"Whereas: More than 26 million people working in the private sector have no access to earned sick time, or “paid sick leave” (PSL),
for short-term health needs and preventive care.1
Those most unlikely to have access to paid sick days include Black, Indigenous,
and people of color (BIPOC), part-time, immigrant, retail, and other service- industry workers. In fact, 48% of Latinx workers and
36% of Black workers report having no paid time away from work of any kind.2
As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, PSL is a crucial contributor to public health, allowing workers exposed to illness to
quarantine. State PSL mandates have been shown to reduce the rate at which employees report to work ill in low-wage industries
where employers don’t tend to provide PSL, lowering disease and overall absence rates.3
For a major retailer like TJX focused on physical stores (versus ecommerce), a lack of PSL could pose significant reputational and
economic risks as TJX competes for employees in a tight labor market and for customers seeking a safe shopping experience. The
productivity loss caused by sick employees being forced to work due to lack of PSL - otherwise known as “presenteeism” - can
have immediate and chronic consequences estimated to cost the national economy $160 billion annually. This issue can be
reduced by paid sick days.4
Also, given that BIPOC workers are disproportionately affected by the lack of PSL, not offering employees a consistent and
comprehensive PSL policy could pose reputational risks to TJX by conflicting with the company’s strong commitment to workplace
inclusion and “policies and practices that reflect our philosophy of inclusion”.5
TJX could benefit from all its employees having permanent access to PSL. PSL increases productivity6
and reduces turnover,
which reduces costs associated with hiring.7
This is particularly important in today’s tight labor market and for lower-wage industries
like retail where turnover is highest. Proactively establishing PSL for employees would help prepare TJX for potential regulation. 38
jurisdictions, including 14 states, have adopted PSL laws since 2006.8
Adopting a comprehensive, permanent, and public PSL policy would help make the future operating environment more equitable
and mitigate reputational, financial, and regulatory risk to TJX"