implementing a policy to respond to a potential outbreak at work.

Additionally, there are benefits packages for salaried employees and the company is prepared to offer extended sick days. “If an hourly employee faces financial difficulties arising from a two-week absence from work, we are ready to have that conversation,” says Sutton. As for paid sick leave, “we intend to discuss that on a case-by-case basis as our team comprises only 43 people with over 70 per cent on salary that would entitle them to paid leave.”

Retail stores double up precautionary measures

Customer-facing roles are at greater risk, urging management to take additional precautions.

Apart from getting paid sick leaves, employees at Superette, an award-winning retail chain, can count on additional resources should a situation of self-quarantine arise, says Lauren Davie, vice president of retail and sales. [Read More @ The GrowthOp]