Pay protection during temporary absences from work: what we know and what we don't know

Employer-provided sick leave plans generally provide pay protection to ill or injured workers. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that other benefits also may be used to protect workers from loss of income. This article explores the range of benefits available for pay protection and looks at how certain unique plans are treated in the BLS statistics. Further, the article examines the uses of sick leave and other pay protection plans, especially for family leave issues. What is known about various pay protection benefits is identified, as is a series of unknowns: issues related to pay protection that aren't currently identified in BLS surveys.