10 - Sunday, February 20, 1994 - Norih Shore News

INQUIRING REPORTER

LAST MONTH an Ontario government worker caused an
outrage when he received sick pay for staying at home and
nursing a hangover. What made people so angry was thal
he had planned to get drunk and took the day off in
advance of being sick. While opponents claimed that it was
uatiir that someone was paid for a self-induced sickne

the case raised some interesting questions. For starters,
how many sicknesses arent self-induced in some way or
anotier? What about peaple who don't eat healthy fouds

or get enough sleep — aren‘t they more susceptibte to
colds or the flu? And what about smokers — statisties
show that they fake more days off than non-smokers. Or
how about weekend outdoor enthusiasts — skiing or rock
climbing involves risks of injury (hat could possibly lead to
time off of work. That may be, buf a hangover is different.
Allowing workers to collect sick pay because they had too
much to drink the nipht before could make the employer
an enabler of a more serious sickness — alcoholism,

Should an employee receive sick pay if he or she has a hangover?

ek se

Jack Morton

Barry Pope

North Vancouver

No. Everyone should be
responsible to be at
work. 1 don’t think it's
very realistic to pay sick
pay lo someone who
has a hangover. That's
unions going a little too
far. a

Val Kwee

North Vancouver
Maybe we need a sys-
tem where we could

lake personal days off

instead of sick days, U
could apply to someone
with a hangover or to a
mother who takes the
day off because her

/aterie ‘PFomecek
North Vancouver

It depends. Hf you are
celebrating a speciil
event, like a wedding or
something. then yes.
But if you just want to
go and have a few
drinks a the end-of the
day, then (d say no.

Faiz Ansari

North Vancouver

No, f think it is every-
one’s responsibility to
come to work sober.

North Vancouver

No. because a hangover
is a self-inflicted injury.
I think anything you do
to yourself should not
be compensated for by
the employer.

child is sick.
SURVEY TEAM
The North Shore News survey team telephoned 445 North
and West Vancouver residents to find out whether you think — j. YES

an employee should receive sick pay for having a hangover.
The following is a compicte breakdown of survey results:

EMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN

NO NNO. DON’T

; OPINION KNOW
Horseshoe Bay 0% 91%  — 1% 2%
Dundarave/Ambleside 0% 889% 9% 3%
British Properties 0% 21% . 3% “6%
Norgate/Pemberton Heights » 3% + BIN “3% 1%
Capilano/Deibrook Highlands 1% 91% 3%. * 3%
Lower Lonsdale ; 3% 79% 10% 8%
Central and Upper Lonsdale 4% 85% 2% 9%

Lynn Valley 3% 85% 1% 5%
Blucridge/Deep Cove 5% 83% 6% 6%
TOTAL ... sesene 2.1% 86.7% 5.8% 5.4%

rs “
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(Day, Time, Place)

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