GOQ: It’s not just about affording a babysitter.
She may not have a babysitter she’s comfortable with at all; her child, if older will likely not want one & her babysitter may not want a sick child either, especially if she has other children in her care.
Under NYC’s new sick leave laws, the employer may need to pick up the tab for missed work if she chooses to stay home to take care of her sick child (it’s a numbers game, hence the MAY).
Question is, how well would your old workplace have run if mothers were constantly taking sick leave? How would the employer react? It’s all about balancing responsibilities and very often there are no easy answers.
That said, no sane mother will take a very sick or contagious child to work with her; and sometimes taking basic precautionary measures to avoid spreading infection are good enough.
Also, you don’t know the risks of catching typical colds and flu viruses in your current position as a cashier since you have almost no idea as to health of your customers and the money etc. you handle.
So try to stay safe, but keep things in perspective. Germs are everywhere yet we usually thwart them off just fine and our immune systems become strengthened from the infections we do fight.
Have a healthy winter!