New evidence shows how paid sick leave alleviates stress, improves job satisfaction, and supports the resilience of frontline workers during infectious disease crises.

study: The impact of paid sick leave acquisition on home service workers’ perceived risk, job stress, and job satisfaction.. Image credit: eldar nurkovic / Shutterstock

In a recent study published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicineresearchers investigated how paid sick leave is accessed (PSL) were related to perceived risk, job stress, and job satisfaction among 1,643 Korean home service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used path analysis to show that workers on unpaid leave or no leave reported higher perceived risk, which was associated with increased job stress and indirectly decreased job satisfaction. This finding suggests that PSLs may serve as an important employment resource and support worker retention by promoting employer support and a sense of security.

Limited sick leave compensation in South Korea

Most developed countries have statutory sick leave requirements, but South Korea remains one of the few Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Countries that do not have national policies that cover the entire workforce. Legally mandated paid leave is often limited to public employees, private school teachers, or cases involving work-related injuries, and many private companies and gig workers rely on employer discretion.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these disparities, with home-based service workers, from repair technicians to child care workers, reportedly facing unique challenges. Home environments are less regulated than traditional workplaces, increasing uncertainty regarding exposure and protection. However, prior to this study, these concerns had not been systematically examined using empirical data.

Applying job demand and resource models

This study examines job demands and resources (JD-R) A model of South Korea’s home service workforce. The JD-R framework posits that job demands, such as infection risk, contribute to stress, while job resources, such as PSL, buffer these negative effects and support well-being.

Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in May 2020 in collaboration with the Korean Federation of Democratic Trade Unions, researchers examined nine home-based service occupations to understand how access to leave shaped workers’ psychological experiences during the early stages of the pandemic.

Research sample and leave classification

A total of 1,643 people, including home appliance engineers, gas inspectors, home health nurses, and childcare workers, participated in this survey, achieving a high response rate of 83%.

Participants were categorized into four groups based on their reported access to sick leave due to COVID-19 symptoms: paid leave, unpaid leave, no access to leave, and leave status unknown.

Main psychological outcomes measured

Three primary outcomes were assessed. Perceived risk was measured using a composite score ranging from 0 to 30 that captures fear of infection, anxiety, and perceived severity of infection. Job stress was assessed using a single-item self-report of work-related strain. Job satisfaction was measured by a single-item global rating of satisfaction with the current job.

Path analysis was used to examine both the direct effects of vacation taking and the indirect effects acting through perceived risk and job stress.

Psychological chain reaction of taking vacation

Only 25% of workers surveyed reported having access to paid sick leave. Almost half (46%) were only able to take unpaid leave. 12% had no access at all. Additionally, 16% were unsure of their leave status.

Compared to workers with PSL, workers with unpaid leave (β = 0.087, p = 0.012) and those without access to leave (β = 0.080, p = 0.006) reported significantly higher perceived risk. Increased perceived risk was strongly associated with increased job stress (β = 0.189, p < 0.001), which in turn was associated with decreased job satisfaction (β = −0.285, p < 0.001).

Direct and indirect effects on satisfaction

Workers who were unable to take leave (β = −0.060, p = 0.018) and those who lacked confidence in their leave policy (β = −0.057, p = 0.021) had a direct decrease in job satisfaction compared to workers with PSL. Unpaid leave did not have a statistically significant overall effect on job satisfaction compared to PSL, despite indirect effects through perceived risk and stress.

This group, whose vacation status was unknown, did not report higher risk perceptions, perhaps because they worked in areas with lower initial infection rates. Nevertheless, uncertainty is associated with lower job satisfaction, highlighting the importance of clear communication regarding job protection.

Overall, the JD-R model explains 36.1 percent of the variance in job satisfaction, indicating that leave policies significantly contribute to workers’ occupational well-being.

Implications for worker protection policies

The findings suggest that PSLs may reduce psychosocial strain by providing safety to workers before a diagnosis is confirmed, encouraging them to stay home if they have symptoms, and potentially reducing viral transmission. By removing the trade-off between health and income, PSL may also reduce stress during public health crises.

This study is limited by its cross-sectional design, which precludes causal inferences, and its focus on unionized workers, but it highlights the need for policy reform. Extending PSL coverage to gig workers, dependent self-employed workers, and small business employees could be critical to protecting the health of frontline workers during future health emergencies.