By Mikayla van Loon
The onset of the pandemic really changed the way people viewed going to work sick, something that has been reflected in a new State government pilot program to pay casual workers sick leave.
While the Australian-first initiative has received some backlash about spending taxpayer money on giving casual staff five days of paid sick leave per year, some business owners have welcomed the announcement.
Freelance Futsal owner Nomes Langham, who runs futsal training out of the Pro Futsal Mount Evelyn centre, said she thinks the benefits of the program are twofold.
“It’s not just the workers who benefit, I think it’s the companies who benefit because I have some great staff but I can’t afford to have them on full time or even permanent part time for that matter,” she said.
“At the same time, I can’t afford to have them come into the facility when they’re sick because we work with kids, so we can’t afford that either to be fair.”
Although the industries included so far only extend to hospitality, retail and other food handling businesses, Ms Langham said she hopes if the pilot program is successful it will be offered to all casual workers.
“[Workers] can have a little bit more stability in knowing that, ‘if I’m unwell, I can stay home, I know that I can afford to pay my rent or whatever I’ve got to do for the week’ and still have a job to go to,” she said.
“We have to take care of the people who are taking care of us, essentially, which is our staff. We can’t function without them, we have to take care of them.”
Ms Langham said the pandemic changed the attitude of people who when they were sick would continue to push through and go to work.
“We’ve all been expected at different times in our lives and our careers to just get on with it and told ‘you’ll be right’.
“I think our mindset really has changed and if you’re unwell just stay home. Stay home and here’s a little bit to get you through.
“And now I even say to my clients and it’s a weekly thing, if your child is unwell, if you are unwell, do not send them.”
Getting back to rebuilding her futsal programs and staffing after the lockdowns, Ms Langham said it was an extremely challenging time for her casual staff, some of whom decided to move interstate to find work because the business wasn’t making any money to pay them here.
“They’re still just a huge part of our what we call our business family,” she said.
“We’ve got new staff since we’ve been able to open again and we generally put on people who are local, kids who come to our program, are local to the area and can continue to build the relationships and the programs of the people we’re trying to support.”
Looking after her staff in every aspect of their life is something Ms Langham really prides herself on and said the ability to ensure people could take sick leave without missing pay would be a relief.
“We all like to think that the worst of Covid is over but my degree in medicine tells me that we’re not there yet.
“It’s a flow on effect, even if it is just a runny nose, your runny nose could be Covid and that affects my business, the next guy’s business, the guy after that’s business, everyone’s family, all those kids now at home, those parents can’t go to work.
“I hope that it will come across the board and we will be able to see in every industry that our casual workers can be taken care of in that way, otherwise, they are just going to keep coming to work sick and then we’re no better off.”
